Did You Know? Shah Rukh Khan Wanted 'Close Friend' Salman to Replace Him In 'Kal Ho Naa Ho' (Details Inside)

One of the peaks of Shah Rukh Khan's acting career is generally recognised to be his outstanding performance in the critically acclaimed film Kal Ho Naa Ho. It isn't widely known, though, that he originally wanted his close friend and fellow actor Salman Khan to play the movie's leading man.

Shah Rukh Khan told Nikhil Advani that he would not be able to continue filming the movie due to a back issue after shooting for four to five days and departing for Germany the next day, according to the book SRK 25 Years of Life by Samar Khan.

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Shah Rukh claimed that the medical procedure needed to treat his back issue was more difficult than he had anticipated, causing his departure from the project. The Zero actor then suggested Salman Khan as a replacement to his buddy Karan Johar, who had co-written and co-produced the movie.

But Nikhil and Karan declined, saying it had been written especially for him. If required, they also suggested delaying the filming by nine months. Even though Salman Khan wasn't chosen to play the main role in the movie, he did make an unexpected cameo appearance.

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According to sources, Salman portrayed a singer by the name of Frankie Ramdayal who met the fictional characters Naina, Sweetu, and Aman on a ferry. Salman could still be seen in his musical outfit standing behind the actor playing Frankie, despite the fact that most of the scene was cut from the finished movie.