Saare Jahaan Se Achcha is based on the life of Rakesh Sharma, the first and the only Indian citizen to travel in space till date, when he flew aboard the Soviet rocket Soyuz T-11 in 1984. He created history when the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi asked him how India looked from outer space and he famously replied, “Saare Jahaan Se Achcha”. The film will be directed by reputed ad filmmaker Mahesh Mathai, who has also directed the 1999 acclaimed film Bhopal Express. Saare Jahaan Se Achcha team were fully prepped and ready to go on floors immediately and Salman Khan who was the original choice declined to do this film.
When asked the reason, a source reportedly explained, “This was also the time when Salman Khan’s production house was putting together Guns Of North. He got interested in the role of the Sikh cop in the script. It’s a prominent character and the way it was written interested Salman. Guns Of North, too, was to go on floors at the same time and he had to choose between this film and Saare Jahaan Se Achcha. He chose Guns Of North as it’s an action-packed role which even his fans would lap it up. Also, Salman is aware that a few years later, he might not be able to do such roles. Hence, he chose to act in Aayush Sharma’s next.”
