Shah Rukh Khan and Salman's rise to stardom: Revisiting 'Karan Arjun' with Rakesh Roshan and its UAE re-release

Few films capture the spirit of Bollywood’s larger-than-life storytelling like Karan Arjun. Released in 1995, this Rakesh Roshan classic not only marked the coming together of Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan but also introduced audiences to an epic tale of reincarnation and brotherhood. Decades later, its dialogues, songs, and gripping emotions remain etched in the hearts of fans.

“What makes Karan Arjun timeless are the emotions, dialogues, and songs. A movie needs to be wholesome to have recall value,” said Roshan in an interview with Gulf News ahead of its re-release in the UAE cinemas on November 22.

In an exclusive conversation, Roshan looks back at the making of the film, sharing anecdotes about the young actors who would grow to become two of Bollywood’s biggest stars, the risks he took, and why he believes the film still resonates with audiences nearly 30 years later.

The film wasn’t just a blockbuster; it became a part of Bollywood folklore, with its iconic moments and characters.

Excerpts from our interview with Roshan on working with two Khans, having his son and actor Hrithik Roshan assist him, and the near-fatal accident on the sets …

The theme of reincarnation was bold and unconventional for its time. Do you believe a story like Karan Arjun would still work in 2024?

I would call Karan Arjun a fairy-tale. This was one unbelievable story on the theme of reincarnation and I had to convince and draw my audience into believing this story. From that lens, fairy-tales can never go out of fashion. It is the onus of a filmmaker to make it believable and present a wholesome film to the audience. I think success of films like Avatar is proof that audience do have an appetite for such content.

Two of Bollywood’s biggest stars, Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan, came together for this film. What was the brief you gave them to embody Karan and Arjun’s characters?

It was destiny that brought Salman and Shah Rukh together for Karan Arjun. Looking back, there could not have been a more perfect cast. More than the brief, I had identified Salman and Shah Rukh as Karan and Arjun respectively because of their personal characteristics. When I first narrated the script to Salman, he was instantly sold with the story and Karan's character. I emphasized that I saw Salman as Karan because he came across as a deep soul, who has very expressive eyes. His physique was in top form and that's exactly the stature I needed for Karan. He was a perfect match. As for Shah Rukh, when I narrated him the script, his reaction was the opposite of Salman's - he did not believe in the concept of reincarnation. After some back and forth, he came around the second time and signed the film. He told me that he still doesn't believe in the story and is only doing the film as he believed in me as a filmmaker. Till the end of shoot he did not believe in the character he played. Both Salman and Shah Rukh are director's actors and they both delivered their parts to perfection.

Was there anything about Salman and Shah Rukh that surprised you during the making of the film?

When I signed Salman and Shah Rukh, they were two young boys - full of child-like energy and were very naughty. But when in front of the camera, these boys transformed into mature actors. That quality of both of them surprised me. They approached their work with a lot of passion and it showed onscreen.

Both stars have achieved massive success since Karan Arjun. Looking back, what made them perfect for these roles?

Salman was a lot more reserved, as in he wouldn't open up immediately to people, but once he knew you and was comfortable, he would be unhinged. He was also slightly a rebel, stood his ground firmly and would not shy away from disagreeing. These were the exact qualities I that I needed in Karan. Shah Rukh on the other hand was a boisterous boy. He was outgoing and presented himself with grandiose much like Arjun.

Karan Arjun was a massive production. What’s your fondest memory from shooting the film?

I remember once we were shooting a scene where a speeding jeep comes close to Rakhee. That scene was done with actual actors and not stunt doubles. So this speeding jeep came about an inch away from Rakhee and stopped. To her credit, she is such a powerful actress that she did not flinch. Just witnessing that scene scared me behind the camera, post which I went and apologized to Rakhee as this could have been dangerous.

Another scene was Rakhee's iconic scene 'Mere Karan Arjun Aayenge'. It was a one take scene as she is such a powerful actress that the emotions, voice and delivery had all of us present on set with goosebumps.

