Shah Rukh Khan is a very smart guy: Satish Shah reveals how actor convinced him for Main Hoon Na

Shah Rukh Khan’s Main Hoon Na (2004) marked choreographer Farah Khan’s debut as a director. One of the most memorable characters from the film was that of Professor Madhav Rasai, played by Satish Shah. During a recent interview, the veteran actor said that he had started calling himself ‘spitting cobra’ after that role. He also revealed how he shot the spitting scenes with Shah Rukh in the film, calling the actor a ‘very smart guy’ for convincing him to play Professor Rasai in Main Hoon Na. Also read: Farah Khan reveals why Tabu agreed to be part of Main Hoon Na for ‘0.2 seconds’

Satish Shah’s Professor Rasai was short-tempered, and kept spitting while speaking in the film, which also featured Sushmita Sen as a professor Chandni Chopra along with Sunil Shetty, Amrita Rao and Zayed Khan. Satish revealed in a new interview that he was reluctant to take up the role of Professor Rasai, but Shah Rukh Khan convinced him. He also recalled what Shah Rukh told him about the character.

Satish Shah told Bollywood Bubble about his spitting scenes, “Aapko yakin nahi hoga (you will not believe it), I had to practise a lot. It was not trick photography. I was given a choice… Shah Rukh is a very smart guy… He told me ‘Satish Bhai isme do role hai, ek hai principal ka aur ek hai Professor Rasai ka (He said we have two roles, one is of the principal, and the second one is of Professor Rasai)… When I asked about the latter, he said, ‘every time he speaks, he spits, he salivates so much that you know it comes out in the form of espresso.”

Recalling his initial reaction to the role, Satish said, “Maine kaha ye kya role hai (what kind of a role is this)? Main toh principal ka role karunga (I will play the principal), which eventually Boman Irani did. Toh woh (Shah Rukh Khan) smart hai na, bola ‘Satish bhai aise role toh apne kayin kiye hain aur koi bhi kar sakta hai (Shah Rukh is a smart fellow, he told me you have played many such characters, and anyone can do these roles). I think you should do this role (of Professor Rasai) because we can’t think of anybody else doing it’. Woh aur Farah dono ne mil ke mujhe chane ke jhad pe chadha diya (Both Shah Rukh and Farah flattered me a lot). That’s how I ended up doing that role, but it was not easy.”

In the same interview, the veteran actor said he gulped water before his spitting scenes, and at times he would spit so much that the water would come out as spray. He said, “I used to gulp water and keep it around my mouth and then certain words and certain syllables I used to accentuate in such a way that it sprays. Aur wo main itni mehnat se karta tha ki Shah Rukh badme hass deta tha toh retake ho jata tha (I used to work so hard for these scenes that sometimes Shah Rukh would burst out laughing and we had to do retakes).”

Main Hoon Na follows Major Ram Sharma (Shah Rukh), who is sent on a undercover mission as a university student to protect a general’s daughter (Amrita Arora) from a rogue soldier (Suniel Shetty). The film, which was backed by Gauri Khan, was released on April 30, 2004.