'Done with experiments': Shah Rukh Khan opts out of Rakesh Sharma biopic

After his flop pairing with Anushka Sharma in Imtiaz Ali’s Jab Harry Met Sejal, Shah Rukh has delivered another devastating dud in Zero with the same leading lady. It makes his close friends wonder why the actor has made the same mistake, again.

A director-friend who SRK has worked with more than once says, “When his onscreen partnership with Anushka didn’t work once why return to it twice in a row?” Reportedly, SRK had expressed his reservations, but director Aanand Rai had insisted on Anushka.

Now that the damage has been done, it seems serious introspection is happening at Shah Rukh Khan’s residence Mannat. His team seems to see a pattern in his recent setbacks.

“The recent flops all have directors with whom Shah Rukh has worked for the first time. Gauri Shinde in Dear Zindagi was an average success, Maneesh Sharma in Fan and Imtiaz Ali in Jab Harry Met Sejal, were both flops. In the light of his failure to gel with first-time directors, Shah Rukh decision to play astronaut Rakesh Sharma in Sare Jahan Se Achcha has been revoked,” says a well-informed source.

The film is to be directed by Mahesh Mathai, whom SRK has never worked with before. After a string of failures with untried directors, King Khan seemingly doesn’t want to take another risk at this crucial juncture in his career.

Says a source, “Shah Rukh has politely opted out of Sare Jahan se Achhha and has informed producer Siddharth Roy Kapur. Instead, he will now step into the safe zone with Farhan Akhtar. Yes, Shah Rukh is doing Don 3 directed by him.” No more experimental roles for King Khan!