Ever since Farhan Akhtar announced Don 3, speculation about the casting has dominated the headlines. Before reports emerged about Ranveer Singh withdrawing from the project and non-cooperation directions issued against him by FWICE, fans were convinced that Shah Rukh Khan would return as the popular Don after helming the first two films of the franchise.
The excitement around Shah Rukh Khan’s return was huge, but things reportedly did not progress as expected.
Why did Shahrukh Khan reject the movie “Don 3”?
According to News18, industry reports said that Shah Rukh Khan did not reject the film because he did not like the script. Instead, he was said to be unsure about returning to the character unless he felt completely satisfied with the script.It’s not like Shah Rukh Khan didn’t like the script. It’s just that Shah Rukh Khan was not completely convinced.
He knows Don is a special role and wants to return to the character once he is completely confident with the script. The box office scenario is not very healthy, and he wants to double check before signing on the dotted line.Reports also suggest that Farhan Akhtar has reconsidered the script, hoping that the star will eventually reconsider. “For now, Farhan Akhtar has gone back to the drawing board, and we can hope that the next time he meets Shah Rukh Khan, the star will happily sign Don 3.”
Reports claimed that fans will be on cloud nine.
Shah Rukh Khan has been busy reinventing his career
At that time, Shah Rukh Khan was busy with projects like Dunki directed by Rajkumar Hirani, alongside Taapsee Pannu. He was also gearing up for his comeback with Pathaan, co-starring Deepika Padukone and John Abraham, as well as Jawan, featuring Nayanthara, Vijay Sethupathi, Priyamani and Sanya Malhotra.After the huge success of Pathaan, many thought that Shah Rukh Khan might reconsider joining the franchise again.
However, another report later indicated that the actor wanted to focus on major artists who have appeal to a wider audience. Reports say, “He (Shah Rukh) is willing to do commercial films that cater to a global audience segment, and ‘Don’ certainly does not fit into the category of cinema he wants to do in the next few years.
“Reports also suggest that Farhan Akhtar was reluctant to imagine anyone else taking on the role.
“Aapko lagta hai ke Farhan kissi doosre actor ke baare mein soch bhi sakta hai?” (Do you think Farhan could imagine anyone else for the role?) The reports claimed, while adding that SRK remained firm about not returning to the franchise. He felt he gave everything he had to give to Don in his two Don films.Interestingly, SRK believes the character could survive a recast, just like James Bond has evolved over the years.
According to reports, he felt that the audience would finally accept a new face like Don.
How Ranveer Singh entered the picture
After Shah Rukh Khan’s decision, Farhan Akhtar had two options, either pause the series or reinvent it with a new series. This eventually opened the door for Ranveer Singh, who reportedly pursued the opportunity enthusiastically and convinced Farhan along with producer Ritesh Sidhwani to cast him in the reboot.
