Shah Rukh Khan's stammer in 'Darr' inspired by Yash Chopra
Shah Rukh Khan's portrayal of the obsessive lover, Rahul Mehra, in the 1993 film Darr, directed by Yash Chopra, marked a significant milestone in his acting career. His dialogue, "I love you K-K-K-Kiran" became iconic and is still associated with his character. Co-star Juhi Chawla recently revealed at an event that SRK's stammering dialogue was inspired by Chopra's own speech struggle.
'SRK said, 'I am going to use it in film'
Speaking at a Gujarat Chamber of Commerce & Industry event, Chawla revealed while she had not noticed that Chopra used to stammer a little, Khan had. "He (SRK) said, 'I am going to use it in the film' and wahan se unhone woh shuru kiya (he started it from there) and thank God for that!"
Khan's method to perfect stammering for 'Darr'
In the Netflix docuseries The Romantics, Khan shared his process of perfecting the stammer for his character in Darr. He revealed, "I had a classmate who had a stammer. And then we did some little study, some BBC documentary or something where they talked about that people's minds become aware to one sound, and it's like a sharp current."
The reason behind SRK's selective stammering in 'Darr'
Khan further explained the selective stammering of his character on the name "Kiran." He said, "I told Yashji (Yash Chopra) that I would like to use this aspect with the character. And then Adi (Aditya Chopra) suggested that because you become aware of a sound, let's make him aware of the woman he loves the most, her name. So, I only stammer on the word Kiran."
SRK's experience working with Aditya on 'Darr'
Khan also shared his experience of working with filmmaker Aditya on Darr. He said, "To be honest, during Darr, Yash Chopra was the topmost director of the country. Although they were very loving, I felt a little ill at ease in this big set-up. So, the person who I became friendly with, who I could chat with, was Adi."
