Ram Gopal Varma reveals Shah Rukh Khan was first choice for Company before casting Ajay Devgn

24 Oct 2025

Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma recently disclosed that he had first offered the role of Malik in his 2002 gangster drama Company to Shah Rukh Khan. However, after a single meeting with the actor, Varma decided to cast Ajay Devgn instead. Ram Gopal Varma reveals Shah Rukh Khan was first choice for Company before casting Ajay Devgn In an interview with Siddharth Kannan, Varma explained, My first instinct was to cast Shah Rukh Khan. I went and narrated the story to him, and he was interested. But I somehow felt Shah Rukh has this natural body language, very energetic, hes like a live wire. The idea of Maliks character was that of a subtle guy, laid-back and cold-minded when hes thinking. I thought SRKs natural energy would go against that. To make Shah Rukh still would be an injustice to both him and the film. Varma further emphasized the difference in acting styles, stating, I think theres a performing actor and then theres an actor. Im not saying one is better than the other, but its just a different style of acting. A guy like Shah Rukh should be left to himself. I think directors trying to make him fit into a different kind of character wont work. But Ajay was naturally suited for that role, hes very calm. Thats when I decided to cast Ajay instead. I just had one meeting with SRK, and in that itself I realised it wouldnt work, but I didnt tell him. Following his decision, Varma contacted Devgn immediately after leaving Khans residence and finalized him for the role. The film also featured Vivek Oberoi, who was cast as Chandru after Abhishek Bachchan, Varmas initial choice, was unavailable due to other commitments. Company , which was the second installment in Varmas gangster trilogy, was both a critical and commercial success. It grossed Rs 25.02 crores against a budget of Rs 9.5 crores and marked Mohanlals debut in Hindi cinema. Ram Gopal Varma is gearing up to collaborate once again with Manoj Bajpayee for their next project, a horror comedy titled Police Station Mein Bhoot.Announcing the film, RGV shared an intriguing line, We run to the police when scared, but where will the police run to when they get scared? After a deadly encounter killing, a police station becomes a haunted station, making all the cops run in fear to escape the ghosts of the gangsters. The story revolves around a police station that turns haunted after a deadly encounter, forcing the officers to flee from the vengeful spirits of slain gangsters. Details about the films release and additional cast members are yet to be revealed.