When Shah Rukh Khan called comparison with Hrithik Roshan 'shameless' after Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai's success

Hrithik Roshan became an overnight sensation after Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai was released, and many compared him with Shah Rukh Khan. The superstar once reacted to the comparisons and felt they were wrong

25 years ago, a star was born. When Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai was released in theatres, the audience went berserk over Hrithik Roshan. He possessed all the necessary qualities to become a star. At that time, Hrithik was also called the only superstar after the Khans. Since then, he left a great impression with several other movies. However, with great stardom comes comparisons and Shah Rukh Khan was the one who became a topic of discussion.

Shah Rukh Khan's reaction to comparisons with Hrithik Roshan

When Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai was released in theatres, many compared Hrithik Roshan to Shah Rukh Khan. A week after the movie's release, Shah Rukh Khan's Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani released in theatres and it didn't perform well. Since then, the comparisons begin. In 2005, Karan Johar addressed the "awkwardness" between SRK and Hrithik during the early days.

As reported by Indian Express, in Anupama Chopra's 'King of Bollywood' book, SRK had said called the comparisons "wrong and shameless." He said, "It was so wrong. You can’t take away ten years of work. You can’t suddenly tell me one morning, ‘Hey you’re displaced. You are too old, you are not good enough.’ I couldn’t go out of the house without someone asking me what I thought of Hrithik Roshan. It became shameless."

Later, the same was made fun of in a Pepsi-Cola war where Pepsi made an ad with Shah Rukh Khan. The team had cast a Hrithik Roshan lookalike and called him a 'loser' in the ad. Rakesh Roshan said in an interview with Rediff that he and Hrithik believe the ad was in bad taste. While the comparisons kept happening, Karan Johar decided to cast them in a film a year later.

In 2001, Shah Rukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan played brothers Rahul and Rohan. The movie also starred Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Kajol, and Kareena Kapoor Khan.