Exclusive! Vicky Kaushal to replace Shah Rukh Khan in Rakesh Sharma biopic

After going to and fro on the Rakesh Sharma biopic, looks like Shah Rukh Khan will not be doing Mahesh Mathai’s Saare Jahaan Se Accha after all. And buzz is that instead of waiting for the superstar to complete Farhan Akhtar’s Don 3, the makers have decided to go ahead and cast another star. And this star is none other than Vicky Kaushal. The actor – fresh from the success of Uri: The Surgical Strike – has been approached for the role of Rakesh Sharma, who was India’s first man in outer space (1984). And of what we have heard, the young actor has given the project a go-ahead too.

The construction work on the set of the film was already in full swing, when rumours of SRK opting out of this biopic for Don 3 first surfaced. The film that was to go on floor in early February has already been delayed. But now with Vicky on board, the makers may be able to get it on track. Meanwhile, Vicky is currently busy shooting for his first horror film to be produced by Dharma Productions and directed by debutant Bhanu Pratap Singh.

It may be recalled that the film was first offered to Aamir Khan who after holding on the film for two years then recommended SRK for the project. After the prep work of over a year, SRK was to begin shoot soon. In fact preparations were being made for the star to even train and experience the life of an astronaut at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). However with SRK backing out at the last moment, it left the makers in a lurch who have now approached Vicky.

Insiders at one point insisted that it’s a good decision by SRK to have opted out of the space film, especially since it was to be the star’s next release after the box office dud Zero, where the concept of space-travel was explored.