Will Smith reveals Bollywood ambitions: 'Couple of things' with Salman Khan, Amitabh Bachchan and hopes Shah Rukh Khan will cast him

Hollywood actor Will Smith has once again sparked excitement among Indian film fans after opening up about his long-standing interest in working in Bollywood. During a recent appearance in Dubai, the Oscar-winning star revealed that he had explored possible projects with Salman Khan and Amitabh Bachchan in the past, though none of those discussions eventually materialised. He also made it clear that he would still like to be cast in a Hindi film, particularly by Shah Rukh Khan.

Discussions with Salman Khan and Amitabh Bachchan

Will Smith spoke about his Bollywood ambitions while attending the Dubai premiere of Pole to Pole with Will Smith, his upcoming National Geographic series. In an interaction with Gulf News, the actor shared that over the years, he had informal and professional conversations with some of Hindi cinema’s biggest names. He explained that he and Salman Khan had spoken about potential collaborations and had explored ideas for films, but those projects did not move forward.

Smith said, “I was talking to Salman. We had things we were talking about. I was trying to get into something with Big B, you know. He told me I could be Big W, so we were cool – we were sharing the title. There were a couple of things over the years… nothing panned out.”


Smith also recalled his interactions with Amitabh Bachchan, describing them as light-hearted yet sincere. He mentioned that while discussing a possible project, Bachchan jokingly referred to himself as “Big B” and suggested that Smith could be “Big W,” highlighting the friendly rapport between them. Despite these exchanges and multiple attempts to find the right script, Smith confirmed that none of the ideas ultimately reached the production stage.

Industry buzz has previously linked Smith to a large-scale project involving director Atlee and Salman Khan, which reportedly did not take shape. That film later moved ahead with a different lead, reinforcing Smith’s point that while conversations happened, circumstances did not align.

Desire to work with Shah Rukh Khan

While past talks may not have worked out, Will Smith made it clear that his interest in Bollywood remains strong. During the same interaction with Gulf News, he expressed his wish to collaborate with Shah Rukh Khan and said he would be open to being cast in a Hindi film by the actor. Smith pointed out that many Indian stars have successfully crossed over into Hollywood, but the reverse is still relatively uncommon. He sees Bollywood as a space he would like to be part of, given its global reach and cultural impact.

His remarks quickly gained traction on social media, with fans reacting to the possibility of seeing two of the world’s biggest film stars share screen space.

At present, Shah Rukh Khan is busy with his upcoming film King, directed by Siddharth Anand. The film features an ensemble cast that includes Suhana Khan, Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachchan and Jaideep Ahlawat. Early visuals from the project suggest a darker, action-driven role for Khan, with a strong focus on intensity and psychological elements. The film is expected to hit theatres later this year.