Billy Zane Birthday Special: When the Titanic Actor’s 1989 Thriller Made This Shah Rukh Khan Film Possible Thanks to Hrithik Roshan!

Billy Zane is quite popular among the Indian viewers thanks to James Cameron's Titanic. The 1997 blockbuster was a huge hit in India, and made stars out of its lead stars, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet and Billy Zane. Zane had played the role of Cal Hockley, the main antagonist of the film and the female lead Rose's arrogant fiance. While Titanic was his biggest hit, the actor couldn't replicate the same kind of success in his future films, unlike his other two co-stars. Before Titanic, Billy Zane was involved in films like Demon Knight, Phantom (where he played the titular superhero), Tombstone and Dead Calm. Leonardo DiCaprio Birthday Special: Not Just Amitabh Bachchan, Did You Know This Popular Indian Television Star Had Also Worked With the Titanic Star?

On the occasion of Billy Zane's 54th birthday, let's talk more about Dead Calm, the 1989 psychological thriller horror from Australia. The movie also starred Sam Neil and Nicole Kidman, with Zane getting a lot of attention for playing the antagonist. Dead Calm, directed by Phillip Noyce, revolves around three characters, with Neil and Kidman playing a couple going through a rough phase in their marriage. They decide to take a boat trip to get over the tragedy of losing their son in an accident. However, the trip takes a dastardly turn when they save a mysterious young man, played by Zane, who turns out to be murderous psychopath and creates a hellish chaos in their lives.

Watch The Trailer of Dead Calm here:

Now why are we talking about Dead Calm here? Because this movie played a very important role in Shah Rukh Khan's ascension to superstardom, with a little help from none other than Hrithik Roshan. We are talking about Darr. #25YearsOfDarr: Lesser Known Facts About The Film That Made Shah Rukh Khan And His K..K..K...Kiran Dialogue Iconic!

Darr is a romantic psychological thriller that was directed by the late Yash Chopra. The movie starred Sunny Deol, Juhi Chawla and Shah Rukh Khan, with Khan playing a sociopathic stalker obsessed with his college crush. Darr, that came out in 1993, was a huge hit then and one of SRK's early successes. It was also a movie that made him be closer to Yash Raj Films, and was the reason how he played the lead in the all-time-blockbuster Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge.

And it all happened because a pre-fame Hrithik Roshan and Uday Chopra, besties in real life, went to watch Dead Calm and were inspired by the film so much, that they suggested to Aditya and Yash Chopra to make something on similar lines. In fact, it was said that Hrithik himself had suggested Darr as a title, which was the name of an amateur film that he had shot.

In an old interview where Uday Chopra conversed with his father on Darr, he made this revelation. He had said, "Hrithik and me were seeing a movie, a less known movie called Dead Calm. We saw the video of the film and we decided to make Adi (Aditya Chopra) see it. Just to show a very good film. Adi saw the film and he loved it instantly. That is the inspiration for Darr. In fact, the title Darr, is the title Hrithik had kept for a movie that he had actually made. An amateur film which he had shot. It was Hrithik’s title and when Adi decided on making this film, he told Hrithik that he will use this title, because it suits the subject."

Watch the video below:

Wow, who knew that an Australian thriller, which was not even a big hit, would play a huge factor in Shah Rukh Khan's superstardom, and how Hrithik Roshan had a huge role in it. But like SRK says in Om Shanti Om, “Kehte Hain Agar Kisi Cheez Ko Dil Se Chaho, to Puri Kainaat Usse Tumse Milane Ki Koshish Mein Lag Jaati Hai”!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 24, 2020 02:29 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).