Kal Ho Naa Ho is one of the most loved Shah Rukh Khan movies. The fact that it received such an amazing response upon its re-release this year proves the same. Directed by Nikkhil Advani, the film also stars Jaya Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan, Preity Zinta, and Reema Lagoo. In the romantic drama, SRK plays Aman, the angel of everyone's lives, making things better for others around him.
We can't imagine anyone else playing Aman except for Shah Rukh Khan. The superstar gets every emotion right; his dialogue impacts us and he makes us fall in love with the character with his charm and performance. But did you know, at one point, SRK wanted someone else to play Aman Mathur? If you are thinking his choice was Saif Ali Khan or Hrithik Roshan, you are wrong.
Director Nikkhil Advani revealed that Shah Rukh Khan wanted Salman Khan to play Aman at one point. But why so? One day after doing a scene, Shah Rukh called Advani and said that he couldn't do the role. SRK told the director, "You know main Salman ko phone karta hu, Salman ke saath bana do (I will call Salman, and you can make the film with him)."
Further to this entertainment news, the Dil Se actor requested to be removed from Kal Ho Naa Ho due to back issues. The actor had to leave for Germany for surgery. He needed six months to recover and didn't want the makers to wait that long. However, Nikkhil Advani and producer Karan Johar only wanted him to play Aman, so they waited for him to recover before starting filming after six months.
On November 28, 2003, the movie hit theatres. It received immense love back then and even the re-release saw a great response. Many videos from the theatres have gone viral on social media, showcasing the audience's continued awe at SRK's portrayal of Aman.