2008 multistarrer film, Saif Ali Khan, this superstar was the first choice of makers, Kahlai blockbuster after release

Last updated:February 12, 2025, 15:48 IST

There are many mystery-thriller films from ‘Drishyam’ to ‘Andhadhun’, which people like to watch or can say that such films have a big audience. But do you remember the film of 2008, to see …Read more

This film proved to be a game changer for Saif’s career.

New Delhi. Writers often write the story of films keeping in mind the hero. Salim-Javed’s hit couple have said this matter many times. He told how he used to keep in mind the actor while writing the film and then used to get stubborn to take the same stars to the makers. However, this theory does not fit with all the writers, because many times the stars did not have dates and never liked the script. But do you know the story of the mystery-thriller film in the year 2008, in which Saif Ali Khan was seen. But he was not the first choice of the makers.

This film, which came in the year 2008, is ‘Race’. The story of this film was removed from other films, that is, if you look at the screen, the suspense will come out of the head. Saif Ali Khan was seen in a negative shed in this film. This film proved to be a game changer for his career. The mystery-thriller-rich film ‘Race’ was released in the year 2008.

This was the starcast of the film
In this, stars like Akshaye Khanna, Anil Kapoor, Bipasha Basu, Katrina Kaif and Sameera Reddy were seen in important roles with Saif. By the way, the entire story of the film revolves around the characters of Saif and Akshay.

Cast wanted to do this actor instead of Saif
Saif Ali Khan played the role of ‘Ranveer Singh’ in the film. He was not the first choice of the makers for the film. The makers wanted to cast Akshay Kumar for this film. According to a report in the Times of India, the director first wanted to take Akshay Kumar in his film ‘Race’. The role of Ranveer Singh in the film was also offered to him. But even after wishing, Akshay could not connect with this project and Saif’s character came.

The film was covered at the box office
Saif Ali Khan and Akshay Khanna’s film ‘Race’ was directed by the pair of Abbas-Mastan. As soon as it was released in theaters, the film was covered at the box office and proved to be a hit by earning many times more than the budget. After Aamir Khan’s ‘Ghajini’ in 2008, Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi’ and Akshay Kumar’s ‘Singh is King’, the mystery-thriller film ‘Race’ proved to be the fourth highest grossing film. Most of the shooting of this film was done in Durban and Dubai.

45 crore budget, earning 104 crores
According to the report by the trade website Caiknilk, Akshaye Khanna and Saif Ali Khan’s film ‘Race’ was built at a cost of Rs 45 crore. It had earned Rs 84.89 crore across the country. The total collection of the worldwide film was Rs 103.73 crore. This movie proved to be a hit at the box office.

The sequel has been made three times
The race was released in the year 2008. In this film, apart from Saif Ali Khan, Anil Kapoor, Akshaye Khanna, Katrina Kaif and Bipasha Basu were in the lead roles. In the second installment of the race, Deepika Padukone, John Abraham and Jacqueline Fernandes were seen in lead roles. Saif Ali Khan’s film was released in the year 2013. However, the entire cast had changed in Race Three. Salman Khan was in the lead role in this film. In the film, stars like Anil Kapoor, Daisy Shah, Bobby Deol, Saqib Salim were seen in the film. Salman Khan’s race was released in the year 2018.