When Shah Rukh Khan Missed Out On The 1993 Pepsi Commercial With Aishwarya Rai And Mahima Chaudhary

Prahlad Kakkar, a renowned ad-filmmaker who has been in the industry for 45 years and has won several accolades at International Advertising Festivals, recently appeared on a podcast with ANI and reminisced about the iconic 1993 Pepsi advertisement he created featuring Aamir Khan, Aishwarya Rai and Mahima Chaudhary. He revealed that Shah Rukh Khan was also in the running for the ad, but the role ultimately went to Aamir Khan.

Prahlad Kakkar revealed that the 1993 Pepsi commercial was actually inspired by an American advertisement and it took almost three months for Kakkar to finalise the casting for the beverage commercial. He also shared that Aishwarya, who played “Sanju” in the ad film, was the reason behind him getting 5000 calls the day the advertisement was released.

He said, “Aishwarya was a known face, but we wanted a girl who could stop the country, because she appeared for four seconds. That’s exactly what happened, the day the film was released I got 5000 calls the next morning asking ‘Who is Sanju?’ and ‘Where did she come from?’”

Talking about the casting process, Kakkar revealed that he, along with his team, was looking everywhere but couldn’t finalise anyone. “Then some girls found her with a jhola and torn jeans outside an architectural college, she was studying there and they brought her to my office” the ad-filmmaker added. For him, Rai’s eyes did all the magic and he claims that he saw the “entire universe” in them. “With each mood, the colour of her eyes changes, which mesmerised me. Aishwarya was all over the place, but the camera loved her,” said Kakkar.

Revealing details about Aamir’s casting, Prahlad revealed how he chose the Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak actor over SRK for the ad. He stated that for him, Aamir was the “perfect boy” because he looked “vulnerable” and “cocky”. Kakkar added that SRK was in the running for the ad and he had just started. He was in search of a house and he needed Rs 6 lakh. So, when Pepsi asked King Khan about the remuneration, he wanted the same amount, that is, 6 lakhs. Aamir, on the other hand, wanted Rs 16 lakhs. Since Shah Rukh Khan was coming at a lower price, Pepsi wanted to choose the Kuch Kuch Hota Hai actor. However, Prahlad wanted Aamir. “I took a stand and we got Aamir”, added the ad-filmmaker.

The ‘Iconic’ Commercial

The iconic Pepsi commercial was shared on the social media platform Reddit 2 years ago, where Mahima and Aishwarya play Aamir’s neighbours in the advertisement.

Aamir, Mahima and Aishwarya in old Pepsi ad
byu/drj2055 inBollyBlindsNGossip

A comment on the post read, “According to my folks, this was the ad that made Aishwarya Rai a household name and a fan favourite for Miss India.”

Another wrote, “Ads in 2023 pale in comparison to ads of the 1990s and early 2000s.”

A Redditor praised Aishwarya. “I was a kid when this ad came but boy o boy, everyone was like Who is that girl…she is gorgeous…Her and that one line-hi, I’m Sanjana…got another Pepsi was the most happening thing at that time,” wrote the user.