Bollywood’s King Khan, Shah Rukh Khan didn’t earn the title and the moniker ‘Badshah’ without reason. Time and again SRK has demonstrated why he is the rightful owner of the titles. The actor is not just lauded for his acting prowess and charming dimples, but his unbeatable wit and presence of mind. The ‘Don’ star has always managed to captivate with his humour. It is a herculean task to beat SRK in a battle of wits, and he has proved this again. Given his persona, SRK has always taken award shows a notch higher with his impressive hosting. In a recent show, hosted by SRK and Vicky Kaushal, the ‘Jawan’ star revealed why he ‘declined’ ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’ and ‘Pushpa: The Rise.’

Shah Rukh Khan recently co-hosted the 24th International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards in Abu Dhabi alongside actor Vicky Kaushal. During their time on stage, SRK humorously claimed that he has done everything in his acting career and that filmmakers contact him first for their big projects. Subsequently, they are offered to other actors. To this, Vicky Kaushal listed out a few titles enquiring if Shah Rukh was approached to headline them first.

Vicky probed if Advait Chandan’s ‘Laal Singh Chaddha,’ the Indian adaptation of ‘Forrest Gump’ also came to him first. To this, SRK wittily replied, “Even Aamir Khan shouldn’t have done that movie,” leaving the audience and his co-host in splits. However, the actor clarified, “I love you, Aamir,” iterating that the comment was in good humour.

For the unversed, ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’ opened to poor reviews and witnessed a cold performance at the box office. The film grossed only 130 crores against its reported budget of 180 crores. Additionally, Aamir Khan’s performance in the film also received mixed response. Helmed by Advait Chandan, the film starred Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor in lead roles.

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Additionally, Vicky Kaushal inquired if Sukumar’s blockbuster ‘Pushpa’ also came to SRK first. Responding to this, Shah Rukh Khan said, “Oh my god, yaar! You’ve touched on something that still hurts. I really wanted to do Pushpa, but I couldn’t match Allu Arjun sir’s swag.” His reply received loud cheers from the audience. ‘Pushpa: The Rise’ emerged as one of the biggest films of the year during its release. The film boasts a massive fandom and earned Allu Arjun the National Award for his performance.

Meanwhile, the sequel film ‘Pushpa: The Rule’will hit theatres on December 6. Besides Allu Arjun, the franchise features Fahadh Faasil and Rashmika Mandanna in key roles. On the other hand, SRK’s next is Sujoy Ghosh’s ‘King.’