When Sanjay Leela Bhansali Refused To Do Devdas Without Shah Rukh Khan

It has been over two decades since Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s iconic release Devdas came out, taking audiences into the opulent world of the director. Known for dishing out really strong visual aesthetics, Bhansali redefined his ethos with the 2002 film. While it took a lot to make Devdas happen, including a mammoth cost, grand sets worth crores and hundreds of outfits, a lot more happened behind the scenes. Not many know that the leading star, Shah Rukh Khan, didn’t want to do the film initially.

According to Film Companion, it was director Sanjay Leela Bhansali who managed to convince SRK, stating that he wouldn’t do the film without him. At a time when the actor had created a niche for himself with films like Baazigar, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham and Mohabbatein, Devdas came as a fresh wave of air for Shah Rukh.

“Sanjay believed that only he (Shah Rukh Khan) could play Devdas because he felt that he has hurt in his eyes and there is something about him that never heals," said Anupama Chopra on her latest FC Retake episode. Later in the conversation, Chopra also spoke about Devdas’ Cannes premiere and recalled the remarks made by film critic Derek Malcolm. “It is a pretty silly three hours worth of romance, songs, and dance. An utterly tasteless, luxuriant production design," she said, quoting The Guardian.

On the other hand, Richard Coles in The Times Magazine described Bhansali as a “young master" of the medium, putting the film in the No. 4 spot on the top 10 movie list of the year, surpassing films like Minority Report and Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.

Devdas Had Six Sets Worth Crores

During the conversation, Anupama Chopra also spoke about Devdas’ extravagant production costs and arrangements that crossed Rs 50 crores at that time. The film had 260 shooting shifts that lasted over 2.5 years, followed by the erection of six sets. The cheapest was Rs 3 crore, while the most expensive one, i.e., Chandramukhi’s Kotha, was worth Rs 12 crore.

The film also had a few setbacks due to the deaths of two crew members during on-set accidents, which sent producer Bharat Shah to jail for 16 months. Released in 2002, Devdas is based on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s 1917 novel.