I met Shah Rukh for the first time sometime in 1993. I was editor, g magazine at that time and scheduled to interview the promising newcomer for my magazine. When I arrived at the studio at the allotted time, he was not on the sets and not in his makeup room. I was wondering where to find him, when a studio assistant suggested that I follow the cigarette buds on the floor and locate the actor.
It worked, Shah Rukh Khan was on the studio terrace, blowing smoke rings in the air. Our first encounter was a disaster! I found him boastful and irreverent and he described me as imperious to his friends. The interview never happened. Years passed as Shah Rukh moved from the antihero (Darr and Anjaam) to the obsessed lover in Maya Memsaab. In 1995 Aditya Chopra’s Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge turned him into a youth icon followed by a series of super hits like Dil toh Pagal Hai, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. He was now a star to reckon with and moved into a sprawling bungalow Mannat, Bandstand.
We were still not on talking terms but our profession bumped us into common events, screening of Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani, shooting of Dil Se…We never spoke directly but when I watched him speak to others, he was super energetic, consumed gallons of Pepsi and only ate chicken for lunch and dinner. He still had a crazy sense of humor but now he was more guarded. He did not challenge people. Always intelligent in his interviews, he was realistic about his success and failures.