Arka Evren

FILM · 2004 · INDIA

Main Hoon Na

53 archived facts 4 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026

  1. #001

    The song "Chale Jaise Hawaein" was shot in a single continuous take.

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  2. #002

    Farah Khan wanted Naseeruddin Shah to play Raghavan, but his commitment to The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003) meant he could not take on such a large role at the time, so he made a special appearance as Shah Rukh Khan's father instead. Farah Khan then approached Kamal Haasan for the role of Raghavan, but he could not give dates. She next approached Nana Patekar, who demanded changes to the film's story that Farah Khan did not want to make. Only then was Suniel Shetty approached.

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  3. #003

    Shah Rukh Khan's first performance of walking on the wall was kept a secret from director Farah Khan. Because of the injury to his back, she did not want him to do the stunt, and she even threatened to tell his wife, Gauri Khan.

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  4. #004

    Shah Rukh Khan initially disliked the film's title, feeling it seemed incomplete. It was not until he heard the title song that he came to believe the title was perfect.

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  5. #005

    Rather than hiring 100 background dancers and 100 college students, Farah Khan made the background dancers look like college students as well. She said there was no point in having the characters dance while seeing different characters in the background for support.

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  6. #006

    Farhan Akhtar was considered for the role of Lucky.

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  7. #007

    Sushmita Sen's reaction when SRK fires at the sari was genuine, because the shot was taken without telling her.

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  8. #008

    Tabu makes an appearance in the film without being credited in the titles. She can be seen while Shah Rukh Khan is rehearsing the dance for the ball night.

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  9. #009

    The title "Main Hoon Na" is a very popular dialogue that Shah Rukh Khan has used in most of his films.

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  10. #010

    Sushmita Sen took on the role of Chandini while working with Farah Khan on the song "Mehboob Mere" in Fiza (2000).

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  11. #011

    As the names suggest, the film is a take on the Ramayana: Ram, Lucky (Lakshman) and Raghavan (Ravana). In the film, Lucky (Lakshman, played by Zayed Khan) also mentions, as a reference, that if he kept his name as Lakshman the house would look like the Mahabharat. His brother and mother then correct him by saying Ramazan.

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  12. #012

    Rani Mukerji was supposed to make a guest appearance in a song, but it was not possible. Instead, there are two photos of Satish Shah shot while flirting with a woman on the phone.

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  13. #013

    Suneil Shetty worked with Shahrukh Khan for the first time.

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  14. #014

    Farah Khan wanted to recreate Rahul Dev Burman's music in the film but chose not to, because Dil Vil Pyar Vyar (2002) had done the same thing. She later told music director Anu Malik to make the music in R. D. Burman's style.

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  15. #015

    The entire "Chale Jaisen Hawaaein" song in the film was shot in a single take.

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  16. #016

    Farah Khan and Shah Rukh Khan began planning this film in 2000. Shooting started in 2001, but Shah Rukh Khan's back injury and other commitments got in the way.

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  17. #017

    Shah Rukh Khan hated the dance steps for Tumse Milke, but Farah Khan eventually convinced him to complete the steps.

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  18. #018

    Farah and Anu Malik were judging Indian Idol together, and on the show Farah also announced that she would ask Anu Malik to provide the music for her first directorial film.

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  19. #019

    Throughout Main Hoon Na, director Farah Khan used references to films she liked.

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  20. #020

    Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was offered the role of Chandni, but her contract was cancelled due to problems with Shah Rukh Khan.

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  21. #021

    Main Hoon Na was initially meant to be the debut film of both Zayed Khan and Amrita Rao, but it was delayed because of Shah Rukh Khan's back injury.

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  22. #022

    Ayesha Takia was approached for the role played by Amrita Rao.

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  23. #023

    Main Hoon Na is the only film in which Shah Rukh Khan and Zayed Khan share the lead roles.

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  24. #024

    Ameesha Patel was considered for the role of Sanjana.

