There was a time when Shah Rukh Khan was short of ₹6 lakh to buy his iconic mansion Mannat in Mumbai, and quoted that amount to adman Prahlad Kakkar.
But his ad film woes led him to pass on Shah Rukh’s cheaper option, opting instead for Aamir Khan’s pricier package of ₹17 lakh.
Aamir over Shah Rukh
In an interview with Vickey Lalwani, filmmaker Prahlad Kakar looked back at his career, and recounted an incident when he had to choose between Aamir and Shah Rukh.
Prahlad said, “Aamir was charging some ₹17 lakhs and Shah Rukh was only charging ₹6 Lakh at that time. And why Shah Rukh was charging ₹6 Lakh was also because he was short of ₹6 Lakh for buying his house (Mannat). So he said, I am short of ₹6 Lakh, you give me and I will do the ad. So I said he is not right for the film. I wanted someone who had the image of an actor. Money was not my concern.”
Prahlad revealed that Aamir said yes to the ad after six months of negotiation. He added, “The image that Aamir had with Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak was an innocent boy next door. Just a nice, clean boy. And that’s what I needed for the ad film. And Shah Rukh was there but he didn’t have such a clean image. Because his first film was Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman. Or something like that. And the character that he played was not as squeaky clean as the character that Aamir played.”
About Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan
Shah Rukh made his Bollywood debut in 1992 with Deewana. In the same year, Chamatkar, Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman, and Dil Aashna Hai also hit the theatres. Shah Rukh went on to carve a special place for himself in showbiz by working on projects such as Baazigar, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Swades, and Jab Tak Hai Jaan. He was last seen in Dunki (2023). Shah Rukh will be making a cameo appearance in his son Aryan Khan’s debut directorial, The Ba**ds of Bollywood.
Meanwhile, Aamir first appeared on screen as a child actor in Yaadon Ki Baaraat (1973). As an adult, his first feature film role was in Holi (1984). He began his acting career with a leading role in Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988). He is credited for projects such as Rangeela, Raja Hindustani, Sarfarosh, Lagaan, Dil Chahta Hai, Fanaa, Rang De Basanti, Taare Zameen Par, 3 Idiot, PK and Dangal. Aamir was last seen in a special appearance in Rajinikanth-starrer Coolie, written and directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj. He will also feature in Aryan Khan’s directorial debut, Ba***ds of Bollywood, which is set to release on Netflix on September 18.