‘Swades’ remains one of Shah Rukh Khan‘s most acclaimed performances, but the role of NASA scientist Mohan Bhargava almost went to another actor. Writer-actor Amin Hajee has revealed that director Ashutosh Gowariker initially had Aamir Khan in mind for the lead, while Hrithik Roshan was also given a narration and R Madhavan auditioned for the part before Shah Rukh eventually came on board.
Swades was initially planned with Aamir Khan
Before joining the writing team of ‘Swades’, Hajee had played Bagha in Lagaan. Speaking to Siddharth Kannan, he recalled how ‘Swades’, which was initially titled Desh, took shape during its early stages.According to Hajee, Aamir was the actor originally attached to the lead role and the film was planned as Ashutosh Gowariker’s next project after ‘Lagaan’.“At that time Aamir was supposed to play Shah Rukh Khan’s role. It was originally Aamir, always, from the start. After Lagaan, the next film was this with Aamir,” he recalled.
Aamir Khan had reservations about the script
Aamir was also attached to the project as a producer at one point. While he was reportedly interested in the central idea of the film, he had reservations about certain aspects of the screenplay.“Aamir did not like some things that we had done. That version of the script he did not like. He liked the plot,” Hajee said.He added, “Aamir loved the plot. He was just wanting to work on things. But the more important thing is that he didn’t have the time. Aamir does one film at one time.”
R Madhavan impressed with his ‘Swades’ audition
After Aamir stepped away from the lead role, Gowariker began considering other actors for the part. Hajee revealed that the script was also narrated to Hrithik Roshan, while R Madhavan went a step further and auditioned for the role that would eventually be played by Shah Rukh.“We narrated the script to Hrithik Roshan also. Madhavan also gave the audition – and what an audition. He killed it. He is a great actor,” Hajee said.Despite Madhavan’s impressive audition, the role ultimately went to Shah Rukh Khan. Hajee recalled that Shah Rukh had attended a special screening of ‘Lagaan’ and was keen to collaborate with Gowariker.“He said, ‘I should be in Ashu’s next film. My father was a freedom fighter. I should do Desh. I should be Mohan Bhargava.'”
Shah Rukh Khan reached out to Ashutosh Gowariker
Hajee further recalled that Shah Rukh subsequently contacted Gowariker himself to express his interest in the project.“He called Ashu and said, ‘Ashu, I have to be in your next film. You are a great director. I want to be a part of your next film.'”Once Shah Rukh was considered for the project, he underwent a screen test for the role. Looking back at how the casting eventually came together, Hajee described it as a matter of destiny.“Then we tested, and I think it’s all destiny. So Shah Rukh did Swades and I became a writer, and Charlotte co-wrote it with us,” he said.
‘Swades’ grew into a celebrated film over time
Swades was released in theatres in 2004. Although the film did not make a major commercial impact during its initial theatrical run, its reputation grew considerably over the years. Shah Rukh Khan’s performance as Mohan Bhargava, a NASA scientist who returns to India and becomes involved in efforts to bring change to a rural community, is now regarded as one of the most acclaimed performances of his career. It also starred Gayatri Joshi as Gita, Kishori Ballal as Kaveri Amma, Smith Seth as Nandan ‘Chiku’, Lekh Tandon as Dadaji and Rajesh Vivek as Nivaaran Dayal Shrivastav.