13 years of Swades: When Gowariker brought Shah Rukh and Aamir together

Ashutosh Gowariker’s Swades completed 13 years on Sunday 17 December. The filmmaker shared some never-seen-before pictures of the mahurat shot of the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer. Surprisingly, the pictures have the rare presence of Aamir Khan adding to the magic.

The Dangal (2016) actor did the honours of giving the clap for the mahurat shot of Gowariker's film, as seen in one picture. Aamir Khan had starred in Gowariker's earlier directorial venture, Lagaan: Once Upon A Time In India (2001).

An emotional Gowariker wrote in the caption, “Thank you for your immense love and remembering #13YearsOfSwades. Here are a couple of really special unreleased stillls from the Mahurat Day!”

Another picture has Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan in the same frame along with Gowariker. This brings back memories of the only time the two actors shared screen space. This feat was again achieved by Gowariker in his forgotten directorial debut, Pehla Nasha (1993).

In the opening scene of the film, lead actor Deepak Tijori sees a number of Hindi film stars in his dream, which included Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan. After this film, the two Khans have never shared screen space. 

At the time of the Swades mahurat, Aamir Khan was shooting for Mangal Pandey: The Rising (2005). The moustache gives that away.

Swades received critical acclaim but the film did not set the box office on office. However, over the years, it has received accolades from audiences after its numerous television runs. The film marked the debut of Gayatri Joshi. But the actress chose to get married and quit acting soon after.