On June 24, 2005, one of Shah Rukh Khan’s most underrated movies was released in theatres. Paheli, directed by Amol Palekar, marked the first time Shah Rukh Khan acted in a folklore fantasy film, with the film produced under his banner, Red Chillies Entertainment. The movie starred Rani Mukerji as the female lead, alongside Anupam Kher, Dilip Prabhavalkar, Neena Kulkarni, AK Hangal, and Rajpal Yadav in supporting roles. Amitabh Bachchan and Suniel Shetty made cameo appearances. Hey Thanos and Iron Man! Shah Rukh Khan Did the ‘Snap and Dust’ Move Way Before the Avengers Movies and This Viral Clip Is Proof! (Watch Video).

Paheli is set in a timeless Rajasthan, where a young woman is married into a wealthy merchant family obsessed with money. On her journey to her in-laws’ home, she catches the eye of a ghost who instantly falls in love with her. Before the marriage is consummated, her husband departs for trade dealings, leaving her lonely and disheartened. The ghost assumes her husband’s appearance, approaches her, confesses the truth - and they fall in love. They live as husband and wife in the eyes of the world, with the ghost also helping to resolve family problems.

Trouble begins when the real husband returns, the woman is pregnant, and the family is left confused, unable to distinguish the real man from the doppelgänger. Paheli is streaming on Netflix.

As Paheli turns 20 on June 24, 2025, here are 20 fascinating facts about the film you may not know.

Trivia About 'Paheli'

1. Is Paheli a remake? Yes, in a way. It's based on the Rajasthani short story Duvidha by Vijaydan Detha, which was first adapted into a Hindi film in 1973 by Mani Kaul, starring Raisa Padamsee and Malayalam actor Ravi Menon. Girish Karnad also adapted the story into a play, which was later turned into the 1997 Kannada film Nagamandala by TS Nagabharana.

Duvidha

2. Mani Kaul, a pioneer of parallel cinema in India, had also directed Shah Rukh Khan in the 1992 Doordarshan miniseries Idiot, based on Dostoevsky’s novel. SRK played a negative role in the four-part telefilm, which you can watch free on YouTube.

Shah Rukh Khan in Idiot

3. The role of Lachchi could have gone to someone else. Before Rani Mukerji was finalised, Kajol, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Tabu, and Sushmita Sen were also considered.

4. The film's working title was Ghost Ka Dost.

5. Before appearing in a special appearance in Amol Palekar's directorial, Amitabh Bachchan had cameoed in Chhoti Si Baat and Gol Maal, both of which starred Amol Palekar in the lead. In return, Palekar appeared in Aks (produced by and starring Bachchan).

6. Amol Palekar originally envisioned Paheli as a small film with Soha Ali Khan and Jisshu Sengupta in the lead roles. But writer Sandhya Gokhale (also Palekar’s wife) felt SRK was perfect. When Palekar narrated the script to Khan, he loved it so much that he offered to produce it.

7. Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak Shah voiced the puppets.

8. Only film to feature Suniel Shetty and Juhi Chawla as a couple. They were cast as leads in several shelved films like Kashmakash, Ram Aur Shyam, and a few untitled projects. They also cameoed in Om Shanti Om’s "Deewangi Deewangi" song, also starring Shah Rukh Khan in the lead.

9. Also the only movie featuring Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla, where they were not involved romantically as leads, after having done films like Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman, Darr, Ram Jaane, Yes Boss, One 2 Ka Four, and Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani. Three years after Paheli, the two were paired again as a married couple in Bhoothnath, where in a role reversal, Amitabh Bachchan played the ghost this time, and Shah Rukh Khan had an extended cameo.

A Still From Bhootnath

10. Paheli premiered at the 9th Zimbabwe International Film Festival in Harare and was also screened at the Sundance and Palm Springs International Film Festivals.

11. It was India’s official entry to the 79th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film, although it didn’t make the final shortlist.

12. Oscar-winning composer MM Keeravani (credited as MM Kreem) scored the film’s music, with songs like "Dheere Jalna", "Khaali Hai", "Kangna Re", and "Laaga Re Jal Laaga" still enchanting listeners. Shreya Ghoshal won the National Award for Best Female Playback Singer for "Dheere Jalna".

13. "Dheere Jalna" was a re-tuned melody. Keeravani adapted the tune from his Telugu song "Nadira Dhinna" from Okariki Okaru.

14. Amitabh Bachchan did the cameo for free. In an interview, Bachchan said Shah Rukh gave him a bouquet and a blank cheque as a parting gift - but forgot to sign it! Bachchan returned it, saying, "He gave me an envelope and flowers after the shoot and I thought it contained a thank you note. On reaching home, I found the cheque. I did the cameo role for emotional reasons, and emotions cannot be evaluated so I returned it back to him. I also noticed that it wasn’t signed and brought it to his notice."

15. Although most of the movie was shot on location, the climax - featuring Bachchan’s cameo - was filmed on a Mumbai helipad with 400 trucks of sand brought in to recreate a desert. Production designer Muneesh Sappel revealed that the scene cost around INR 2 crore.

A Still From Paheli

16. Paheli underperformed domestically but did well in overseas markets, making it a profitable venture.

17. Aasif Sheikh, known for his roles in TV shows like Yes Boss and Bhabi Ji Ghar Par Hai!, made a cameo as the ghost's first human appearance. This makes us wonder if that's how the ghost may have originally looked when he was alive. Aasif Sheikh also starred in other SRK movies like Zamaana Deewana, Karan Arjun, and Army.

18. One of SRK’s seven dual-role films. Shah Rukh Khan played double (or triple) roles in English Babu Desi Mem, Duplicate, Don, Ra.One, Fan, Jawan, and Paheli - not counting reincarnation-themed films like Karan Arjun and Om Shanti Om. Except for Jawan and Ra.One (to some extent), most underperformed. Jawan: Before Atlee's Film, 8 Movies Where Shah Rukh Khan Played Double Roles and How They Fared at the Box Office.

19. The stepwell where the ghost first sees Lachchi’s reflection is Hadi Rani ki Baori, located in Madikya Colony, Todaraisingh city, about 30 km from Tonk, Rajasthan.

20. Paheli was the only movie where veteran actor AK Hangal starred in a Shah Rukh Khan film. He did only three more movies after that before passing away in August 26, 2012.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 24, 2025 04:28 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).