By the early 2000s Shah Rukh Khan had firmly cemented his position as one of the biggest stars in the country and the undisputed king of Bollywood. Having consistently delivered the years biggest blockbusters the actor began exploring with few off-beat content-driven cinema. Between 2004-2010 he even backed several such projects like Swades and Billu and went extra miles by investing his own money to support them. In 2005 Shah Rukh Khan signed Anmol Palekars Paheli based on a Rajasthani folk tale. The film starred Rani Mukerji in lead alongside veteran actors like Naseeruddin Shah Ratna Pathak Shah with Amitabh Bachchan in special appearances. Made in a budget of Rs 14 crore most of the film was shot in Rajasthan but few scenes were filmed in Mumbai. In an interview designer Muneesh Sappel revealed that around 400 trucks of sand were bought to recreate the particular Thar Desert scene in the film. Shah Rukh Khan who bankrolled Paheli under his banner Red Chillies Entertainment reportedly spent Rs 2 crore solely on that elaborate set. Muneesh also revealed that the desert sequence featuring SRK and Amitabh Bachchan was actually shot on a helipad in Mumbai. Paheli received critical acclaim and was even selected as Indias Official entry to Oscars. However unfortunately it failed to make an impact at domestic box office earning just Rs 2 crore and being tagged as an average performer. Interestingly Shah Rukh Khans romantic thriller found greater success overseas where it became a hit and turned profitable for makers. According to reports several prominent actresses rejected the role of Lachchi in Paheli. These included Kajol Aishwarya Rai Tabu and Sushmita Sen. The reasons werent specified and the role then eventually went to Rani Mukerji.