Who are Shah Rukh Khan fans? No anthropological thesis this, but anecdotal evidence and what my eyes saw at the recent Yale event where the Bollywood Badshah was honored with the Chubb Fellowship, I would have to say SRK fans are an ageless lot, going all the way from babyhood to Golden Oldies. Actually maybe it starts even earlier with Shah Rukh-mad moms watching his movies during their pregnancies, giving their unborn babies a taste of Chammak Challo while still in the womb!
The line of fans waiting outside the Schubert Theater for the SRK event snaked several blocks. They had come from California, Atlanta and New Jersey. There were mothers and daughters, and even three generations with grandma, mother and grand-daughters and even a son-in-law in tow who had driven them all the way to New Haven, CT from Long Island, NY. There were fathers and sons, hordes of college kids and even children, all waiting patiently for their SRK sighting.
Fans singing SRK songs outside Schubert Theater Photo: Lavina Melwani
SRK Tribe
Later, the hall was packed with 1700 fans, screaming every time his name or his films were mentioned, and even a baby or two adding in their wah-wahs. Yale had probably never encountered such a raucous crowd during the pomp and ceremony of the Chubb Fellowship Award. I'm sure past recipients like President George Bush, Walter Cronkite or Toni Morrison had not got such an exuberant response.
While waiting for Shah Rukh Khan to arrive (yes, he had been detained at the airport as usual by over-zealous authorities) the press-wallahs got a chance to interview the legions of fans waiting in the queue. I chatted with several of the people in line to find out how and why they had escaped from reality on a working day to head out to the Schubert to meet their reel hero.
There was Gloria Ramchandani who had actually flown in all the way from Atlanta just for this one hour event. Her friend Sonia Sirnani, a New Haven resident, learned about the event on FB and within five minutes booked the hot tickets. Gloria, a student at Georgia State University, was in her SRK shirt. " I am a huge SRK fan ' I am wearing him right now! this is the shirt I wear at night so I can dream about him! My dad thinks I am crazy, my mom thinks so too. My fiance, however, thinks it's understandable!"
Another friend went one step further and said she had a poster of SRK right on the ceiling of her room so when she opened her eyes in the morning, Shah Rukh would be the first person she saw every morning!
Waiting for the Bollywood Badshah -Mitanshi Patel, Mahwish Makhdoom with Mrs. Makhdoom. Photo- Lavina Melwani
Shah Rukh Khan, India & Pakistan
Shah Rukh Khan seems to be a big unifying factor where India and Pakistan are concerned. "I love Shah Rukh! We all love Shah Rukh, we love his films, we love his songs!" said a woman who is originally from Pakistan. So could we say Shah Rukh Khan is a big unifying factor? Mrs. Makhdoom, who was with her daughter Mahwish and Mitanshi Patel, her Indian friend, agreed: "He's a good human being and a good actor. Pakistanis love him too."
For many, it was a pilgrimage from different states. Denna Oakland, a student at Georgetown University, had come from Washington DC, clad in a saree and carrying a Shah Rukh Khan bag. The first Bollywood movie she ever saw was 'Maine Pyar Kiya' and then saw 'Dil Wale Dulhaniya Le Jayege' and 'Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gaam'. She got hooked on SRK. "I just fell in love with him ' on the screen and as a good guy in real life."
Denna Oakland with her Shah Rukh Khan bag. Photo - Lavina Melwani
A Kiss from SRK
She traveled to India and studied at JNU. While there, she tried many times to meet him but it never happened. Then one day in Chicago Denna did get to meet him. By then she knew enough Hindi to rattle off a filmi dialogue to him: "Shah Rukh, kabhi al vida na kehna ' hum hain rahi pyare ke. Phir milenge chalte chalte. Mujh ko Shah Rukh Khan bahut bahut pasand hai ! "
Her reward was a kiss on the cheek from the Bollywood Badshah. Did she ever wash that cheek again? She laughed, "Eventually ' I had to!"
SRK's appeals crosses all cultural and national boundaries. Also waiting on line was Marlena Ahearan with her mother who had driven in New Rochester, NY. " We have a rental place in our community and we started watching Bollywood movies. My mom and I watch him all the time ' we love him!" she said. "He's just such a kind person in his movies and outside of them. He represents his country so well and gives back to his country. He's a very positive person ' I can see why so many people love him."
Marlena Ahearan and her mother, both SRK fans. Photo- Lavina Melwani
Shah Rukh's Junior League
Manisha Beriwala, a Shah Rukh fan, had come from New Jersey with another diehard SRK fan ' her 5-year-old daughter Ivanka, who was probably one of the youngest people present at the Yale University event. "She doesn't know anything about Bollywood but knows SRK ," said Manisha. " She kept screaming his name and was thrilled to watch him dance to her favorite song. Seeing him dance, Ivanka and I ran to the aisle and started dancing too and we were joined by other enthusiastic fans. SRK shook hands with us, and my daughter ' like her mommy ' was the happiest girl!"
So I guess SRK fans would say the Bollywood Badshah unites generations, unites countries, unites east and west, shows them dreams to dream but most importantly for them, he entertains them and is an agent for instant happiness.
Manisha and Ivanka Beriwala, SRK fans Photo: Manisha Beriwala
Mannat Har Khushi Paane Ki
Veer Hanuman
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