How Shah Rukh Khan was the saviour of an Indian man in war-torn Syria.

The next time you take Bollywood lightly,
spare a thought for India's soft power. A
journalist who travelled through the
troubled spots in war-torn Syria, particularly
the world heritage town of Palmyra, has
written a fascinating account of his travel in
that nation and how it was Shah Rukh Khan
who saved him every single time.
"Whether I went to Palmyra or any other
area in Syria, if you are in trouble Bollywood
is the best bet for you. All your local
contacts can fail you. Even permission given
by the Syrian government may not impress
the army on the road. He might not like
your face and you may end up sitting or
standing depending on the situation. What
saves you is Bollywood, writes Kartikeya
Sharma in DNA.
Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan is
immensely popular in Syria. (AFP)
He goes on to say how his car was stopped
at every post, he was asked to identify
himself time and again. Whenever he would
say he is an Indian, most of the soldiers
would tell him: "Give my regards to Shah
Rukh Khan or we love Shah Rukh Khan.
Katrina Kaif, Karisma Kapoor and Amitabh
Bachchan would also crop up in their
conversations.
Syrians seemed genuinely interested in the
personal life of Amitabh Bachchan's son
Abhishek Bachchan and his equation with
wife Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. (AFP)
Many a times, they would ask him about
Amitabh's son's equation with his wife,
Aishwarya Rai. "Many asked me about
Amitabh Bachchan's son. His name. His
equation with Aishwarya Rai... For those
moments I felt that I owed Bollywood.
Shah Rukh is among the most popular and
recognisable Indian stars abroad. He has
fans from Morocco to Germany and is
considered a true "global ambassador of
the Indian cinema. In some regions, he
enjoys as much popularity, if not more, than
leading Hollywood stars.

https://m.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/how-shah-rukh-khan-was-the-saviour-of-an-indian-man-in-war-torn-syria/story-eXw0ysYRF2Cecwmm1I21yO.html