Memoirs of a Fellow Artist: When Shahrukh Khan used to sit at the tea stall and drink tea with his friends and then go to drop everyone...

(Late Mukesh Chandra was one of those filmmakers who wrote and directed more than 100 short films while being associated with the Film Division of the Government of India. He started his film career as a struggler in Delhi with Shahrukh Khan. Here is part of his memoir which he shared with me.)

"This is the time when Shahrukh Khan was going to face the camera for the first time…." Chandra has written in his memoirs. "People write about the beginning of SRK in today's digital world in their own way. Some say it started from here, some say it started from here and Shahrukh himself remains silent. I was with that team when for the first time Shahrukh had started the world of screen...

 "We both started from the same place, from the same guru and from the same serial - which was Doordarshan 'Dil Dariya'. Shahrukh started as an actor and I started as an assistant director. What happened was that there was a scheme of DD-National, it was about 87-88, under which programs were being given to film producers and directors. Director Lekh Tandon also got the serial 'Dil Dariya' under the same scheme. Lekh Tandon had made films like 'Amrapali', 'Jhook Gaya Aasman', 'Professor,' 'Ek Baar Kaho', 'And Agar Tum Na Hote' and was sitting idle at that time. Due to not being able to keep pace with the changing cinema, he was unemployed. The shooting of the serial 'Dil Dariya' was done in Chhatarpur Delhi. In those days, I was also in the mood for acting, used to do theater, and used to go wherever shooting was happening in Delhi to get an opportunity. We all had the same struggle. Shahrukh Khan was also in a similar period. By the time I went to Lekh ji, the casting was completed. The actors of this serial 'Dil Dariya' were - Arun Bali, Alka Amin, Virendra Saxena, Vineeta Malik, and Shahrukh Khan were also signed in it. I was sent away saying - 'Go, there is no role left now.' Then I didn't know what to suggest to Lekh ji, he asked "There is a place for an assistant, will you do it?" And I became the second assistant of this serial. The work was the same - do this, do that, call the artist and bring them, etc. Shahrukh was an actor. Shahrukh had only a small role in this serial of brotherhood story. That is, we all used to live the same way. Shooting was done in Chhatarpur, I used to come from Jamna Par (Lakshmi Nagar)...

I had a Priya scooter. In my free time, Shahrukh used to ride my scooter. Then we all became like friends. After the shooting or when we got a break, we all used to sit and drink tapri tea, which was slightly covered and empty. We used to go there. At that time we had no idea that that thin boy who was drinking tea with us would one day rule Bollywood! There were 13 episodes of 'Dil Dariya'. Shahrukh's specialty was that he used to remember the dialogues very quickly. I used to go to give the dialogues, once he looked at the paper and said - "I remember, should I go?"

Then another DD serial came to Lekh ji - 'Doosra Keval'. Producer was Rajneesh Sahni. The cast were Arun Bali, Vineeta Malik, Natasha Rana, and Shahrukh. Shahrukh was also in it, I was also there. The technical team was also the same. Same enjoyment. Work with fun. Shahrukh used to come in a white colored van. The shooting continued till late at night. He used to make everyone sit in his van, then drop everyone where they wanted to get down, and then go to his home. Today I think that it was this nature that made Shahrukh 'Shahrukh'. Many times he used to drop me off at my home which is Jamna Paar. Later Shahrukh got another serial 'Fauji'. The director was Rajkumar Kapoor. When Shahrukh got this serial, we all celebrated. However, I could not stay with this team. I came to Mumbai for a job. It doesn't matter which serial was telecast first and which later. It is a matter of passion, which we saw in Shahrukh from the beginning. After coming to Mumbai, I joined the film division and started working. While working, I used to read the news of Shahrukh - after coming to Mumbai, he did another serial - 'Circus' (Aziz Mirza's), then the news of Shahrukh's films started coming - 'Dil Aashna Hai' (Hema Malini's), 'Raju Ban gya Gentleman', 'Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani', 'Darr'...the caravan of films kept increasing. And, time moved quickly taking Shahrukh with him in the gusts of stardom.

"I was making a program for Doordarshan 'Sunhere Pal' which was film-based and ran on DD for a long time. I thought of bringing Shahrukh to the show. The work was going on in Babbu Mehra's studio. Babbu said Shahrukh has started doing big films, so he will never do so. I reached Shahrukh's house on Carter Road at 11 o'clock in the night. At that time he lived on the first floor of a flat, not in today's bungalow 'Mannat'. Shahrukh met me very warmly. Although I woke him up while he was sleeping, he said, 'Do it anytime. Where to do it, when to do it?' It is rare to see such intimacy that he showed. His shooting of 'Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naan' was going on in Mehboob Studio. I went there. He said - do it here, let's do it after this shoot. I had no money to book a studio. I called Babbu Mehra's post-production studio (Khar West), and Shahrukh came and did the shooting. Didn't take even a single penny. In fact, he even sent me CDs of songs from his films later. A man came and said - Shahrukh Bhai has sent it for you. 'Woh Kaali Kaali Aankhen Woh Gore Gore Gaal', 'Koi Na Koi Chahiye Pyar Karne Wala'... we had included all these songs in 'Sunhere Pal'. 'K...K…Kiran's dialogues too!

"In a word, tact plays a big role in the making of a star like Shahrukh Khan (later he started writing Shahrukh Khan). Talent is there, which many have. But, Shahrukh Khan is not the one who can be made.”

- Sharad Rai