Swades And Dil Chahta Hai: Four Roles Hrithik Roshan Said No To

Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan is not called the Greek god of Bollywood for nothing. The actor is blessed with looks that can kill and there aren’t any doubts about his talent on screen. The actor is not just a fine actor who has played a gamut if roles -- from Mughal emperor Akbar to superhero Krrish.

The actor even stepped into Tom Cruise’s shoes for Bang Bang, which was a remake of Hollywood film Knight And Day. He will now be seen in a non-glamourous role of a Bihar-based mathematician in his next flick titled Super 30. However, there are also quite a few roles he didn’t give his nod to and which turned out to be superhits for his contemporaries.

Imagine the contribution Swades could have made in Hrithik’s career had he said yes to the role. Director Ashutosh Gowariker wanted him to play the NRI who returns to his homeland and opts to work for the upliftment of his countrymen. However, he rejected the role and Shah Rukh Khan went on to star in the film that also won him several awards.

“I had read Ashutosh’s script for Swades. I couldn’t see it from the director’s perspective and therefore didn’t think I was equipped to perform the part. I wasn’t the best person to translate Ashutosh’s vision. And this was right after Lagaan so when Ashutosh came to me I felt on top of the world. Swades is one of my favorite films. And Ashutosh is definitely one of my favorite filmmakers,” Hrithik has told Times of India in an interview.

Hrithik had already played Shah Rukh Khan’s brother in Karan Johar’s 2001 blockbuster Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... However, he was in no mood to play his brother again in Main Hoon Na. According to some reports, the actor was not too happy with the carefree character which was eventually played by Zayed Khan.

Farhan Akhtar wanted to cast Hrithik in Dil Chahta Hai but the actor was not convinced with the role. “I wanted Akshaye Khanna to play Akash, Hrithik Roshan for Sameer and Abhishek Bachchan for Siddharth (Sid). But films were made with a cast which was not on your wish list,” Farhan had said on No Filter Neha. Farhan later directed him in Lakshya and shared the screen with him in Zindagi Milegi Na Dobara.

Karan Johar had long dreamt of making Shuddhi but the project, after quite a few hiccups, fell apart after the lead actor Hrithik pulled out of the film in 2014. According to a report in Mid-Day, a source revealed that the actor wanted 40% of the profits to be made by the film which was not acceptable to producer Karan Johar, which led Hrithik to pull out of the project.