Director Tigmanshu Dhulia has revealed that he once approached Shah Rukh Khan for a role in his film "Ghamasaan," only for the superstar to turn it down. Recalling the exchange in a recent interview, Dhulia said Khan declined graciously, explaining that gritty, grounded cinema simply isn't the space he works in — "I don't do realistic films," the actor reportedly told him.

The role that Khan passed on eventually went to Pratik Gandhi, who came on board the project later. Dhulia, known for grounded dramas such as "Paan Singh Tomar," spoke warmly of the conversation, framing Khan's decision as an honest reflection of the kind of heightened, larger-than-life roles the actor has built his career around rather than any lack of interest.

For Khan, the choice sits comfortably within a filmography defined by romance, spectacle and emotional grandeur. Across three decades he has largely gravitated to characters and stories operating on a bigger-than-life scale, and Dhulia's anecdote offers a candid glimpse into how the actor weighs the scripts that come his way.