Kamal Haasan turns 70: Did you know ¡®Nayakan¡¯ rejected Shah Rukh Khan¡¯s Main Hoon Na?

Kamal Haasan, who turns 70 today (November 7), is one of Indian cinema¡¯s biggest names. The multi-talented legend enjoys a dedicated fan following because of his powerful performances, outspoken nature and remarkable screen presence. The ¡®Nayakan¡¯ of the big screen has starred in iconic films such as Sadma and Hey Ram and proved he is second to none. However, because of his busy schedule, he has also rejected several films with Main Hoon Na being one of them

Kamal Haasan did not have time to do Main Hoon Na

Main Hoon Na, starring Shah Rukh Khan, hit the screens in 2004 and set the box office on fire. It featured a hard-hitting plot and some popular songs, which helped it become a rage among the audience. However, not many know that director Farah Khan wanted Kamal Haasan to essay a negative role in the film. She even met him in Chennai to convince himself to come on board but things did not work out as the veteran actor was not able to allocate dates to Farah¡¯s first film as a director.

Recalling the disappointing experience, Farah once said that Kamal treated her well and even showed her a few glimpses of the film he was doing back then but didn¡¯t take up Main Hoon Na.

¡°I went to Chennai. Kamal Haasan was very nice and he met me and showed me the rushes of the film he was then making. He took me to the office and fed me lunch. Finally, he told me he can¡¯t do my film. He told me that he¡¯s making a movie on Silk Rote,¡± she told Bollywood Hungama

The role eventually went to Suniel Shetty, who impressed fans with his performance in Main Hoon Na.

Busy time for Kamal Haasan

Coming back to the present, Kamal Haasan is going through a challenging phase on the work front. He was last seen in Indian 2, which failed to live up to expectations at the box office and received negative reviews. Directed by S Shankar, the vigilante-thriller was a sequel to Indian (1996) and revolved around the titular character¡¯s fight against corruption.

Kamal Haasan is currently working on Thug Life, directed by Mani Ratnam. He will also be seen in Indian 3. He is also expected to team up with Lokesh Kanagaraj for Vikram 2, a sequel to his 2022 blockbuster Vikram. It is a part of the Loki Cinematic Universe (LCU)