Shah Rukh Khan always had an ‘akelapan', Jackie Shroff recalls working with SRK in Devdas: ‘It's lonely at the top'
Actors Shah Rukh Khan and Jackie Shroff have shared the screen multiple times over the decades, building an evident camaraderie. Their association dates back to Shah Rukh's early days in the industry. In only his second year in films, Khan starred alongside Shroff, already an established name at the time, in King Uncle. The duo went on to collaborate in films like Trimurti, One 2 Ka Four, and more notably, Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Devdas.
In a recent interview with journalist Vickey Lalwani, Jackie Shroff opened up about working with Shah Rukh during those formative years, particularly during King Uncle. 'Akelapan. Har actor ko ek lonely feel hona chahiye, mere ko bola tha ye kisi ne. So I saw him sitting out there, on his own. He was playing my younger brother. And he was respectful, focused on his work, he was charismatic, he was charming. But aloof. Like I was aloof, he also aloof. I liked those vibes (Loneliness. Every actor should experience a sense of loneliness, someone once told me that. I saw him sitting there alone. He was playing my younger brother. He was respectful, focused, charismatic, but aloof. Just like I was aloof, he was too. I liked that vibe).'
Jackie also reminisced about their time together on the sets of Devdas, by which point Shah Rukh had already become one of the biggest superstars in the country. Yet, Jackie says little had changed about his co-star's core personality. 'Devdas se pehle bhi humne kayi films ki. One 2 Ka Four kiya aur ek-do films aur. Par Devdas mein normal tha. Mere liye toh mera bhai tha, chhota bhai jo maine dekha. Wohi ladka jo maine dekha tha ki akele kone mein baitha hai. Role bhi waisa tha Devdas ka, aur main jaisa hoon waisa hi tha uske saath (We had done several films before Devdas, One 2 Ka Four and a couple of others. But on Devdas, he was the same. For me, he was still my younger brother. The same boy I had once seen sitting quietly in a corner. Even the role of Devdas suited that vibe. And I was the same with him as I always had been).'
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He fondly recalled playing the iconic character Chunni Babu in Devdas, saying he enjoyed working with Shah Rukh immensely. Speaking philosophically, Jackie shared his thoughts on loneliness at the top, a sentiment he feels Khan embodies well. 'I think if you go to the top of the Everest, you will just have your shadow. Otherwise, it's lonely up there.' Interestingly, this isn't the first time Jackie has spoken in such heartfelt terms about Shah Rukh. During promotions for Happy New Year, a film that again brought them together, he had said something similar:
'He is a guy about whom I always tell people. I tell Tiger (son), look at him, in King Uncle he was playing my younger brother, he was the lead. But jis hisaab se baba ne apni zindagi ko pakda aur aaj ek raja hai… ek king hai… seekho isse… isse har baar seekhna chahiye. Bohot acha ladka hai… bohot deep hai… jitna khush rehta hai, jitna dikhata hai, utna hi akela hai. Raja hai na… toh aap pahad ke upar jaake dekho… bottom se aaya hai aur aaj choti ko pakad ke rakha hai… aur apne aap ko badshah ki tarah rakha hai (But the way he's held on to his life, today he's a king. Learn from him, you should always learn from him. He's a great guy… very deep. As happy as he looks, he's equally lonely. He's a king after all. Go to the top of a mountain, you'll see, he came from the bottom and today, he's holding the peak, and he's carried himself like a true king).'
Sources close to the project suggest that Jackie Shroff may reunite with Shah Rukh Khan in the highly anticipated upcoming film King, directed by Siddharth Anand.
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