My Romance with Shahrukh

His characters might have leaned towards the grey but they sure had the innocence, the goodness and the confidence to obtain love.

Circus! The boy-next-door! Messy brown hair, the dimple and the eyes! A boy I fell for. A TV actor who was a tad different.

Then Deewana happened. I was surprised. He had come to the big screen. Then Raju came and stole my heart. Malaria or loveria whatever you want to name it...the silly acts of romance to woo the girl is all, I, a kid needed. Those were the days when we just had the National Television. Durga Puja was the only time of the year, Baba used to allow us to watch Bollywood movies by renting video cassettes from the local parlour. So my romance grew slowly and drove a steady path through the next few movies.

Bam! Baazigar! Who can think that you can fall for the con guy? A hero, a villain, the protagonist? Who was he? The ambiguity was more alluring than the acute need to put him into a defined box. Then rolled out one movie after another and the typically- not-so-good-looking boy started to show what romance is. His energy, his passion was infectious. Can hardly say how much I delved into the shades of love that reflected in his smile and his eyes! The ’90s went good. A decade of romance. He played all types of lovers and mostly won over girls who were promised to someone else! In 1995 Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge was released and what followed is history. Shahrukh became the reigning king of every girl’s heart. He advocated determination and devotion as the only means to secure one’s love, no matter what the obstacles are. His characters might have leaned towards the grey but they sure had the innocence, the goodness and the confidence to obtain love. I was charmed. In Pardes, he fell for his bestie's fiancee. Organically, by initially supporting her till the deepest bond was forged. But that’s not how the bro-pact works. In fact, it should not work that way but who cares! All in the name of love.

Things were going fine with my love for him. Till Kal Ho Na Ho...yes, also Om Shanti Om and again Ra One and Happy New Year happened. I did watch Happy New Year though… at the theatre. And I did survive and even gave as-favourable-as-possible feedback to friends. "It’s okay, a one-time watch maybe.” You see, my love is unswerving. It has a strong foundation. I cherished him in Baadshah, Koyla and Phir Bhi Dil Hain Hindustani too. Remember them?

Nowadays, he is more a businessman than an actor. Seldom do we get to see him on the big screen. With movies like Swades and Chak De India, I was once again surviving pretty well. He gave me enough oxygen, believe me. Though Dear Zindagi was predominantly Alia Bhatt's movie, but if I had a therapist like Jehangir Khan...I mean, I will keep the apple away. But then you know he cheated on me? When? The day I watched Harry met Sejal. I was a little disturbed by the name itself when the movie's poster was shared. And then, after a long wait, I watched it as soon as it was released. I was heartbroken. When Imtiaz Ali and Shahrukh Khan come together and fail to create something magically romantic, when they can't make me cry or blush, it's really catastrophic. I just showed my loyalty by not walking off midway. It's difficult to find a ring if it is lost in my bedroom… and they were scavenging through the whole city! And where was the romance! It was so forced upon that as if they had to fall in love. I had never dealt with such a bad heartache ever before. Much later, another friend of mine, who is also his fan, asked me to go along with her and watch it for the second time. This time I will find some romance, she assured. I have faith in her but yet not could take the dare that day. Some other day, perhaps.

The lover sits and waits to get a glimpse of her man. Years pass by and a movie like Zero drops. The fight between the heart and the head gets severe. Should I watch it? Should people pay to watch it? Doesn’t that mean he gets to make more of such movies? I revolted and decided to stop paying for the tickets. It's a vicious cycle, after all.

Nonetheless, I have faith in my love and I know he will make better choices. Having said that, one fact scares me. A person thinks of changing his path, only when he hits rock-bottom. If not, why would he take the pain to change? Gauging the stature and hold he has in the industry even right now, that rock is sitting way bottom at the Pacific Ocean. I really don't think a change will come very soon.

So right now, I am just happy watching his witty interviews and feeling awestruck by his intelligence.

By: Quotidian Tales

Disclaimer:
This article and the opinions expressed in it are personal opinions. It is not meant for imposing specific views or endorsing a particular way of life. Also please do ignore any errors or omissions that you might come across. We pledge to learn from them. Happy viewing.