Salman Khan said ‘you have to be mad to do Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’, agreed to play second lead to Shah Rukh Khan. Watch

As Karan Johar made an appearance on Indian Idol 12, he narrated a story about how Salman Khan came to play the second lead in his debut, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. The director recalled that when he was casting for the film, no actor was ready to play the part of the second male lead.

“With Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol as the lead actors, no one said yes to the role of the second lead. I went to three or four actors, I won’t name them, but they all said no. I was very disappointed and with my sad face, I went to attend a party at Chunky Pandey’s house,” Karan Johar remembered during his appearance on Indian Idol 12.

It was at the party that Salman came to him and asked, “Tune shopping karli?” A bemused Karan asked him what he meant and Salman said that he knows Karan is trying to cast for the role but with no success. “Iss film ko karne ki liye paagal hona chahiye aur main wo pagal hoon (You have to be crazy to do this film and I am that person),” Salman said. Karan said that he was shocked when the superstar volunteered to do the role as he was not even on his list of prospective names.

The actor said he would do the role and asked the filmmaker to come to his home the next day and narrate the role. ”He heard the first half and said I would do the film. I got worried as I wondered if he thought I was offering him Shah Rukh’s role. I told him, ‘sir aapka role aaya nahi abhi tak’. Salman said the role is immaterial as he knows my father and is doing the film for him,” Karan narrated.

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai became a huge success and an iconic film for Hindi cinema. It also established Karan as a director. Despite the short length of Salman’s role, he left quite an impact on the audience. Karan said he went to Salman after the film to thank the actor.

Salman, who will soon be seen as a host of Bigg Boss 15, has extended support to people who are stuck in the flood-affected regions of Maharashtra. On Thursday, the actor dispatched five tempos consisting essentials. The tempos were sent to Chiplun, Mahad and other villages near Mahabaleshwar.

Megastar #SalmanKhan delivers 5 tempos of essentials to flood-affected areas of Chiplun and Mahad. @BeingSalmanKhan always lead by example.. ???? pic.twitter.com/Qut1XvP0Py

— Sumit Kadel (@SumitkadeI) August 7, 2021

Rahul N Kanal, Yuva Sena leader and president of I Luv Mumbai Foundation, said so far 500 ration kits have been sent. These kits “contains five kilos of rice and wheat each, two kilos of dal, one litre oil, one kilo tea powder and two kilos of mixed spices.” He added, “We have also sent 50,000 bottles of mineral water, 5,000 sanitary napkins, and 50,000 biscuit packets. Additionally, we have provided utensils and some ready-to-eat meals. Our [volunteers] will hand it over to the locals.”

Kanal also shared that Salman Khan has “has requested us to ask locals about their requirements” and mentioned that in the next trip, they “will send clothes, utensils and other items.”

Earlier this week, Sonu Sood also extended help and reached out to the flood-affected people in several districts of Maharashtra. Talking about the same, Sonu said, “These villages have been severely affected by the floods, and they are all 20-30 kilometres away from the major highways. Therefore the relief materials have not reached there. We have already spoken to the sarpanches of these villages. Basic necessities like buckets, tumblers, utensils, mats, clothes and even food materials – all are being sent. My team will be there to give it to the families personally. A couple of trucks will reach tomorrow and a few more should reach a day later.”

On the work front, Salman is currently prepping for Tiger 3. The actor was last seen in Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai.