Saif Ali Khan was ‘upset’ when producer Ramesh Taurani replaced him with Salman Khan in Race franchise: ‘Poor guy had a string of flops’.

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Saif Ali Khan replaced Mukul Dev in Kya Kehna. (Photo: Express archives)

Film producer Ramesh Taurani recalled the less than ideal circumstances in which he hired Saif Ali Khan to star in the 2000 film Kya Kehna, thus cementing a long professional partnership that continues to this day. He said that Saif was hired on the eve of filming, because Mukul Dev, who was originally cast in the project, failed to show up on set. Such was the time constraint that Saif had to wear his own clothes on the first day of filming.

In an interview with Showsha, Taurani also addressed their rumoured fall-out after he went to Salman Khan with Race 3, despite the first two films having starred Saif. Asked about their long association, the producer recalled, “The first film we did together was Kachche Dhaage. Actually, Saif wasn’t supposed to do Kya Kehna. An actor called Mukul Dev was going to do it, but he didn’t show up on set on the first day of the shoot. At around 11 am, someone from the production called him up to ask where he was, and he said that he was on his way. They called again at noon, and he said that he’s outside RK Studio, but he never showed up.”

At this stage, Taurani was told about the issue, and he called for a meeting at his Andheri office. But just before the meeting, he learned that Mukul Dev had come to the office as well, and wanted to speak with him to explain what happened. “Our sets were ready, we had to start shooting. I decided to call Saif. I asked if he would be free to meet in the evening, and he said that he would. That’s when I was told that Mukul Dev had come by to the office. I said that I don’t have any interest in speaking to him, and that he should go back home. But he waited outside. When we were leaving to meet Saif, I spoke to him.”

Taurani told an apologetic Mukul Dev that his services would no longer be needed, because his trust was broken. Telling him that he would reach out if he had anything else for him in the future, and that Mukul should return his signing amount of Rs 50,000, Taurani went to meet Saif. “He liked the script, but I told him that there were three problems. First, he was a replacement for Mukul Dev. Second, the shoot begins tomorrow. And third, he would have to bring his own wardrobe. Saif understood that if not him, the role would go to somebody else. He was also luckily free, and had the suits that we wanted,” Taurani recalled.

Taurani and Saif went on to work together on the hit Race franchise, which resulted in Saif’s biggest box office hits. But the producer admitted that his market value didn’t justify the budget for Race 3, which is why he went to Salman Khan with it. He said that Saif was ‘upset’ by this, but that they resolved issues afterwards. “Race 2 is still his biggest hit. But after that, the poor guy had a series of flops. And Race is an expensive franchise, it just didn’t make sense (to cast him in Race 3). It was a business decision, nothing personal. He’s a very good actor,” Taurani said. He most recently collaborated with Saif on the film Bhoot Police.