Shah Rukh Khan’s performance in Don and Don 2, both directed by Farhan Akhtar, remains one of the most iconic portrayals in Bollywood’s action-thriller genre. But behind the scenes of this successful collaboration, there was a moment that showcased the creative push and pull between the actor and the director. Actor Alyy Khan, who played the role of Diwan in Don 2, revisited this instance in an old interview.
During the chat, Alyy recounted a day on set when Shah Rukh hadn’t memorized a scene. “Usne (SRK) scene memorise kiya nahi tha, toh koi assistant ne usko script pakdaya. Voh script dekhta hai, kehta, ‘Haan, okay boss. Let’s read.’ We read the scene… jab hum scene padh rahe the toh scene ke end pe Shah Rukh Khan ne ek line add ki,” he shared.
What followed was an interesting exchange between actor and director. As they read through the scene, Alyy noticed Farhan reacting subtly. “Farhan, jo scene follow kar raha hai aur Shah Rukh ko dekh raha hai, mujhe mehsoos ho raha hai apne peripheral vision se… Farhan aise (shakes head) kar raha hai. Scene khatam hua, Shah Rukh ne chashme utaare bola, ‘Chal yaar, bhookh lag rahi hai, khaane chalte hain.’”
Farhan, trying to stay true to his script, made a polite request. “Farhan kehta hai, ‘Yaar, Shah, yaar ek request kar sakta hoon?’ Jo line tune add ki hai voh darasal script main hai nahi. Toh jis tarah script likhi gayi hai, ek baar ussi tarah padh sakte hain?’ Shah Rukh kehta hai, ‘Abe saale, Don bana raha hai lekin Don kaun hai? Shah Rukh Khan hai na? Public ko Shah Rukh Khan bhi toh dekhna hai na. Relax, don’t worry about it. Main karta hoon na.’”
According to Alyy, he later suggested to Farhan that the scene could be edited in post-production if it didn’t fit the final cut. However, since SRK was also the film’s producer, that route wasn’t easy either. Ultimately, Shah Rukh’s improvised line made it to the film—and the film itself turned out to be a box office hit.
While Don 2 cemented Shah Rukh’s dominance as the stylish anti-hero, the actor-director duo eventually parted ways when it came to the third installment. Farhan Akhtar is now moving ahead with Don 3, this time with Ranveer Singh in the lead. Reports suggest that creative differences between Farhan and Shah Rukh over the storyline led the superstar to decline the project.
