Hyderabad: Ajay Devgn’s Company remains one of Bollywood’s finest gangster dramas, directed by the maverick filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma. Released in 2002, the film starred Ajay Devgn as Malik, Vivek Oberoi as Chandrakant “Chandu” Nagre, and Manisha Koirala in pivotal roles. 

It also featured Malayalam superstar Mohanlal in his Hindi film debut, along with Antara Mali and Seema Biswas. Known for its raw storytelling and realistic depiction of the Mumbai underworld, Company became a cult classic and is often regarded as one of the best gangster films in Indian cinema.

The Original Choice for Malik’s Role

But do you know who was originally supposed to play Ajay Devgn’s iconic role? In a recent interview with Siddharth Kannan, director Ram Gopal Varma revealed that he had first offered the role of Malik to none other than Shah Rukh Khan.

RGV said, “My first instinct was to cast Shah Rukh Khan. I went and narrated the story to him, and he was interested. But I somehow felt Shah Rukh has this natural body language, very energetic, he’s like a live wire. The idea of Malik’s character was that of a subtle guy, laid-back and cold-minded when he’s thinking. I thought SRK’s natural energy would go against that. To make Shah Rukh still would be an injustice to both him and the film.”

The filmmaker further explained how his perception of Shah Rukh’s screen persona influenced the decision. “I think there’s a performing actor and then there’s an actor. I’m not saying one is better than the other, but it’s just a different style of acting. A guy like Shah Rukh should be left to himself. I think directors trying to make him fit into a different kind of character won’t work,” he said

Other Casting Decisions

Interestingly, Ram Gopal Varma also revealed that Abhishek Bachchan was his first choice for Vivek Oberoi’s role as Chandu. But since Abhishek was busy with other projects, the filmmaker decided to cast a newcomer, leading to Vivek’s powerful debut performance.

Ram Gopal Varma is now back in Mumbai, working on his next Hindi project titled Police Station Mein Bhoot, a horror comedy that reunites him with actor Manoj Bajpayee.

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