Hema Malini is not just the ‘dream girl’ of the Indian film industry but also the first person to offer Shah Rukh Khan a film. On the occasion of her 75th birthday, here is more about how she signed Shah Rukh Khan for her directorial project Dil Aashna Hai after rejecting his first audition for the project but approving his second. Soon after bagging Hema’s film, Shah Rukh signed three more films, one of which was Deewana which turned out to be his debut film as it was released before hers in the year 1992.
Shah Rukh Khan entered the industry as an actor in 1988 with the TV show Fauji, in which he played Lt. Abhimanyu Rai. He was also seen in other shows like Dil Dariya, Circus, Doosra Keval, a TV film titled In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones, and a mini-TV series Idiot before his film debut.
In her biography titled Hema Malini Beyond The Dream Girl, it is mentioned that Hema wasn’t satisfied with Shah Rukh’s first audition for Dil Aashna Hai but gave him one more chance with a change in his hairstyle and outfit.
As per an India Today report, an excerpt from Hema’s biography read: “Hema remembers how nervous Shah Rukh had been during that first meeting. Apparently, every question of hers was met with a breathless, incoherent reply! The first audition left her dissatisfied. Hema suggested they try again – this time with his hair gelled back and his colorful jacket replaced with a plain tee.
