Actor Rajesh Khattar recently revisited his experience of being cast in Don (2006) and shared that the role left him with mixed feelings during the shoot. Best known for his appearances in films like Sooryavansham and Khiladi 786, Rajesh portrayed Singhania — a powerful figure meant to be Shah Rukh Khan’s boss in Farhan Akhtar’s sleek action remake.
Speaking with the YouTube channel Friday Talkies, Rajesh shared that he was initially approached for a different character. Naturally, he believed that if selected, he would be playing the role he had auditioned for. What followed surprised him — he was instead chosen to play Singhania, a character not even present in the original version of Don. “Don was a remake, but Singhania wasn’t a part of the original film. The other characters were all there, so I didn’t know anything about Singhania,” Rajesh said.
He added that there was uncertainty even about Singhania’s inclusion in the script. “Then at one point, I think Javed saab was also involved with Farhan, if I’m remembering correctly — there was some conversation that Singhania might not be a part of the script,” he recalled.
What added to his apprehension was the way his character was styled. Dressed entirely in white — from head to toe — Rajesh felt the look resembled that of legendary actor Ajit Kumar.
During filming, Rajesh decided to speak directly with director Farhan Akhtar about his concerns and questioned whether he had missed out on the other role because he wasn’t fit for it. “Then, all my clothes and shoes were white so I thought I am looking like Ajit, the veteran actor. I spoke to Farhan, He (Farhan) was thinking that, ‘if I’m casting Shah Rukh Khan’s boss, then I can’t have the regular people who usually play villains’. Farhan explained that he chose the costume because the screen time was limited and the impact had to be strong. Honestly, I did not understand all of this then,” Rajesh recalled.
His dissatisfaction also extended to wardrobe decisions, which even led to disagreements with costume designer Aki Narula. Despite his doubts, Rajesh was curious about the music and turned to Shah Rukh for an opinion on the film’s standout song. SRK liked Aaj Ki Raat, and Rajesh wondered why he did not pick Khai Ke Paan Banaras Wala or Yeh Mera Dil.
