Iss baar ka pyaar---thoda door se yaar”—appeals B’day Boy superstar Shah Rukh Khan

Chaitanya Padukone

As debonair, dimpled mega-star Shah Rukh Khan turns 55 today ( 2nd November 2020) he has requested fans ‘not’ to gather outside his Bandra Bandstand iconic bungalow ‘Mannat’ in Mumbai. In now what has become an annual ritual, thousands of frenzied fans of the actor would assemble outside his landmark bungalow to catch a jhalak-dikhlaja of idolised SRK . As was his traditional custom he would come out and wave at them from a specially elevated metallic platform built inside his Mannat premises .

This year fans-friendly SRK urged on social-media “Please I recommend nobody should collect in crowds. My birthday or wherever ! Iss baar ka pyaar.....thodha door se yaar,” asking fans to express their love for him from a safe distance. Shah Rukh Khan’s fan club will be holding a virtual birthday bash for the star.. according to the SRK fan club, instead of physically being present at Mannat, fans of SRK can watch a live streaming from Mannat and join Shah Rukh’s virtual birthday festivities virtually from across the globe. Shah Rukh Khan’s fan club has also planned a few charitable activities to ring in his 55th birthday.

This exclusive frothy interview (below) was given to me by superstar Shah Rukh Khan on his 50th Birthday ( exactly five years ago) at Hotel Taj- Land’s End Bandra

Versatile superstar Shah Rukh Khan who was born in a middle class family seemed destined to reign supreme in whatever vocation he chose. That’s because his name Shah Rukh itself means ‘face of an Emperor’. The charismatic ‘SRK’s frenzied fan-following across the globe has to be seen to be believed. With a humble beginning in television in serials like ‘Fauji’ and ‘Circus’, the talented ambitious actor managed to attain the zenith of cinematic glory with dozens of award-winning super-hit musical movies.

With this he exploded the traditional myth, that TV stars can never achieve success on the ‘big screen’. Known for his outspoken candour, the suave, debonair Khan has often courted ‘controversy’. Despite being one of the richest actors across the globe, the exuberant billionaire ‘birthday-boy’ was ‘modestly’ clad in a simple white Tee-Shirt, a dark scarf around his neck and a pair of jeans as he chatted freely. Excerpts from the exclusive brief ‘Khan-versation’ with senior film journalist Chaitanya Padukone

Did your endearing kids give you any surprise B’day gifts ?

No, they did not bring any gifts for me and I for one was not surprised. They feel that when our Dad has got ‘everything’, all we need to give him is a warm tight hug and a cheeky smooch.

Any ‘khaas mannat’ or resolutions on your 50th B’day ?

All I want, that I should continue to ‘smile’ as usual and make my audiences smile and keep all my huge SRK fan-clubs delighted until I turn 75. If you expect me to quit any of bad habits ( read ‘smoking’) then don’t expect that. After completing half-a-century, I guess I should get that freedom to indulge in what keeps me rocking. Work-wise I will try to accept only those quality lead roles which strike an emotional chord with me.

Does the ‘puray pachhaas saal’ tag make you more apprehensive ?

Honestly, I don’t have any special attachment to a number, whether it’s an age or box-office figures. For me, my birthdays have been very much the same and there is not much difference this year. Work goes on as usual. In fact, my buddy-director Farah Khan scared me that when I get up in the morning I will realize what turning 50 means.

But I have not felt any kind of mental or physical changes. Overall, my journey till now, has been wonderful and I have no regrets. Despite some of the extreme odds and downs I would certainly not choose an alternate life even if I got a chance. Although I have put in over 25 years in showbiz, still it feels I have just started 25 days ago and I am ready to be pushed all over again into complex roles.

What the SRK ‘secret’ of stylized screen-romance which leaves Indian girls and even foreigner female fans swooning, although they don’t understand a word of Hindi songs ?

Romance for me, means ‘dignifying’ a woman. Love is a universal language with an emotional connect that transcends all barriers. My fans insist that my eyes ‘speak’ when there is no dialogue. Basically I am chivalrous and genuinely respect all females. Interestingly, when I was in the eleventh class, I was shy and hesitant to speak to charming girls at parties, lest they snub me and break my heart.