Hrithik Roshan, Abhishek Bachchan, Sohail Khan turned down Main Hoon Na, recalls Zayed Khan: ‘Shah Rukh Khan asked if I can act'

Main Hoon Na (2004) is one of the most loved and appreciated films from Shah Rukh Khan's filmography. Farah Khan made her directorial debut with it, and reportedly the duo were struggling to find a second lead until they zeroed in on actor Zayed Khan, who ended up playing Shah Rukh's brother Lucky or Laxman in the film. In a recent interview Zayed talked about the process of getting cast in the film and how he felt working alongside one of his acting heroes.
While talking to Siddharth Kannan on his podcast, Zayed revealed that getting cast for the film was an out-of-the-blue development and he wasn't even aware that he was in the running for the role. He shared, 'So the role was initially offered to Hrithik Roshan, then it went to Sohail Khan, and then finally it was given to Abhishek Bachchan. But somehow things didn't work out with any of these actors.' He continued and said that one day he called Farah because he wanted her help with the choreography of a song he was shooting. Before he could finish his sentence, Farah told him to come to her office.
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Upon reaching, however, Zayed realised that this was not Farah's office, as all the walls were adorned with pictures of Shah Rukh. He shared that 'Farah came into the office, and I asked her whether she was going to help me with the song. She instantly told me to 'shut up' and said that Shah Rukh wanted to talk to me. Shah Rukh came in with his charm and aura and told me, 'Don't listen to what she is saying; we have called you over because we are considering you for a role.' Zayed was completely baffled listening to this and proceeded to give an impromptu audition right there, after which Farah walked out of the office without saying a single word.
'Before driving off, she looked at me from inside her car and said, 'Send me your measurements; you are in my movie,' and I remember being so excited that I hugged a tree,' added Zayed. After landing the role, the actor shared that the battle was still half won; he said that he was immensely grateful for the opportunity but was being constantly bogged down by people who kept giving him unsolicited advice. He said, 'I was just concerned with the fact that I got a chance to work with these people. I shut off a lot of people who would tell me that Shah Rukh will take more screen time and would tell me how to act.'
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On the contrary, Zayed shared that Shah Rukh was anything but a problem and helped the actor give his best performance on set. He shared an anecdote about the iconic scene where Laxman and his mother (played by Kirron Kher) discover Ram's (Shah Rukh) true identity. 'I struggled in the scene where I am supposed to diss my father. So Shah Rukh took me to the side and asked me whether I would like to rehearse the scene. He took me to his room, and we rehearsed the scene, and once we shot the scene, there was pin-drop silence after the director called cut. People started clapping, and that was such a euphoric moment for me as an actor.'
Main Hoon Na was extremely successful at the box office and went on to become one of Zayed's most iconic roles. Directed by Farah Khan, the cast of the film included Shah Rukh, Zayed, Kirron Kher, Sushmita Sen, Amrita Rao, Suniel Shetty, Boman Irani, and Kabir Bedi.

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