This film without any superstars was produced by Shah Rukh Khan without reading script, charging interest, became a hit, made for Rs 30 crore, it earned Rs..

Shah Rukh Khan is known to have a big and kind heart, not only towards his fans but also his peers in the film industry. A similar incident of Shah Rukh Khan’s generosity was recently narrated by late filmmaker Ravi Chopra’s wife Renu Chopra who shared that the superstar backed her son Abhay Chopra’s film Ittefaq without reading its script. Ittefaq was released in 2017. Directed and written by Abhay Chopra, the film starred Akshaye Khanna, Sidharth Malhotra, and Sonakshi Sinha in lead roles. Not only did Shah Rukh Khan agree to produce the film but Renu Chopra shared that the actor also refused to charge interest on the finances, saying that it is ‘haraam’. 

In an interview with Pinkvilla, Rena Chopra shared how Shah Rukh Khan was one of the few people who stood by her during this time. “Now, Shah Rukh had only done guest appearances for us. When we had to make Ittefaq… Shah Rukh’s office and our office – we share a wall. And we just decided to do it with him. I asked him, ‘Main aa jaaoon?’. He said, ‘Nahi nahi. Aap nahi aaoge Renu ji, main aata hoon. That respect, ki aap badi hain! Maine kaha, ‘Shah Rukh, aate aate 3 hafte ho gaye hain, ab main hi aa jati hoon’. (I asked him, ‘Should I come?’ He said, ‘No, no. You won’t come, Renu ji, I will come’. Out of respect, since you are senior! I said, ‘Shah Rukh, it’s been three weeks since you said that, now I will come myself’). Because he is such a busy man!” she said.

Sharing more details about her meeting with Shah Rukh Khan, Renu Chopra said the actor greeted them very warmly after meeting them. “He called me and made me sit and asked what do I want. I said I do not have money to invest, and he said he will do it. I told him baaki mere bacche poori tarah se dil laga ke picture banayenge. (I told him my children will put their hearts into making the movie). It was my younger son’s debut film Ittefaq. SRK said okay without reading the script. His funda was, ‘I’ll never back the horse, I’ll back the jockey’. He said if your son is backing it, I’ll back it.”

“And when the picture wrapped up, like all other finances, there’s an interest rate. He said, ‘Nahi, ye haraam hai mere liye. Main nahi lunga.’ That is the kind of people I’ve met,” Renu Chopra further said. 

Ittefaq was released in theatres in November 2017 and was an adaptation of a 1969 film of the same name, directed by Yash Chopra. The film starred Rajesh Khanna, Iftekhar, and Nanda in lead roles. 

Akshaye Khanna, Sidharth Malhotra, and Akshaye Khanna’s Ittefaq was a hit at the box office after its release. Made on a budget of Rs 30 crore, Ittefaq went on to earn over Rs 56 crores at the box office. 

READ | Ajay Devgn celebrates 26 years of marriage with Kajol, shares viral Anime meme: ‘Beating this trend by…’