Ram Gopal Varma Wanted Shah Rukh Khan To Play Dawood Ibrahim In Company: 'But I Felt He's...'

Director Ram Gopal Varma surprised everyone by sharing that his initial casting ideas for the 2002 gangster film Company did not include Ajay Devgn and Vivek Oberoi. Instead, he approached Shah Rukh Khan for the role of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and had originally wanted Abhishek Bachchan to portray the character based on Chhota Rajan. Furthermore, Varma even considered casting Kamal Haasan in a role that was ultimately played by Mohanlal.

In a recent video shared on his YouTube channel, filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma delved into his film Company, discussing specific scenes and shedding light on the casting process. Varma revealed his initial idea of casting Shah Rukh Khan for the role of Dawood Ibrahim, not Ajay Devgn’s eventual role of Malik. He explained, “At one point of time, I wanted Shah Rukh. I met Shah Rukh, he was excited. I wanted Shah Rukh for Dawood. But I felt that he’s very hyper; his energy, the way he is… That’s what people like. I thought, to make him very subtle – not moving at all and very silent — I thought it would look very odd on screen. Which is the reason I didn’t pursue. I just had one meeting with him, but I didn’t pursue him because I just felt that his body language is wrong for the part.”

He added, “There is an actor and there is a performer. Shah Rukh is a performer. He’s hyperactive, which is what endears the audience to him. So, this lazy guy, sitting in the back… This is Ajay’s natural body language. So, that’s when I thought Ajay is more perfect for the role, and that’s when it happened.”

In discussing the casting choices for the character of Chandu and the Mumbai police commissioner in his film, Company, Ram Gopal Varma shared his insights on the actors considered for these roles, “Very initially, I actually wanted to approach Kamal for that role. I met him also. But there also I felt the same problem I had with Shah Rukh. Their natural stardom, in a realistic film, it’ll just look off. Because of that I changed my mind, and then I approached Mohanlal,” he stated.

Building on his earlier successes, Ram Gopal Varma’s film Company marked the second chapter in a trilogy of interconnrcted gangster films that commenced with Satya and progressed to D, helmed by Vishram Sawant. While Shah Rukh Khan was considered for a gangster role in Company before opting out, he later portrayed a similar character in the film Raees, which received a mixed critical reception and did not meet box office expectations.