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  25. #025

    Hrithik Roshan was considered for the role of Lucky.

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  26. #026

    Boman Irani arrived for the shoot a day before his schedule. That same night he heard a knock on his door and found it was Shah Rukh Khan, the first time the two met. Boman Irani was in a Parsi outfit that, according to Boman, did not look good at all. Shah Rukh Khan came up to him and thanked him for signing his film, since he was also the producer, and told him he would be right there if he needed anything.

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  27. #027

    Main Hoon Na is unique in that it packs action-thriller, family-drama and teen-comedy genres into a single film, each taking up about an hour.

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  28. #028

    This was not only Farah Khan's first directorial attempt; she also wrote the film's screenplay.

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  29. #029

    While shooting a scene in Darjeeling, the costume trucks did not reach the location on time. The team therefore had to borrow clothes from the dancers to complete the shoot on schedule.

    BEHIND THE SCENES · SOURCED

  30. #030

    Priyanka Chopra Jonas was also considered for the role of Chandni, but she turned down the offer due to scheduling conflicts.

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  31. #031

    One of the group members at the ball is Farah Khan's younger brother, Sajid Khan.

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  32. #032

    Sushmita Sen wore a sari on screen for a song for the first time. Interestingly, this scene was actually shot on the first day of filming.

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  33. #033

    Suniel Shetty played the villain in a Shah Rukh Khan film for the first time.

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  34. #034

    "The Outsider" was the film's first title.

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  35. #035

    Rani Mukerji is shown dancing in the final song.

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  36. #036

    This is the only year in which a Farah Khan directorial was released and a Sajid Khan directorial was not.

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  37. #037

    Farah Khan wanted the title Hum Tum, but the name was registered to Yashraj Films.

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  38. #038

    Sanjay Dutt was initially signed for the role of Raghavan but backed out of it.

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  39. #039

    The film later inspired the Telugu film Khatarnak, which starred Ravi Teja in the lead.

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  40. #040

    Shahrukh Khan was confident that Kamal Hassan, with whom he had worked on Hey Ram (2000), would agree to play the villain in the film. Farah Khan travelled to Chennai to narrate the script to him. Kamal Hassan, however, turned the film down.

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  41. #041

    Sunil Shetty also played a negative role in Rudraksh, which premiered the same year.

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  42. #042

    With this film, Sushmita Sen won her second Zee Cine Award for Best Supporting Actress. Her first was for Biwi No One in 2000.

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  43. #043

    Zayed Khan was also a last-minute change in the film. Abhishek Bachchan and Hrithik Roshan were the first choices.

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  44. #044

    The film's main plot is thought to have been inspired by the 1991 Stephen Chow action comedy Fight Back to School.

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  45. #045

    Sohail Khan was considered for the role of Lucky.

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  46. #046

    The film was shot in Darjeeling.

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  47. #047

    Sushmita Sen's sari became so popular after this film that it came to be called the "main hoo na" sari.

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  48. #048

    It was remade as Aegan, starring Ajith Kumar in the lead.

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  49. #049

    Nana Patekar was also offered the main antagonist role. He declined for several reasons but helped provide a small input to the character.

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  50. #050

    The film was released in cinemas in Canada.

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  51. #051

    Gauri Khan recommended Amrita Rao.

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  52. #052

    Ayesha Takia was signed to play Sanjana Bakshi. Imtiyaz Ali's film Socha Na Tha (2005) had a 60-day shooting schedule. When Farah Khan called her for costume trials, she said she was still shooting for Imtiyaz Ali's film and could not do Main Hoon Na.

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  53. #053

    Farah Khan had seen Sameera Reddy in Pankaj Udhas's song Aur Ahista Kiye Baatein. She liked her Indian look in the song and wanted her to play the character of Chandin. Sameera Reddy, however, realised that she had already signed her first film, Maine Dil Tujko Diya (2002), and that its shooting dates would clash with Main Hoon Naa.

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