R Madhavan reveals Shah Rukh Khan did not charge fee for his role in Rocketry; 'There are a lot of good people in the film industry'

When they were filming for Zero (2018), which had Maddy in a cameo, Madhavan claimed he mentioned the idea for the film to Shah Rukh Khan. Continue to read to know more.
SRK and R Madhavan

SRK and R Madhavan

R Madhavan, who is marking his directorial debut with Rocketry: The Nambi Effect, revealed on Monday that celebrities Shah Rukh Khan and Suriya did not ask a fee for their cameos in his film.
The actor-filmmaker also thanked superstar Amitabh Bachchan and star-producer Priyanka Chopra Jonas for their support for the film on social media.
“Be it Suriya or (Shah Rukh) Khan sahab, none of them charged any fee for the film. They didn’t even charge anything for the caravans, costumes and assistants. Suriya flew out to shoot in Mumbai along with his crew on his own money. He didn’t even charge for the flights or for the dialogue writer who translated his lines in Tamil,” he said.
“There are a lot of good people in the film industry. But, I am from outside. People have helped me a lot. Just on my request Amit ji (Amitabh Bachchan) or Priyanka Chopra posted a tweet (to support the film). I am grateful for their love and respect towards me,” Madhavan told media at a press conference.
The 51-year-old actor also starred in, authored, and produced Rocketry, a biopic about Nambi Narayanan, a former Indian Space Research Organisation scientist and aerospace engineer who was wrongfully accused of espionage.
When they were filming for Zero (2018), which had Maddy in a cameo, Madhavan claimed he mentioned the idea for the film to Shah Rukh Khan.
“Even when I attended his birthday party, he remembered and said ‘Maddy, I want to do a role in your film. Just make me pass through the background.’ I thanked him for his kind words and he said, ‘No, no. I’m serious’,” he revealed.
When Madhavan's wife Sarita urged him to thank Shah Rukh for his gesture two days later, the actor said he sent a message to the star's manager requesting her to do so.
“Soon, his manager called me and said, ‘Khan sahab is asking when do you want the dates?’ I said I don’t want to build castles in the air. But he was very serious. Then, I said there is no background role for him, there was an important part,” he added.
Suriya plays himself in the Tamil version, whereas Shah Rukh Khan plays himself in the Hindi and English versions.
On July 1, Rocketry, which has been dubbed in Malayalam, Telugu, and Kannada, will hit the screens.
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