'He's been doing something we don't talk about much, working with acid attack survivors.'
'He supports them not just emotionally, but also financially.'
'His Mir Foundation helps them with the surgeries they have to go through to step out again and get back their lives.'
'He doesn't talk about it and I only learnt about this when we were in Kolkata once and some of the girls had come to meet him at the hotel.'
Juhi Chawla goes back in time to recap her strong bond with Shah Rukh Khan, who turned 60 on November 2, in a special Rediff series dedicated to the superstar.
"Shah Rukh is not just a wonderful actor and a superstar, he is also a kind, compassionate and considerate man," Juhi tells Rediff Senior Contributor Roshmila Bhattacharya.
How did you come to become co-owners of an IPL franchise?
It all started with Adi's (producer-director Aditya Chopra) cricket matches.
All his friends would turn up, including Shah Rukh and Jai (Mehta, Juhi Chawla's husband), who were much younger then.
IPL happened much later, quite by chance.
The annual Indian premier cricket league was structured in a way that they needed owners who were glamorous and with a big fan following which is how Shah Rukh, Jai and I came to be approached.
His company, Red Chillies Entertainment, in partnership with us, bought the Kolkata Knight Riders at the auction and we won the first match of the inaugural season in 2008 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru with a huge margin.
Yet, the first three years were a struggle; our team was often beaten on the field and languishing towards the bottom of the table.
It was heartbreaking for Shah Rukh and me and our huge fan following.
The wave turned for KKR in 2012...
Yes, after making the playoffs in 2011, we beat the defending, two-time champions, Chennai Super Kings to lift the trophy in 2012 and in 2014, defeated Kings XI Punjab and were champions again.
We had to wait a decade to complete a hat-trick, winning the third trophy in 2024 by convincingly beating Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Each victory was special and we would be dancing like crazy in the stadium.
Before being crowned 'King of Romance' Shah Rukh had made a name as an anti-hero with films like Baazigar, Darr and Anjaam and has continued playing characters with shades of grey. From Darr to Fan, how much has he evolved as an actor?
He was very good in Darr and Fan though personally, I like to see him in sweet romantic comedies.
But he likes doing other things on screen too and enjoys action.
His recent films, Pathaan and Jawan, are very different from what he did earlier and he has done complete justice to the characters.
It's not surprising because when Shah Rukh is on a set, he gives not just 100 per cent, but 200 per cent in every way.
The double role in Jawan won him the National Award for Best Actor this year.
Yes, we congratulated him and were thrilled for him though I think he should have won the award much earlier.
He's done so many wonderful films, like Swades and Chak De! India.
I saw Chak De! India recently on TV when in London. It is a really wonderful film and he's performed so well.
I also liked him in Veer-Zaara and more recently, Dunki.
Raju Hirani's film presented the issue of illegal immigration really well and Shah Rukh himself was really nice in it.
Is there a film the two of you wanted to make together, but it didn't happen?
(Laughs) No, but there was one film which I was offered, Dil To Pagal Hai, and today, I wonder why I didn't do it.
When will we see the two of you together on screen again?
I have no idea, but it would be a pleasure working in a film with Shah Rukh again.
(Laughs) Earlier, his unpunctuality would exasperate me. But the last few times, he has been on time and I was late because I was expecting him to be two-three hours late.
You have been campaigning for the environment and sustainability for a while now. Is there a cause or initiative Shah Rukh has been quietly supporting all these years?
He's been doing something we don't talk about much, working with acid attack survivors.
He supports them not just emotionally, but also financially. His Mir Foundation helps them with the surgeries they have to go through to step out again and get back their lives.
He doesn't talk about it and even I only learnt about this when we were in Kolkata once and some of the girls had come to meet him at the hotel.
As usual, he was running late. I went down to meet them and realised how devastating it must have been for them to see their whole life destroyed in a moment.
How many of us remember these survivors?
Shah Rukh is not just a wonderful actor and a superstar, he is also a kind, compassionate and considerate man.
Photographs curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff
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