On Monday, the news that Shah Rukh Khan will play Mogambo to Ranveer Singh’s Mr India went viral, but this seems to be no more than a marketing fantasy. Reliable sources say Khan turned down the role of Mogambo.
“Director Ali Abbas Zafar approached Shah Rukh for Mogambo’s role in Mr India, but Shah Rukh declined the role. It would be foolhardy for him to take on an iconic role like Mogambo, which Amrish Puri has immortalised. It would be stupid of any actor to touch that role. Shah Rukh, in any case, is not doing any negative roles,” says a source close to the development.
According to a press release from Zee Studios, which is masterminding the project, “This is not a Part 2 or a remake of the older film, as recently reported in some sections of the media, but a re-imagining of the iconic classic.”
In the meantime, Ali will write and direct Mr India. Based on the iconic characters of the 1987 cult classic, the new Mr India will be set in a new, relevant, and contemporary superhero world. The filmmaker is currently working on the script and building the superhero universe. The studio is gearing up to mount the film on a massive scale.
“It is a huge responsibility to carry forward an iconic character that has been loved by Indians for so many years. I have just commenced script work, no actor has been locked, once the first draft is ready, we will begin the casting process. The film involves massive amounts of pre-production and will go on floor next year,” Zafar shares.
