Shah Rukh Khan’s character in 'Darr' had ‘genuine love,’ not a mere desire, says the movie's writer, Honey Irani

Shah Rukh Khan, the ‘romantic’ hero of Bollywood who aces villainous roles, once played an obsessive character in ‘Darr.’ The role has been hailed as one of his best, but a tweak in the character could’ve changed the whole film.
In a recent interview with Friday Talkies, Honey Irani, the writer of ‘Darr,’ talked about the silver lining of love and the mere desire of Khan’s Rahul in the film. Irani, who is the mother of Farhan Akhtar and Zoya Akhtar, revealed that she and Yash Raj ji were conscious about the thin line, and made sure that Rahul isn’t just passionate but is ‘genuinely in love’ with Kiran (played by Juhi Chawla).
If Rahul wasn’t in love, there were chances of him taking advances towards Kiran. However, Khan’s character was ‘fascinated and madly in love.’ “He was a complex man, and he had his own problems. Even when he said her name, he would be so scared that he would stammer,” Irani stated.

Furthermore, as the conversation evolved, Honey said that before approaching Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan was supposed to play the role along with Sunny Deol. However, due to the differences with Yash Raj ji, he denied the role. Many others gave auditions, but it was Shah Rukh Khan who impressed them.
“We narrated it to Aamir, but something happened between him and Yash ji. I don’t know what happened, and he said no. We narrated it to Sunny also. He said I will do the other role, the hero one. And then we talked to Shah Rukh, and Shah Rukh jumped on it. He said, ‘Yeah, definitely I am doing it,’” she stated.
‘Darr,’ the iconic film starring Sunny Deol, Juhi Chawla, and Shah Rukh Khan, was re-released in the theatres on April 4, 2025. The film narrates an obsessive Rahul who is in love with his classmate, Kiran, and stalks her to her doorstep. However, when she gets engaged to Sunil, a navy officer, Rahul encounters the murderous confrontations.