Actor Khurshed Lawyer, who essayed the role of Swami in the movie, opened up about his short stint in the movie and how Sanjay Dutt replaced Shah Rukh Khan. In an interview with Bollywood Hungama, Khurshed revealed that he went through the audition process and was selected for the role of Swami. However, the production of ‘Munna Bhai MBBS’ encountered a delay of almost 10 months due to Shah Rukh Khan‘s back injury.
The actor shared that he didn’t have the chance to meet Shah Rukh Khan since Shah Rukh Khan was not part of the film’s shooting. He explained that the production eventually progressed with Sanjay Dutt. According to his perspective, Munna Bhai wouldn’t have been Munna Bhai without Sanjay Dutt, and Dunki wouldn’t have been Dunki without Shah Rukh Khan. He believed that both actors were destined for their respective characters, attributing it to some form of higher plan.
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Khurshed mentioned that he was part of Shah Rukh Khan’s recent film Dunki, which was directed by Rajkumar Hirani. When asked if he got to meet Shah Rukh this time, the actor explained that due to the tight schedule, there was no opportunity for interaction. He added that the atmosphere was very professional during the shoot.
Shah Rukh Khan had explained earlier that he couldn’t take on the film due to an injury. According to reports by News18, he mentioned that during the time of ‘Munna Bhai,’ he had undergone a spinal operation, and there was uncertainty about when he could join the project. At that point, Raju was making his first film, and while shooting for Devdas, Shah Rukh had signed for ‘Munna Bhai MBBS.’ When he got injured, Raju had called him from London, inquiring about the possible timeline. Shah Rukh acknowledged that, with due respect, Raju was not a big director at that time and was working on a relatively small film, making it challenging to wait for a star of his stature.
