‘Shah Rukh Khan was reluctant to play second fiddle to Leonardo DiCaprio’: Taxi Driver writer Paul Schrader reveals why epic crossover film fell apart

5/12/2024 - Updated 1:10:59 pm

Courtesy: The Indian Express

Hollywood filmmaker Paul Schrader has shed light on why Shah Rukh Khan's Hollywood debut, Xtreme City, alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, was shelved. The film was to be backed by acclaimed veteran filmmaker Martin Scorsese.

In a fascinating revelation, acclaimed director Paul Schrader has shed light on his abandoned project Xtreme City, which would have marked Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan's debut in the West. The film, which also had Leonardo DiCaprio attached, was ultimately shelved due to Shah Rukh's loss of interest midway, according to Schrader. Schrader is a renowned American screenwriter and film director, known for his work on iconic films like Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The Last Temptation of Christ and American Gigolo. With a career spanning over five decades, Schrader has established himself as a prominent figure in Hollywood. During a recent podcast appearance, Schrader reflected on the film that never got made, revealing that the trio had initially shown great enthusiasm for the project. They even met in Berlin to discuss the film, with Martin Scorsese on board as producer. However, Schrader claimed that Shah Rukh's commitment to the project began to waver, ultimately leading to its demise. The director also revealed that the film was to be co-written by Mushtaq Shiekh. Schrader noted that Shah Rukh, had he done the film, would have had to play "second banana" to DiCaprio, something he's never done. "Shah Rukh is the boss. He hires directors. Sometimes he hires multiple dire

ctors: he’ll hire somebody for the musical number; he’ll hire somebody else for the action; he’ll hire somebody else for the personal-relationship scenes. He can do that. He has never really worked under the harness of an auteur, and that, I could see, was starting to grate on him. And he had never done a film in the West before, and he had never been a second banana to somebody like Leo before," Schrader explained in the Pod Casty for Me podcast. Schrader also shared the film's plotline, which would have seen Shah Rukh play a gangster confronted by an American police officer, played by DiCaprio, after saving his life in India. Despite his efforts to keep the project afloat, Shah Rukh ultimately lost interest, which eventually led to DiCaprio losing interest. Also read - Pushpa 2 Movie Review Live Updates: Woman dies in stampede at Allu Arjun’s film screening in Hyderabad, son injured He shared, “Bit-by-bit, I wrote the script. I went to Mumbai several times to see him and be with him — I could feel the ground slowly eroding underneath him. So finally his commitment was provisional, and then once his commitment went from ‘firm’ to ‘provisional,’ Leo’s went from ‘firm’ to ‘provisional.’ Now you have two ‘provisional’ commitments, which means you have no commitment at all.”