Mumbai, Nov 2 (PTI) A long wait that began at midnight for Shah Rukh’s many fans and stretched through the entire day finally ended as darkness fell. Just as some were giving up hope appeared the star in the balcony of his home Mannat — in keeping with the tradition of meeting fans on his birthday.
Shah Rukh turned 61 on Monday.
Much to the delight of his fans who had gathered outside the heritage home, scaffolded for a major renovation, Shah Rukh kept his birthday date. Dressed in white T shirt and jeans, he showed up at the specially constructed platform, waved, bowed and stretched his arms wide in his signature pose amid whistles and loud cheers.
The surprise appearance came at the end of a long day.
A song drop at midnight ahead of the release
of “King” and a handwritten note of gratitude for fans lit up in neon on the walls of his home Mannat was what was on offer. The usual celebratory buzz was missing.
SRK usually greets fans on his birthday to ring in his birthday just after midnight. Not this year though.
Not that the fans were deterred. Hoping against hope to still catch sight of SRK, some had still gathered outside the bungalow in Bandra. A few were spotted holding up posters of his next release “King”. The star has been living away from his sea-facing home as it goes through a renovation and was nowhere to be seen.
Till this evening.
A security scare has also cast its shadow over Bollywood. After the recent incident of shooters firing at actor Tiger Shroff, security around actors has been beefed up and their teams have become extra cautious. Amitabh Bachchan appeared for his routine Sunday darshan outside his home, virtually encased in bulletproof glass.
Security was tightened in and around Mannat too. Barricades were put up around 500 metres from the bungalow, with police personnel checking commuters in the area.
For those who made the trek to Mannat, there was this handwritten note projected across the famous building: “Thank you all for your wishes and love. Sending mine right back to you all. Lots of love and a big hug.” A massive poster of his upcoming film “King”, which releases on December 24, was also on display.
For the rest, it was all speculation as some people wondered where he was.
There were reports that Shah Rukh celebrated his birthday with family members and close friends at a five-star hotel near his home on Sunday night. And some even said he could be in London. But no one could be quite sure.
In the truest traditions of fandom, fan clubs SRK Universe and Team Shah Rukh Khan went ahead and celebrated anyway. The programme included watching “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge” at Maratha Mandir, donating stationery and groceries at an orphanage and organising free health check-ups for the poor.
According to Yash Paryani, co-founder of the massive SRK Universe which has 591.9K followers on X, “Despite not having a fan meet with SRK sir, over 5,000 fans have come to Mumbai to celebrate this special day with us.”
He said a cake with the inscription ‘Qatil Nahi, Aashqui Hoon’ from “King” was cut, crowns were distributed and there was a party in Juhu.
As fans shared nostalgia, memories, songs and clips from the actor’s filmography, many in the industry wished the superstar.
“Picture purani hai aur dost bhi… Happy Birthday Shah Rukh,” Ajay Devgan shared on his Instagram alongside a picture with the actor when they were young.
Wishing the superstar on his birthday, Kareena wrote, “Happy Birthday King. The forever Ruler of the kingdom. Let’s dance together… Can’t wait. 24-12-26.”
“Happy Birthday, Shahrukh! Years of laughter, countless memories and you haven’t lost an ounce of that charm or madness and clearly neither of us is counting the years. Here’s to many more. Jaldi milte hai, Lots of love always! @iamsrk,” Anil Kapoor wrote on X.
“Happy Birthday Sha Bhai @iamsrk – you are and forever will be the King of all our hearts….Have a tremendous day filled with laughter and love- KING has blockbuster written all over it- can’t wait for the magic to storm the theatres on 24th Dec. I love you,” shared Ritesh Deshmukh.
Shah Rukh will next appear in “King”, directed by Siddharth Anand, who previously collaborated with the actor on “Pathaan” in 2023.
The film also features the actor’s daughter,.
The makers of “King”, which is directed by Siddharth Anand and also features Shah Rukh’s daughter Suhana along with Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachchan, Rani Mukerji and Arshad Warsi, released the first song.
“Tu Mil Jaaye”, a romantic track, is picturised on Shah Rukh and Padukone, and is composed by Sachin-Jigar, and features vocals by Arijit Singh and Madhubanti Bagchi, along with an English rap by Ed Sheeran. PTI KKP
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