Shah Rukh Khan told R Madhavan 'background role chalega' for Rocketry, didn't charge a penny

R Madhavan recently spoke about the time Shah Rukh Khan requested him to cast him in Rocketry: The Nambi Effect. Madhavan also revealed that SRK didn't charge a single penny for his cameo role in the upcoming film.

Rocketry: The Nambi Effect, starring and directed by R Madhavan, has been receiving praises, and we cannot wait to watch it in theatres now. The film releases on July 1. Shah Rukh Khan also plays a cameo role in the film. At a recent event, R Madhavan recalled an incident when SRK asked him to make him a part of Rocketry: The Nambi Effect. During the promotion of his upcoming film, Madhavan revealed that during one of Shah Rukh's birthday parties, the latter had expressed his desire to feature in the film. R Madhavan also said SRK didn't charge a single penny for Rocketry.

R Madhavan's film Rocketry: The Nambi Effect premiered at the 75th Cannes Film Festival on May 19. Shah Rukh Khan plays a chat show host interviewing Madhavan's character in the film's Hindi version. Meanwhile, Suriya plays the same role in the Telugu version. At a promotional event of the film recently, R Madhavan revealed that neither Shah Rukh nor Suriya charged any fee for their appearances in the film.

As quoted by news agency ANI, R Madhavan said, "I mentioned about Rocketry to Shah Rukh Khan sahab (sir) when I worked with him in Zero ...he vividly remembered it that during one of his birthday parties he asked me about the film's status and expressed his desire to be a part of the film. 'Mujhe background mein koi bhi role chalega main is film ka hissa hona chahta hu (I'm ready to play any role in the background I want to be a part of this film), Khan sahab told me. I thought he was joking. Two days later my wife Sarita asked me to thank Khan sahab for his kind words. I dropped a message to Khan sahab's manager asking her to convey my gratitude to him and I instantly got a text from the manager saying, 'Khan sahab dates puch rahe hai shoot ki (Khan sir is asking about the dates of the shoot)'.. and that's how he became a part of our film."

He also added, "The two (Shah Rukh and Suriya) did not charge a single penny for their work in the film. They did not charge anything for caravans, costumes, and assistants. In fact, Suriya flew out to shoot in Mumbai with his crew on his own money. He did not charge for the flights or for the dialogue writer who translated his lines in Tamil."

Rocketry: The Nambi Effect is based on the life of Nambi Narayanan, who was a former scientist and aerospace engineer of ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation). He was accused of espionage. The film is written, produced and directed by R Madhavan, who is also playing the titular lead role. The story spans across Narayanan's days as a graduate student at Princeton University, before exploring his work as a scientist and the false espionage charges placed upon him. Rocketry will be released in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and English languages. It was shot simultaneously in Tamil, Hindi and English in different locations including India, France, Canada, Georgia and Serbia. The film is scheduled for release on July 1, 2022.