Did You Know? SRK turned down ‘Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar,’ and Mammootty shaved his moustache—angrily—to play the icon

As India marks Ambedkar Jayanti today, honoring the birth anniversary of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar—the chief architect of the Indian Constitution—it’s worth revisiting a lesser-known cinematic chapter that brought his story to life on screen.

SRK was the first choice!
The critically acclaimed 2000 biopic ‘Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar,’ directed by Jabbar Patel, is remembered not only for its subject but also for the powerful performance delivered by Malayalam megastar Mammootty. But did you know the role was originally offered to none other than Shah Rukh Khan?
Why did King Khan refuse?
According to the Newsx website, in the late 1990s, when Patel set out to make the film, his first choice for the titular role was SRK. However, Khan declined the offer, reportedly saying, “I can’t bring myself to play national icons.” He felt that portraying a real-life legend would leave little space to explore character complexities.
Mammootty comes in.
Jabbar Patel then proceeded to approach Mammootty, and at the time, the ‘Bazooka’ actor had never acted in a Hindi film and was initially reluctant.
I look nothing like the great man. - Mammootty
The ‘Bramayugam’ actor said, “I don’t do Hindi films” to Jabbar Patel when the director flew down to Kochi to meet him.
“Besides, I look nothing like the great man.” But Patel came prepared—with a photoshopped image of Mammootty as Ambedkar. The resemblance convinced the actor.

Mammootty angrily shaves off his mustache: “Do you know what my mustache means to me?
However, there was one major obstacle—Mammootty’s iconic moustache. The actor was deeply attached to it, and when asked to shave it off, he was visibly distressed. “Do you know what my mustache means to me?” he retorted, according to Patel. It took much persuasion to convince him that the transformation was essential. Mammootty eventually agreed, but not before venting his frustration.
Interestingly, his son Dulquer Salmaan was present during the dramatic moment. “He even told me, ‘Uncle, please come. My father is very angry.’ We captured that video. Dulquer is responsible for that,” the filmmaker said in an interview with OTT Play.
Mammootty masters Hindi and Oxonian English.
Despite the hurdles, Mammootty’s performance was nothing short of extraordinary. He mastered both Hindi and Oxonian English for the role and went on to win the National Award for Best Actor.