Today is the 16th anniversary of Main Hoon Na and it’s one of the movies that nailed Shah Rukh Khan’s stardom in the Bollywood industry. Directed by debutant Farah Khan, it gave Shah Rukh the chance to break from his loverboy image and try his hand in action, romance and drama. 

Talking about the movie Shah Rukh Khan says, “Main Hoon Na had a very thin lifeline – grown-up man, going back to college and sitting in a classroom. Now it sounds like a far-fetched, dangerous thing to do. But Farah has that belief, a certain degree of madness and she can pull off the most outrageous thought. So for example, when she told me that she wants to do Main Hoon Na, she added ‘It’s like you’re going back to school with a side-parting and a good boy image!’” In the same breath, he also said, “Very strangely, Farah thinks of me as an action hero. She is the only director who feels I could be a very cool action hero. She’s done the maximum action with me, be it Happy New Year, Om Shanti Om and Main Hoon Na.”

Shah Rukh Khan also spoke about why Main Hoon Na was a crucial film for him, “It was a comeback of sorts for me. I had just done my spine surgery. I had apprehensions about whether I’ll be able to get back to work and be able to do the stuff that I do. I had just shot for ‘Pretty Woman’ song in Kal Ho Naa Ho. Then I came on Main Hoon Na sets and I remember doing the roof sequence. For me, it was very important I nail it. Farah, obviously, loves me too much and was very scared. However, I told her that I want to know whether I am fine after this spine surgery or whether I am not as good as I used to be.”