Ajay Devgn Cast in Company RGV Reveals Shah Rukh Was First Choice

Actor Ajay Devgn earned widespread acclaim for his performance in Ram Gopal Varma’s gangster drama Company. However, RGV revealed that the role was initially offered to Shah Rukh Khan, who was reportedly interested.

Speaking about his casting decision, Varma said, “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, he’s like a live wire. The idea of Malik’s character was that of a subtle guy, laid-back and cold-minded when he’s thinking. I thought SRK’s natural energy would go against that. To make Shah Rukh still would be an injustice to both him and the film.”

He elaborated, “I think there’s a performing actor and then there’s an actor. I’m not saying one is better than the other, but it’s 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 won’t work. But Ajay was naturally suited for that role, he’s very calm. That’s when I decided to cast Ajay instead. I just had one meeting with SRK, and in that itself I realised it wouldn’t work, but I didn’t tell him.”

RGV also disclosed that after meeting Shah Rukh, he immediately called Ajay Devgn and finalized him for the role. For the role of Chandrakant “Chandru” Nagre, Abhishek Bachchan was initially considered, but due to scheduling conflicts, the role went to newcomer Vivek Oberoi.

Company, written by Jaideep Sahni and featuring Mohanlal, Ajay Devgn, Vivek Oberoi, Manisha Koirala, Antara Mali, and Seema Biswas, was the second installment in RGV’s gangster trilogy after Satya (1998). The film marked Mohanlal’s Hindi cinema debut and was commercially successful, grossing ₹25.02 crore on a budget of ₹9.5 crore.

Looking ahead, RGV is set to reunite with Manoj Bajpayee for his upcoming horror comedy Police Station Mein Bhoot. He teased, “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.” Details on the cast and release date are yet to be revealed.