Shah Rukh Khan, the King Khan of Bollywood, was supposed to act in a Malayalam movie a few years back. In 1998, acclaimed director Faazil made 'Harikrishnans' that starred Mohanlal, Mammootty, and Juhi Chawla in the lead roles. However, in the initial stages of development, the director was quite interested in roping in Shah Rukh Khan to play another crucial role in this flick.
The director even narrated the script of the movie to Shah Rukh Khan, and the actor apparently gave a positive nod to the director's request. Later, Faazil conducted a photoshoot featuring the 'Don' star, Mammootty, Mohanlal and Juhi Chawla. At that time, several media outlets revealed that Shah Rukh Khan will be playing the role of Juhi Chawla's love interest, and he will be appearing in the climax portions of the movie, thus giving an unexpected to blow to Mohanlal and Mammootty's love ambitions.
After storming rumours about Shah Rukh Khan's Malayalam debut, 'Harikrishnans' finally had its theatrical release on September 16, 1998. However, King Khan did not appear on the screens, and many people who wished to see the star's Mollywood debut became disappointed. In the meantime, the film upon its release also ran into another controversy when two climaxes were used in two different regions of Kerala.
In the northern region of Kerala where Mammootty has a strong fan base, the climax showed Juhi Chawla falling for the 'Unda' actor, and in the remaining regions of the state, Mohanlal was seen enjoying a happy ending with Chawla.
Even in the midst of all these controversies, the film became a huge hit at the box-office, and it ran for more than 100 days in many release centres. The appearance of Kunchakko Boban in an extended cameo too played a crucial role in determining the box-office success of the movie. It should be noted that Kunchakko Boban was the most happening actor among youngsters during that time even his name on the screen was capable of drawing audiences to theatres at that time.
