Shah Rukh Khan's iconic 'beta-baap' line was impromptu, reveals 'Jawan' writer

Atlee's directorial Jawan is making the necessary noise in the showbiz. Along with the same now-famous dialogue uttered by Shah Rukh Khan in the movie "Jawan." The dialogue, "Bete ko hath lagane se pehle, baap se baat kar" (Before touching the son, deal with the father), was not originally penned into the script but rather spontaneously woven into the narrative during the filming process.

Sumit Arora, the dialogue writer for the film, vividly recalls the serendipitous birth of this iconic line. As cameras rolled on the shoot location, the realization dawned upon the creative team that a poignant verbal exchange was needed to enhance a pivotal moment in the movie. Arora, being present on set, was summoned to weave words into the scene. 

He said that the line was never there in the draft originally. The ‘moment’ where SRK's character says the line was always there, and they all knew that it was a powerful moment, even without a dialogue. But while shooting, they felt that there should be a line, that this guy should say something,

He then added, "I was there on the set, so I was called in, and the first words that came out of my mouth given the situation were: 'bete ko hath lagane se pehle, baap se baat Kar. It felt like the most obvious and most apt thing he should say at that moment. It just fits (in). Director Atlee and SRK sir both felt it was correct, and the shot was taken. The way SRK sir delivered it gave us goosebumps. But we never thought that that line would become such a huge hit and would resonate with people in this way. As a writer, you can only write a line, but its destiny goes on to write itself."

For the unversed, this line, when delivered by Shah Rukh Khan's character, Vikram Rathore, in the film's climactic scene, transcended the realm of scripted dialogue. Many fans on social media connected this dialogue to the real-life events surrounding the arrest and subsequent exoneration of Shah Rukh Khan's son, Aryan Khan, in a high-profile drug-related case in 2021.

Directed by filmmaker Atlee, the movie features Shah Rukh in the role of Vikram Rathore and his son Azad. The movie highlights various social and political issues through the story.

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