Picture this: the set is almost empty, the lightmen are napping, the crew is still on lunch break, and there’s Shah Rukh Khan, already back from lunch, mopping the floor.
Image Source: Facebook
If you think the charm of Shah Rukh Khan only works on camera, wait till you hear this story from filmmaker Faruk Kabir. Today, Kabir is popular for creating gritty spy dramas like ‘Salakkar’ and the ‘Khuda Haafiz’ franchise. But rewind to the year 2000, and he was just a young assistant director on Aziz Mirza’s ‘Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani’, starring Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla.
In a chat with ‘The Lallantop’, Kabir opened up about what it was like watching Shah Rukh work up close. And the stories he shared remind us why SRK is still called the King.
Advertisement
Kabir began by saying that working with Khan can make anyone feel guilty. Why? Because the superstar simply never stops working.
Advertisement
“Whoever works with Shah Rukh is first embarrassed by how less he works because Shah Rukh works too hard,” Kabir recalled. According to him, once SRK is on set, he’s all in. He doesn’t zone out, doesn’t disappear, and certainly doesn’t act like a diva. Keeps an eye on everything, even the background actors, and if someone messes up, he politely corrects them instead of throwing a tantrum. “He does all of this with a lot of love,” Kabir added.
But the real gem of the interview was Kabir’s memory of the iconic song ‘I Am The Best’ from ‘Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani’. Most people only remember the flashy moves on screen, but behind the scenes, Shah Rukh was sweating it out.
There was a shot where he had to slide on his knees, but the floor wasn’t smooth enough. Instead of waiting around or complaining, Khan quietly went off, borrowed a mop and bucket from the production team, stubbed out his cigarette, and began cleaning the floor himself.
Picture this: the set is almost empty, the lightmen are napping, the crew is still on lunch break, and there’s Shah Rukh Khan, already back from lunch, mopping the floor so he can rehearse his shot.
Kabir, stunned but inspired, quickly grabbed another mop and joined him. The two of them mopped side by side, making the floor rehearsal-ready.
By the time the rest of the crew returned, Khan was done prepping and ready to roll.
Advertisement
