'He Refused Until Shah Rukh Called': Farah Khan On Casting Arjun Rampal In Om Shanti Om

Om Shanti Om was the second directorial of Farah Khan.

Om Shanti Om, released in 2007, marked the debut of Deepika Padukone. Her portrayal of the innocent and kind-hearted Shanti Priya instantly won the audience’s hearts. Directed by the renowned Farah Khan, the film became a massive success. On its opening day, it grossed Rs 5.53 crore at the box office. Shah Rukh Khan, with his ever-charming presence, once again impressed audiences. It was only recently revealed that Farah faced significant challenges in finding the perfect villain for the film.

The villain in Om Shanti Om was a really difficult character to embody. Mukesh was a ruthless and extremely cruel character. He was the face of evil. Arjun Rampal was the actor who played this role and did a fantastic job at it.

But, did you know Shah Rukh Khana and Farah Khan Kunder had to look at Arjun in a bathroom to narrate the script to him? During an interview recently, in conversation with Komal Nahta, Farah herself revealed this. She said that no one was ready to do the role of Mukesh. All the actors were rejecting the role. Arjun Rampal ended up as Mukesh and was widely appreciated for the role, but the road to his casting in the film was rocky. Farah recalled that at the time of shooting the film, they were in a sticky situation. The set was ready, and there was no sign of the all-important villain. With help from Shah Rukh Khan Farah was finally able to get hold of Arjun.

But Arjun had also not said yes to the role in the first instance. Only after Shah Rukh insisted Arjun finally agreed.

Farah said, “We were about to start shooting the film on January 6. The set was ready. On the night of December 31, there was a New Year Party at Shah Rukh Khan’s house. We saw Arjun Rampal there. We caught him and took him directly to Shah Rukh Khan’s bathroom and closed the door. After this, we narrated the story of Om Shanti Om to him. Initially, Arjun Rampal also refused, but later, Shah Rukh Khan called and convinced him, after which he agreed to work.”

The rest as you know is history. The movie was the highest-grossing film of 2007. Arjun Rampal pulled off a great villain in the guise of Mukesh Mehra. The praise for him was overwhelming.

If you think about it in hindsight, no other Bollywood actor could create the impact he did in that role, he was seamless and fit the character perfectly. As if the role was meant for him. Do you agree?