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SRK-Kajol in Karan Johar's next?

Last updated on: October 04, 2007 13:41 IST

Shah Rukh Khan seems to have taken Chak De! India's Kabir Khan quite seriously.

After the stupendous success of the film, SRK and his best friend Karan Johar have decided to come together and make a film that will highlight the plight of Asian Muslims, post 9/11.

If sources are to be believed, the film has been tentaively named My Name Is Khan.

Shah Rukh will play a Muslim, who gets wrongly detained on a flight because of his last name, Khan. The authorities believe him to be a terrorist.

Unlike his earlier family dramas, Karan tries his hand at a more serious subject this time. More importantly, it looks like he has gotten over his 'K' fixation.

Kajol is expected to play SRK's leading lady.

SRK will start shooting for the film next year, after he completes Sivaji director Shankar's next, Robot, and Munnabhai director Rajkumar Hirani's next.

On an aside, Shankar had begun planning a film with a 'robot' protagonist some years ago, and wanted to cast Kamal Hassan in the lead role.

The actor was by then deep into the shooting of Abhay, for which in an excess of 'method' he had bulked up to grotesque proportions.

Creative differences also arose between Shankar and Kamal, leading to the former deciding to put the project on the back burner.

Shankar had initially toyed with the idea of casting Shah Rukh in Nayak, the remake of his own Tamil hit. At the time, the Khan in his eagerness to work with the director had promised bulk dates and all cooperation -- but Shankar did a rethink, and picked Anil Kapoor instead, reasoning that he didn't want a megastar in the lead for Nayak, as it would overshadow what he visualized as the story of an ordinary man raised to an extraordinary position.

The director has however always wanted to work with the reigning king of Bollywood, and Khan has reciprocated that sentiment. With Robot, both of them get their wish.

Gullu Gupshup