Your son Hrithik Roshan assisted you during the making of this film. What was that experience like, and did you sense his future potential as an actor?

I treated Hrithik like I would work with any other assistant on set. No special treatment was given to him. We would have breakfast together at home and I would leave in my car for the sets, while he would take a bus, and would return in the same manner too. He traveled to outdoor locations with the crew in the train and shared accommodation with them on a 4 people sharing basis. What I realised strongly while Hrithik worked with me as an assistant for 4 years is that he was extremely creative. I would often discuss ideas with him and he would give me good creative suggestions. He had an eye for technical details and screenplay. I always knew he was working towards becoming an actor, but as a father I was amazed with his passion for the process of filmmaking as a whole.

Would you say Karan Arjun was the most audacious or daring film of your career, considering its ambitious storyline and star cast?

Throughout my career I've taken risks, be it my first directorial Khudgarz or Khoon Bhari Maang where the wife kills her husband, or Koyla where the lead character is mute or Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai, where there are two boys who lookalike but do not share any real life connections or Koi Mil Gaya where an alien becomes friends with a [specially-abled] boy or Krrish who is a Superhero with a cape. As a director, I'm driven by challenges and I enjoy have some element of risk in each of my stories. With Karan Arjun too, the story was a challenge for me to do justice to as a director. Casting two fairly new boys as Karan and Arjun was a risk too, as even two of my regular distributors did not believe Salman and Shah Rukh would be accepted by the audience as action heroes. Those two distributors left the film. But I believed in my vision and went ahead against all odds. So ambition and an appetite for taking risk is something that I have always possessed.

What were some of the biggest challenges you faced while making Karan Arjun, and how did you overcome them?

As a producer - director I am well prepared. I take about a year to do foolproof pre-production work on all my films. From the script to songs, dialogues and locations, every day of the 90 day shoot schedule was planned to the T. The only challenge I had which was time consuming was the casting. I first had announced the film with Ajay Devgn and Shah Rukh as Karan and Arjun, but they wanted to swap their roles which wasn't working for me creatively. I then went to Salman and Aamir for the respective parts of Karan and Arjun and both agreed, but Aamir was shooting another film and needed 6 months to clear his dates. That's when Shah Rukh came back and told me that he would want to do the film and was having sleepless nights for letting go of the film. I discussed this with Aamir and told him I had Shah Rukh's dates and he was gracious enough to step out and let Shah Rukh be Arjun. So after some back and forth, we finally had locked our Karan and Arjun. Looking back, everything fell right in place as it was meant to be.

The dialogue "Mere Karan Arjun Aayenge" is now part of Bollywood folklore. Did you ever imagine it would have such a lasting cultural impact?

No, I had never imagined nor anticipated that the dialogue would have such a lasting impact, even after 30 years. But I'm not surprised, as the manner in which Rakhee presented the dialogue made it iconic.

If you were to remake Karan Arjun today, who do you think could step into the iconic roles of Karan and Arjun? Are there any current actors who you believe could bring the same magic and chemistry as Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan did?

Firstly, I would never remake Karan Arjun. This film was made with a lot of original thoughts and ideas, to replicate those scenes, songs and moments will not do justice to the original film. But if anyone else has an idea to make the sequel of the film, I'm all ears. There are a lot of new actors who will do justice to the part of Karan Arjun, but if I have to choose, my pick would be Hrithik [Roshan] and Ranbir Kapoor.

If Karan Arjun were made today, do you think it would need any changes to suit contemporary audiences?

I'm re-releasing Karan Arjun to get an answer to this question. From my end it's an experiment to gauge how the audience receives this film today.

How do you feel about Karan Arjun re-releasing in the UAE on November 22nd, this week? Do you think audiences here will embrace this drama as enthusiastically as they did back in the day?

I'm having pre-release jitters to know what the audience thinks. I have been receiving very encouraging feedback on social media with the new teaser and trailer of Karan Arjun and the announcement of re-releases, let's hope the same enthusiasm is seen in cinema halls worldwide too.

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Karan Arjun will re-release in UAE cinemas on November 22