Rohit Shetty, the acclaimed director known for his high-octane action comedies, has finally addressed the rumors of a rift with Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan following their 2015 film, Dilwale. In a recent interview on Komal Nahta’s podcast Game Changers, Shetty set the record straight on why the successful director-actor duo haven’t collaborated since.
Shetty firmly denied any fallout with Khan, emphasizing the mutual respect they share. While their first collaboration, Chennai Express (2013), was a blockbuster, Dilwale, despite reuniting the iconic pair of Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol, failed to replicate the same magic at the box office, leading to speculations of a strained relationship.
The director explained that immediately after Dilwale, he decided to focus on his own production house. “There’s nothing like that (a rift),” Shetty clarified. “There is a respect between us, and after Dilwale, I immediately opened my own production house. We decided we would make our own films so that if there are losses, they would be ours. However, there were no losses with Dilwale; it was a huge hit overseas.”
Shetty highlighted that Dilwale performed exceptionally well in the international markets. The film, which also starred Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon, was produced by Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment and faced a box office clash with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Bajirao Mastani.
While Rohit Shetty has been busy building his successful cop universe with films like Singham Again, and Shah Rukh Khan has continued his reign with recent hits like Pathaan, Jawan, and Dunki, the director’s recent statement puts an end to the speculation of any bad blood between the two. It seems that their professional paths simply diverged as Shetty focused on his independent productions.
Despite the break in their collaboration, Shetty also spoke warmly about his strong relationships within the industry, mentioning his brotherly bond with Ajay Devgn and his close friendship with actors like Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone. He even shared an anecdote about Deepika completing the final schedule of Singham Again while four months pregnant, highlighting the rare camaraderie he shares with his actors.
As Shah Rukh Khan gears up for his next project, King, alongside his daughter Suhana Khan, and Rohit Shetty continues to expand his cinematic universe, fans might still hold onto hope for another collaboration between the director and the superstar in the future, now that the air has been cleared about any past misunderstandings.
