Home » News » 30 years of Karan Arjun: Revisiting Rakesh Roshan's blockbuster that united superstars Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan
30 years of Karan Arjun: Revisiting Rakesh Roshan's blockbuster that united superstars Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan
The blockbuster that started it all, Karan Arjun marks 30 years of Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan's iconic on-screen partnership.
Jan 13, 2025
Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, and Rakhee Gulzar in a still from Karan Arjun
It's been exactly three decades since we saw two superstars coming together on the big screen for the first time. Yes, we are talking about Karan Arjun the blockbuster outing featuring Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan in the titular roles. Rakesh Roshan's film has been out for 30 years, and its recent re-release has brought back fond memories for many fans. It was the peak of the 90s when reincarnation, songs and dance, and revenge stories were the template for the typical Bollywood masala flick, and Karan Arjun ticked all the boxes, making it a blockbuster to watch out for. The film had its amazing box office run until October 1995, when SRK and Kajol came back on the screen and gave an eternal love story the very same year with Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge.
Plot and cast of Karan Arjun
Rakesh Roshan's 1995 fantasy action thriller also starred Raakhee Gulzar, Mamta Kulkarni, and Kajol in the lead parts. Amrish Puri portrays the main antagonist, while Johnny Lever, Arjun, Jack Gaud, Ranjeet, and Aasif Sheikh provide supporting roles.
For the uninitiated, the two brothers (played by Salman and SRK), who serve as the film's protagonists, want to exact revenge on their avaricious uncle for killing their father, but he kills them and reincarnates them to carry out their plan.
The brutal murder of Durga's (Rakhee) husband for speaking out against his brother Durjan Singh's (Amrish Puri) oppressive regime leaves her and her two children, Karan (Salman Khan) and Arjun (Shah Rukh Khan), penniless. Her entire world crumbles when her evil uncle kills both of her sons. Devastated, alone, and more impoverished than ever, Durga goes insane and begs God to bring her sons back so they might exact revenge on her for her humiliation and their father's passing. 20 years later, the sons do return as Ajay (Salman) and Vijay (SRK), and they exact retribution on Durjan Singh and his wicked family.
Karan Arjun's box office success
On January 13, 1995, Karan Arjun made its theatrical debut in India. The movie earned ₹450 million and favourable reviews from reviewers, making it an "all-time blockbuster" and the second-highest-grossing Bollywood film of 1995, behind Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. During the decade, it was the sixth highest-grossing movie. Meanwhile, the movie received a global rerelease on November 22, 2024.
Casting challenges and final choices
Rakesh Roshan initially intended for Shah Rukh Khan and Ajay Devgn to play the movie's title roles. Despite their assigned roles, both Ajay Devgn and Shah Rukh Khan desired to portray different characters; Devgn wanted to play Arjun, while Khan wanted to play Karan. Roshan disagreed; thus, they both withdrew from the movie.
Salman Khan and Aamir Khan were Roshan's next picks for the leads. Aamir was unable to complete the project, even though Salman consented to do it. Shah Rukh then informed Roshan that he wished to rejoin the project. The film's casting thus brought Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan, two well-known performers of the era, together on screen for the first time.
Having worked with his father on his other films, Hrithik Roshan assisted him with this one as well.
Insights from Rakesh Roshan on Karan Arjun
Earlier, during the re-release, Rakesh Roshan, who was casting SRK in Karan Arjun told Hindustan Times that having collaborated with the superstar on King Uncle (1993), he was aware of his diligence and commitment as a performer. The filmmaker wrote Arjun with Shah Rukh in mind. On the other hand, Rakesh expressed his admiration for Salman's expressive and incredibly deep eyes. As a man of few words, it was something that was necessary for the character of Karan.
The filmmaker further stated that from their songs to the action sequences, he ensured that each character was fairly balanced. To ensure that none of his actors would protest, he wrote his script from their point of view.
Rakesh recalls that the crew and he were extremely excited while filming the "Bhaag Arjun Bhaag" sequence, which required a single take and was highly emotional. In a different scene, Rakhee utters the words, "Mere Karan Arjun Aayenge." They all got chills from the amount of emotion she infused into that sequence; it was a fantastic piece of cinema.
Karan Arjun is available to stream on ZEE5 (OTTplay Premium).
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