By Nikita Bishay

New Delhi [India], October 31 (ANI): Back in the day, when actor-producer Viveck Vaswani first met Shah Rukh Khan, he didn't see a superstar but just an ambitious young man from Delhi who had arrived in the 'City of Dreams'.

In a conversation with ANI, Vaswani revealed that Shah Rukh had no plans to join the film industry, as he felt content with television. It was only after his mother's demise that he started living her dream of becoming a film star.

At that point, nobody would have imagined that the particular moment would quietly mark the beginning of one of Hindi cinema's greatest success stories and also a friendship that shaped the earliest chapters of SRK's cinematic journey. As the Bollywood superstar is set to turn 60 on November 2, Viveck Vaswani took a stroll down memory lane, revisiting all the raw, uncertain years when the film industry was still a new terrain for the young actor.

'After his mother died, he went back to Delhi and completed her final rites. Deep inside, he was completely shattered, but he never showed it on the outside. His mother was his whole life. When he came back from Delhi after her funeral, he said, 'Now I want to do films. It was my mother's dream'', Vaswani said.

During the actor's early years in Mumbai, Vaswani turned up to become SRK's emotional anchor. 'His mother had passed away, his sister was in Bangalore, and he was all alone in Bombay. I would say I was like a support system. There was nobody else,' he shared.

'When he was low, we'd see a movie, listen to music, talk, or go for a walk on Marine Drive. My mother would take care of him,' Vaswani said.

That's when Vaswani, one of the actor's first friends in Mumbai and a 'mentor', decided to support him in fulfilling his mother's dream. He was the producer of 'Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman', the film that was meant to formally introduce Shah Rukh Khan to the big screen.

But as Vaswani points out, 'You cannot launch people just by putting them in a film. You have to launch them with a strategy that was to make him sign other films. Not the roles being important, but the fact that those were sold. So that Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman would immediately become saleable.'

https://x.com/iamsrk/status/1853747169658081369

Even though Shah Rukh Khan carved his own path toward stardom over the decades, he was very certain of his destiny from the beginning. 'The first time I met him, he said, 'I'm a superstar. I said okay, and he made it true,' Viveck Vaswani recalled.

He also spoke about how a very young SRK was full of energy, enthusiasm, and determination.

'Determination always comes from inner passion. It's very difficult to live in somebody's house for so long. He needed his own life. He needed his own house. He needed to marry Gauri and settle down. These things were the focus points,' the producer-actor added.

Vaswani revealed how a young Shah Rukh Khan remained strictly disciplined with his work, which included watching films in single-screen theatres, learning the film business, meeting producers, and working throughout the day.

During the conversation, Viveck Vaswani also shared endearing details about Gauri Khan's constant support, something which has not changed over the years.

Recalling that he met Gauri Khan in Delhi, Vaswani said, 'She was very supportive. She would come to the hospital and would look after Shah Rukh's mother.'

He vividly remembered the old days when Shah Rukh and Gauri had just tied the knot during the shooting of 'Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman', and how their honeymoon fittingly played out with the filming of the song 'Dil Hai Mela Deewana' in Darjeeling.

Viveck Vaswani, who has had an elaborate experience working with Shah Rukh Khan, both on and off the camera, recalled how the actor shared a friendly equation with his co-stars and the entire team. 'He was always very charming. He would always put his co-stars at ease. Shah Rukh would come with his lines prepared as he was very professional with his work,' Vaswani shared.

And more than three decades later, looking at the man who once stayed at his house, now running a film studio, owning a cricket team, and inspiring millions, Vaswani stated that even though they don't see each other as often anymore, whenever they speak, it's like the years have disappeared.

Vaswani also remembered receiving a call from the actor during his cancer journey. 'We've both been fighters. And we've both fought and we've both won,' he shared.

When Shah Rukh received the National Award this year, Vaswani's joy was mixed with nostalgia. 'He told me, 'After 33 years, Raju finally became a gentleman.' That was nice. The award was long overdue, but Shah Rukh is beyond all this. He's an energy,' he warmly said.

https://x.com/iamsrk/status/1952017710604308928

Vaswani still sees the same spark in his old friend as he continued, 'At heart, he is still the same. But there have been changes, actually a lot of growth.'

As Shah Rukh Khan is set to turn 60 in a few days, Viveck Vaswani, a film producer and the Dean of the School of Contemporary Media at Pearl Academy, reflects on SRK's formative years with both pride and affection.

For him, the actor's journey stands as a testament to what relentless ambition, humility, and gratitude can accomplish. (ANI)