"The Guy Was Very Mean": Shah Rukh Khan On Refusing Role In Slumdog Millionaire

Shah Rukh Khan revealed why he refused a role offered in Oscar winning Slumdog Millionaire. While talking at World Government Summit 2024 in Dubai, the Dunki star said he was offered the role of Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) host in the film, but refused to take it.

Shah Rukh Khan was doing the same show for a television channel at the time the movie was released. Khan said he felt the character to be “very mean”. He said, “Yes, Slumdog [Millionaire] was there, now that you mention it. And I spend a lot of time with Mr. Boyle (Danny Boyle). He”s very sweet. But I was doing Kaun Banega Crorepati on television, successfully at that time. And I just felt in the story that was being told, the guy who was hosting was very mean, in the story that was being told”.

Khan explained why he declined the role, which was done by Anil Kapoor. He said in the movie, the character was cheating and being dishonest, and he felt very strange that he being a host on KBC in real life, and the host from the movie was cheating. Shah Rukh Khan said, he explained to Danny Boyle, the maker of Slumdog Millionaire, that he “wouldn’t like to do it please, and there are way better actors than me. And I think Mr. Anil Kapoor did it and he was fantastic as the host”.

Khan also revealed how he was never been offered any substantial crossover projects from Hollywood. He said, though he may have had conversations with people, nobody has offered him a role that will help in delivering to the people who likes him, “without spreading myself too thin”.

Often called as “King Khan”, the star’s fandom is huge. The reigning monarch of Bollywood have fans across the world to the extent which made Khan himself wonder how he managed to grab this much love from audience outside India.