Rajkumar Hirani 's directorial debut, Munna Bhai M.B.B.
S. , released in 2003, is a landmark film in Indian cinema, known for its unique blend of comedy and drama. While Sanjay Dutt 's portrayal of Murli Prasad Sharma, affectionately known as Munna Bhai, became iconic, it may come as a surprise that he was not the first choice for the role.
In fact, Hirani initially envisioned Anil Kapoor as the lead actor. This revelation adds an intriguing layer to the film's backstory and highlights the twists of fate that often accompany filmmaking. During an interview on Film Companion's show My First Film, Rajkumar Hirani had shared insights into his casting process.
He mentioned that after considering Anil Kapoor, both Vivek Oberoi and Shah Rukh Khan were also in the running for the role of Munna Bhai. Hirani recounted how he approached Shah Rukh Khan while he was busy shooting another project. Despite this, Khan expressed interest in the script after reading it and even encouraged Hirani to narrate it to Aishwarya Rai , with whom he was working at the time on Devdas.
However, fate intervened when Khan suffered a spinal injury that required surgery, making his participation impossible. Reflecting on this period, In a video shared by thebollywoodorryginals on Instagram, Shah Rukh Khan can be seen explaining that, “I could not do Munna Bhai because I was injured at that time. I had undergone a spinal operation.
I was not sure when I’ll be able to join.” He acknowledged that waiting .