When Aamir Khan rejected Shah Rukh Khan’s Swades because he found the script 'Boring', said, "maine abtakk film nahi dekhi..."

When Aamir Khan rejected Shah Rukh Khan’s Swades because he found the script 'Boring', said, "maine ab tak film nahi dekhi..."

• Aamir Khan declined Swades, calling the initial script boring during narration
• Swades, starring Shah Rukh Khan, won acclaim and two National Awards
• Aamir Khan's next film Sitaare Zameen Par releases June 20

Did our AI summary help?

Years before Swades went on to become one of Shah Rukh Khan’s most celebrated performances, the film had first been offered to Aamir Khan. In a revealing throwback moment, Aamir once candidly explained why he chose to walk away from the Ashutosh Gowariker directorial, despite having just delivered a historic success together with Lagaan.

Aamir and Ashutosh had struck gold with Lagaan in 2001. The film was not only a massive critical and commercial success in India but also earned an Academy Award nomination in the Best Foreign Language Film category. Riding on that momentum, Ashutosh was keen to collaborate with Aamir again and narrated his next script to him during the making of Lagaan.

In an interview with Zoom, Aamir recalled that the film was initially titled Kaveri Amma, named after the foster mother of the protagonist Mohan Bhargava.

However, the narration did not land with him.

“I found it very boring!” Aamir admitted bluntly. “I had said this to Ashu when he narrated the whole story to me. In fact, I’ll tell you; Ashu narrated the story to me when we were making Lagaan. It was titled Kaveri Amma then.”

Aamir revealed that the narration itself lasted nearly three hours. When Ashutosh asked for his feedback, Aamir chose to be completely honest about his first reaction.

Also Read: “Parveen Babi ate only eggs fearing FBI in her final days”, When Pooja Bedi realised something was wrong after meeting the veteran actress

“It was a three-hour-long narration. When he asked me how I liked it, I said I want to tell you my first reaction first. I said, ‘I got bored. It’s very important for you to hear this reaction,’” he shared.

Elaborating further, Aamir explained that while he respected the intent of the story, the execution did not work for him at the time. “Ki tera thought kitna bhi noble hain, aur jo tu kehna cha raha hain woh bohot hi sahi cheez hain, aur bohot zaroori bhi hain, lekin itne boring tarike se kahega toh mujhe maza nahi aayega,” he said.

The actor also confessed that, even years later, he still hasn’t watched the finished film. “Actually maine ab tak film dekhi nahi hain Swades. Toh shayad usne correct kiya hoga,” Aamir added, acknowledging that the director may have refined the film later.

He was quick to note, however, that the audience response spoke for itself. “Logo ko Shah Rukh ka kaam khaas pasand aya tha,” he said, referring to the immense appreciation Shah Rukh Khan received for his restrained and emotionally grounded performance.

Released in 2004, Swades went on to win two National Awards and is widely regarded as one of Shah Rukh Khan’s finest performances, growing in stature over the years.

Meanwhile, Aamir Khan will next be seen in Sitaare Zameen Par, directed by RS Prasanna. The film, a remake of the Spanish hit Campeones, is scheduled to release in theatres on June 20.