Daily Times

Veteran actor-director Amol Palekar recalled the ‘surprising’ first reaction of Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan to the narration of his film ‘Paheli’.

In a recent conversation with a digital creator, Palekar recollected the fond memories of his 2005 film ‘Paheli’ revealing the first reaction of Khan to the story.

The veteran disclosed that he initially wanted to cast new actors for the film but was advised to consider established stars instead, which led him to Khan, who after listening to the narration by writer Sandhya Gokhale, not only agreed to do the project but offered to produce it as well.

“He lit up a cigarette and the first dialogue Shahrukh said was a surprise to us, he said, ‘Sir, would you mind if I produce this film?’,” Palekar shared.

Recalling further, Palekar mentioned that he readily agreed to the offer and expressed his gratitude to Khan for his involvement in the film. “All the requirements of mine or the conditions of mine, were accepted by him. He compelled all of them without any disturbance,” he said. Based on an old title ‘Duvidha’, Amol Palekar’s fantasy drama about a ghost falling in love with a newlywed woman, starred a hit pair of then, Shahrukh Khan and Rani Mukerji in lead roles. Although it wasn’t a huge commercial success, ‘Paheli’ garnered critical acclaim in addition to several accolades. Moreover, the film was also the official entry of India to the 79th Academy Awards.