Shah Rukh Khan was almost cast as a gangster in a Martin Scorsese film with Leonardo DiCaprio. Did you know?

12 days ago | 5 Views

There are always intriguing tales about movies that never made it to the screen. For ages, the Hollywood dream has been something every actor in Hindi cinema has aimed for, and the path to it is way smoother now than it used to be. One name that often pops up in these discussions is Shah Rukh Khan, who, interestingly, has yet to star in a Hollywood film. But that doesn’t mean he hasn’t received any offers. In fact, there are plenty of stories about legendary films, and one of them is that Martin Scorsese once considered Shah Rukh Khan for a gangster role in a project called Xtreme City, with Leonardo DiCaprio set to co-star. They even had meetings to try and make it a reality.

Shah Rukh Khan Gets Movie Offer from Martin Scorsese.

Shah Rukh Khan's star power just keeps growing, and it's clear that the world can't get enough of him. One filmmaker who's particularly keen to collaborate with him is the iconic Martin Scorsese, as shared by the well-known director Paul Schrader. Schrader mentioned that Martin had been in discussions with Shah Rukh for a film he was planning to produce. They even had a meeting in Berlin to chat about it, but in the end, the project didn’t come to life.

In the Pod Casty For Me podcast, Paul Schrader shared a story about Shah Rukh Khan chatting with Martin Scorsese about Xtreme City. In this movie, Shah Rukh was set to portray a gangster, and Leonardo DiCaprio was cast as an American cop. Schrader pointed out that Shah Rukh Khan's unique filmmaking style made working together a bit tricky.

Paul mentioned that Shah Rukh is in charge. He brings in directors for different parts of a film—like one for the musical scenes, another for the action, and yet another for the relationship moments. He has the freedom to do that. It seemed like he was getting a bit frustrated because he’s never really worked under a strong creative leader before. Plus, this was his first time making a film in the West, and he’s never played a supporting role to someone like Leo.

The movie features Shah Rukh Khan and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Paul Schrader shared some details about a movie that never got made. It was supposed to star Shah Rukh Khan as a gangster who helps out an American cop, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, while in India. The plot would focus on the tension between the two characters. Schrader explained, “I gradually worked on the script. I visited Mumbai multiple times to meet with him, and I could sense things were starting to shift. Eventually, his commitment changed from ‘firm’ to ‘provisional,’ and then Leo’s did the same. So now you’ve got two ‘provisional’ commitments, which basically means there’s no commitment at all.”