Veteran filmmaker Paul Schrader recently opened up about Xtreme City, a project that was set to be Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s Hollywood debut alongside Leonardo DiCaprio.
Despite early enthusiasm, the ambitious collaboration, which had Martin Scorsese attached as producer, was ultimately shelved. Schrader revealed the reasons behind the film’s collapse during a conversation on the Pod Casty for Me podcast.
Schrader, known for his work on classics like Taxi Driver and Raging Bull, shared that initial meetings in Berlin, which included Scorsese, Khan, and DiCaprio, were promising. The film was to be co-written by Mushtaq Shiekh, with Khan portraying a gangster and DiCaprio playing an American police officer saved by the gangster in India. However, the project unraveled as Khan’s interest in the role began to wane.
According to Schrader, Shah Rukh’s hesitation stemmed from his reluctance to take on a role where he would play “second banana” to DiCaprio. “Shah Rukh is the boss. He hires directors… He has never really worked under the harness of an auteur, and that, I could see, was starting to grate on him,” Schrader explained.
As Khan’s commitment shifted from firm to provisional, DiCaprio’s involvement also became uncertain, ultimately leaving the project without solid backing. “Now you have two ‘provisional’ commitments, which means you have no commitment at all,” Schrader said.
The collapse of Xtreme City marked a missed opportunity for an iconic crossover. However, it also highlighted the cultural and creative differences that can challenge such ambitious ventures.
