Aamir Khan's Rs 25 lakh request trumped Shah Rukh Khan's Rs 6 lakh bid for an old commercial; story revealed by Prahlad Kakkar

Prahlad Kakkar, a renowned director in the world of advertising, is known for his work with iconic figures like Sachin Tendulkar, Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, and Shah Rukh Khan. In a recent interaction with Zoom, he shared an intriguing behind-the-scenes story about shooting a commercial with Aamir Khan when the latter was still a budding actor.

Kakkar revealed that when he was seeking an actor for the commercial, Aamir Khan's name was recommended to him. At the time, Aamir had recently risen to fame with his first movie, Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak in 1988, and he asked for a substantial fee of Rs 25 lakh for the endorsement.

Interestingly, when Kakkar approached Shah Rukh Khan for the same advertisement, even though he was just as popular as Aamir, he was willing to do it for just Rs 6 lakh. Despite the significant difference in their fees, Kakkar was initially inclined towards choosing Aamir Khan for the ad. However, he ultimately ended up shooting a different commercial with Shah Rukh Khan.

Kakkar also recalled that Aamir initially had reservations about doing the commercial because, at that time, it was commonly believed that actors turned to commercials when their film careers were not going well. To convince Aamir, Kakkar promised that the ad would enhance his reputation as an actor, telling him, “It will make you bigger as an actor.” In the end, Aamir Khan accepted the offer for the commercial but maintained his demand for a fee of Rs 25 lakhs.

The commercial featured not only Aamir Khan but also Mahima Chaudhary and Aishwarya Rai. Aishwarya's performance in a single shot in the ad quickly made her very popular. Kakkar recalled receiving numerous phone calls from people inquiring about the identity of Sanju, Aishwarya's character in the ad, which overnight, catapulted her to fame. Kakkar stated, “Overnight, Aishwarya became famous as I got 1000 of phone calls asking me who is 'Sanju'?”

The story shared by Prahlad Kakkar provided an interesting glimpse into the early days of Aamir and Shah Rukh Khan's career.

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