No one is spared from Shah Rukh Khan’s charm—not his audience and not even his co-stars. Recently, actor Sadiya Siddiqui recalled the time she refused to play the role of Shah Rukh’s sister in the 1994 film Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa because she was in love with the actor and wanted to play the role of his girlfriend instead.
‘Wanted to be Shah Rukh’s girlfriend’
Speaking to Siddharth Kannan, Sadiya shared that she argued with the film’s director, Kundan Shah, and even confessed her love for Shah Rukh. She said, “When I was called for the film, I was already drowning in love for Shah Rukh Khan. It was complete love. I wouldn’t even see anyone else. I loved him, and I still love him. I told Kundan Shah, ‘I don’t have those feelings for him. And in my eyes, you’ll see the real feelings, and that wouldn’t work.’ I was surprised I had the courage to say that so directly to him. So, he started laughing. He asked me, ‘What do you want to do?’ I said, ‘I want to be his girlfriend.’ He told me I was too young.”
Kundan Shah had approached Sadiya for the role after he saw her as a child actor in the 1993 Doordarshan show Humrahi. He felt she would be perfect to play Shah Rukh’s younger sister in the film. However, Sadiya was adamant about proving that she could play an older character and even dressed up like a grown-up girl to convince him.
Recalling the same, she said, “The next day, I picked out my best dress. I did makeup and curled my hair. I was looking like a cartoon because I was little girl trying to look older. He laughed and said, ‘No, you’ll play the sister.’ He didn’t give me a choice of not doing the role. It was very difficult, but see, I’m a good actor. I had different feelings for him in my heart, but my eyes would tell a different story. My eyes would say he’s my brother.”
Shah Rukh took care of Sadiya on set
During the interaction, Sadiya Siddiqui shared that although she never expressed her feelings for Shah Rukh Khan directly, the superstar must have known about them. She recalled him being extremely caring on the sets of the film. She remembered how the actor insisted that she sit inside the car when they were shooting on the beach during a particularly hot day.
She also recalled how, years later, Shah Rukh had not forgotten her. When he spotted her at a dubbing studio, he called her over and gave her a warm hug. Sadiya further shared that she even scolded him for drinking too much Diet Coke and smoking cigarettes.