Shah Rukh Khan has worked with nearly every top filmmaker—from Sanjay Leela Bhansali to Karan Johar—but Ram Gopal Varma remains the most notable exception. The Satya and Rangeela director has now explained why a project with the superstar never took off despite multiple meetings.
‘Shah Rukh is like a live wire, my films are composed’
In an interview with Radio Nasha, Varma said Shah Rukh’s high-energy persona did not align with his own filmmaking grammar.“So we had a lot of meetings, but the one thing I always felt was that Shah Rukh is like a live wire. He is always bursting with energy, and my style of filmmaking is that I generally try to make my films very composed and intense,” he shared.“I thought that Shah Rukh being restricted like that would be doing an injustice to both Shah Rukh and the fans who have come to see him and expect certain things.”
‘I wasn’t capable enough to handle his image’
Varma admitted he didn’t feel confident directing Shah Rukh at all.“I just felt that I wasn’t a capable enough director to handle Shah Rukh and his image. Because he is not in sync with my style of filmmaking,” he said.He even considered SRK for Company. “At one point in time, I approached him for Company also, but again I thought that Mallik’s character should be a very laid-back and lazy-looking guy. That is the exact opposite of what I think one would expect from Shah Rukh. I had a terrific story for him, but it didn’t happen.”
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‘Shah Rukh doesn’t really need a director’
According to Varma, SRK’s natural performance power makes a hands-on director like him unnecessary.“When you tell Shah Rukh about a scene, he’ll just get up and he’ll do it. He’s fantastic, but then I thought that there is nothing for me to do in his film,” Varma explained.“I don’t think that directors make a lot of difference in his films, because he is a performer who can hold the camera and entertain you without anything. That’s a very different kind of stardom.”
Ajay Devgn eventually starred in Company
Although the SRK-RGV project never materialised, Varma went ahead with Company in 2002, casting Ajay Devgn alongside Vivek Oberoi, Mohanlal, Manisha Koirala, Seema Biswas and Antara Mali.