Actor Makarand Deshpande had the opportunity to be part of two of the most iconic Hindi films of all time – Munna Bhai M.B.B.S and Lagaan. However, he declined roles in both movies due to the long-term commitment required. In a recent conversation with Siddharth Kannan, Makarand elaborated on his decision and revealed how Shah Rukh Khan was the first choice for Munna Bhai MBBS.
During the interaction, Makarand revealed that he was offered the role of Circuit in Munna Bhai MBBS, which ultimately went to Arshad Warsi after he turned it down. He also shared that Shah Rukh Khan was initially slated to star in the film before Sanjay Dutt was cast in the lead role. Speaking about the same, he said, “Raju (director Rajkumar Hirani) called me. I remember working on some scenes. I might have done some improvisation also. One song was also recoded which had my voice. First Shah Rukh Khan was suppose to star in Munna Bhai but he couldn’t do the film because of a shoulder injury. Then Sanjay Dutt came in.”
Sharing his reason to opt out of the film, he said, “When the dates came in of the film… see I used to be always afraid when makers would give me dates, here Raju asked me for 56 days. It was really wrong on my part. I was thinking of making a film at that time. In my life, I just have always known that my time is really important and not who is giving me what role and what will that role will do for me because popularity, fame, money had never been a question for me.”
For a similar reason, Makarand decided to not act in iconic sports drama Lagaan, despite being a cricketer in real life. He said, “In Lagaan, Ashutosh Gowariker asked me for six months and I said ‘I can’t give six months.’ Aamir Khan called me home and told me, ‘How can you say no? This is my home production’s first film and this is cricket and you are saying it no despite being a cricketer yourself.’ I said, ‘I am not saying no but I can’t give six months,’ and Ashutosh was clear that he wanted six months.”
Makarand Deshpande is currently seen in Dev Patel’s actioner Monkey Man, which is still awaiting its India release. The film also stars Sikander Kher and Sobhita Dhulipala in pivotal roles.
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