Before he became Bollywood’s biggest superstar, Shah Rukh Khan was just a young man in Mumbai trying to find his footing, and his close friend Viveck Vaswani was there to witness it all. In a recent chat with Radio Nasha, Viveck revisited those early days, offering a rare glimpse into Shah Rukh’s personal struggles, his bond with Gauri Khan, and how his journey into films began almost by chance.
Viveck recalls Shah Rukh’s early days
Viveck recalled how Shah Rukh arrived in Mumbai with little money and stayed at his home for months. “He was at my place and didn’t like vegetarian food, so we went out to eat non-veg. For the first 20 minutes, he just ate silently. He hadn’t eaten properly in nearly two days. After finishing, he looked at me and said, ‘Do you know, Vivek? My mother is dying.’ That night, he opened up like never before about his mother’s illness, his sister, and Gauri.”
He went on to describe how Shah Rukh stayed with him until just before Christmas, when they attended a party at La Pepe, a building that housed stars like Jackie Shroff and Zeenat Aman.
Soon after, Shah Rukh’s mother’s health deteriorated, and Viveck even borrowed money from his father to buy medicines and send them to Delhi. It was during this period that producer Vikram Malhotra approached Shah Rukh with a film offer. However, at that time, Shah Rukh was hesitant about making movies. Viveck revealed, “He told me Gauri wouldn’t like him hugging other actresses. He was happy doing television, so I didn’t push him.”
Despite his initial reluctance, Shah Rukh eventually agreed to a short film shoot in Shimla, where he met director Ketan Mehta and worked on Maya Memsaab.
A few days after Shah Rukh’s mother’s death, Viveck received an early-morning surprise. Shah Rukh was standing there with huge bags. He didn’t come in, but just asked if they could do a film together. Viveck informed that Shah Rukh wanted to become a film actor because his mother had dreamed of him becoming a superstar.
Shah Rukh’s latest project
The actor will soon be seen in King, whose first look was revealed on his 60th birthday. The film also stars his daughter, Suhana Khan, along with Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachchan, Arshad Warsi, and Anil Kapoor. The film is set to release in 2026.
