The journey of actor Shah Rukh Khan in Bollywood resembles a cinematic story. From envisioning owning one of Mumbai's most coveted properties to rising as the industry's biggest star, he has indeed achieved remarkable success. In a recent interview, producer Viveck Vaswani recounted an intriguing tale about how actress Hema Malini cast Shah Rukh in the film Dil Aashna Hai.
In honor of Shah Rukh's 60th birthday, Viveck Vaswani spoke with Radio Nasha, recounting various stories from the actor's career. He reminisced about the period when Shah Rukh was staying with him, striving for his initial breakthrough. During this time, Viveck received an unforeseen call from Hema Malini, catching both Shah Rukh and Viveck off guard with her message.
He recounted, 'That was the moment I understood I was part of the industry. Hema Malini phoned my home, and my father answered. She introduced herself and inquired, ‘Is Viveck Vaswani available?’ My father asked, ‘Hema Malini who?’ to which she replied, ‘Hema Malini, the superstar.’ He then came to wake me up, grabbing me by the collar, and informed me that Hema Malini was on the line.'
Viveck went on to mention that Malini asked about Shah Rukh and expressed a desire to discuss a project with him. 'She asked, ‘Is that young man Shah Rukh Khan still staying at your place?’ I replied ‘yes’, and she instructed me to wake him up. So, I grabbed Shah Rukh by the collar, and he went to speak with her. She instructed him to visit her house at 5 pm before ending the call,' Viveck recounted.
Viveck and Shah Rukh did go to Malini’s house, and the producer admitted that even though he was very nervous, he did his best trying to sell Shah Rukh to her. He said, “We went to her house like two little mice, and someone was sitting in front of us reading the newspaper. We didn’t recognise him, but when he put the paper down, we realised that it was Dharmendra.
Hema Ji approached Shah Rukh and remarked, 'But you're not very attractive.' I questioned her, 'Why are you interested in him?' She replied, 'Aamir Khan and Salman Khan have declined.' I informed her that Rakesh Roshan and Ramesh Sippy had already signed him, which was untrue because I can fabricate stories like royalty when it comes to launching careers.
He mentioned, "She stated, 'I will give you Rs 50k, and I am Hema Malini, so there should be no doubts.' I mean, she already had Jitendra, Mithun Chakraborty, Amrita Singh, Dimple Kapadia, and Kabir Bedi. Although Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman was always considered his debut film, the first was Dil Aashna Hai, and the initial shoot was King Uncle by Rakesh Roshan in Nairobi."
Dil Aashna Hai, directed by Malini, featured a cast that included Shah Rukh Khan, Jeetendra, Dimple Kapadia, Amrita Singh, Mithun Chakraborty, and Divya Bharti. The film premiered in 1992.
