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Jackie Shroff Reveals: Many Actors Rejected Chunilal's Role in Shah Rukh Khan's 'Devdas'

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News18•04-10-2026, 16:32
Jackie Shroff Reveals: Many Actors Rejected Chunilal's Role in Shah Rukh Khan's 'Devdas'
- •Jackie Shroff played the memorable role of Chunilal in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's cult film 'Devdas'.
- •He revealed that the role was offered to several industry stars before him, but they all refused it.
- •Actors believed that with the film titled 'Devdas', there would be nothing left for their characters.
- •Jackie Shroff accepted the role due to Madhuri Dixit's presence and the character's powerful dialogues.
- •He thanked Dev Anand for his first job and Subhash Ghai for launching him as a lead actor in 'Hero'.
Key Questions Answered
Other actors refused the role because Shah Rukh Khan was playing the title character of Devdas, and they felt nothing significant would be left for their characters since the film was named after the protagonist.
Jackie Shroff agreed to do the film because Madhuri Dixit was starring in it and his character was the king of her brothel, plus the makers offered him a dedicated song and excellent dialogues.
Dev Anand was the first to recognize Jackie Shroff and gave him his initial break as a junior artist in the 1982 film Swami Dada, where he played Shakti Kapoor's sidekick.





