choreographer Ahmed Khan directed his first film, ‘Lakeer: Forbidden Lines’, in 2004. He starred Sunny Deol, Suniel Shetty i John Abraham. But not many people know that this was not supposed to be his first film. His real first project was done by Shah Rukh Khanwith SRK also acting in it. Ahmed has now spoken about the history of that film and why it was never made.
Ahmed Khan on the story of ‘Sabr’
In an interview to News18, he said, “At that time, before Lakeer, I had written a film called Sabr. The film was supposed to star him in a double role. AR Rahman also agreed to compose the music. It was the story of a grandfather and a grandson: when he was born, his grandfather was no more, but he knew everything about him, as he heard his mother’s story when he felt emotions.
Ahmed Khan remembers when Shah Rukh had to release two directors
Shah Rukh was slated to play a double role in the film. That year, the superstar also planned to launch two choreographers as directors, Farah Khan and Ahmed themselves. “When I told Shah Rukh, he said he would like to do the film. I was in a hurry to do it. Shah Rukh launched two choreographers as directors under his production that year – Farah and me. At that time it was called Dreamz Unlimited”, he recalls.
Ahmed Khan why the film got delayed
The story resonated with him immediately. “Shah Rukh heard my script and loved it. It was a serious film. Rahman had started working on his music. He was supposed to star in two other heroes,” shares Ahmed. what happened next “His engagement came first with Farah. As per my understanding, my film would be produced only after Farah’s. I couldn’t jump the queue. But his film kept getting pushed. It got delayed by about two years because Shah Rukh had other commitments to fulfill, and making a film takes a lot of time. I was getting restless. I was all set to start my film. And then, finally, Main Hoon Na went flat. It would have easily taken them a year or a year and a half to finish it. I couldn’t have waited that long,” says Ahmed.
Ahmed Khan on Shah Rukh’s words that touched his heart
Even though Shah Rukh asked Ahmed to hold on a little longer, he couldn’t, and started working on Lakeer. “I remember talking to Shah Rukh and he said, ‘Don’t go anywhere. Your first film has to be with me.’He spoke to me like an elder brother would and his words touched my heart,” says the Baaghi 2 and Welcome To The Jungle director. This situation, however, did not affect their bond, but Ahmed chose to never return to this story. “I asked him if it’s okay if I do my second film with him and he said, ‘Tu hi ja raha hai’. That’s when I deviated and did Laker. But that never affected our equation. That film was never made. It was only meant for Shah Rukh. But I know it’s never too late,” he remarks.