V-Day is not D-day for Shah Rukh's shoulder surgery

Mumbai, Feb 8 (IANS) Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan will undergo a shoulder surgery soon, but it is not slated for Valentine's Day.

'It is certainly not happening on Feb 14 because Shah Rukh will be in London on that day. The surgery would take place on a later date though that too is not yet fixed,' says a source close to the actor.

Though Shah Rukh was advised to undergo the surgery some time ago, it has been postponed a few times already.

His shoulder was injured a long time ago but the condition aggravated on the sets of 'Dulha Mil Gaya' in December.

He was suggested rest then, but he couldn't afford to do so since the Viveck Vaswani production had been delayed for about a year and Shah Rukh didn't want any more pain for his producer, sources said.

His condition was kept under control with physiotherapy sessions easing his pain for the time being. Later, he left for Los Angeles because of his prior commitment for Karan Johar's 'My Name is Khan'.

Adds the source: 'For Shah Rukh, the last few months have been quite busy professionally. There was 'Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi' promotion as well as the shoot of 'Dulha Mil Gaya'. Then he couldn't have backed out of 'My Name is Khan', which had anyways been pushed ahead by a few months.'

'Moreover, he had to return to India for the publicity of 'Billu Barber', now titled just 'Billu'. Though doctors had suggested a surgery on an ASAP note, he didn't want 'Billu Barber' to suffer. So, even with a sling on, he went through the entire promotional campaign. It was painful but he is passionate about his films and kept smiling.'

Since he didn't want to get under the knife before the release of 'Billu' Feb 13, speculation was that the surgery would be immediately after the release, that is, on Valentine's Day.

However, Shah Rukh told a press conference: 'The surgery is not happening on Valentine's Day. I would be in London then and the surgery would now be on a later date.'

Apparently, he continues to be in some pain since he tore his tendons. He is able to move around with great difficulty but is trying to keep a brave face, especially since he is going all out for the promotion of 'Billu'.

The actor has earlier been operated upon for his back and his knees.

Meanwhile, the superstar has agreed to the request of some members of the profession who felt that the use of the word 'barber' was offensive to their community. Hence the film title has been changed.

'What's the harm in doing so when the community, on which the film is based, itself wants this change?' says Shah Rukh.

'I want it to be a happy situation for all and if a minor change to the title has to be made, then I don't see anything wrong in that.'