Inside the Never Before Seen World of SRK - A must read for fans!

Before I begin I want to mention that all of this information is courtesy to Mushtaq Shiekh ji and all those that were involved in the making of this book. Way too many people to mention. Also I want to mention that this may be a long post, but I assure you that if you are a fan of Shahrukh then this read is worthwhile.

While reading his childhood, nothing but tears came rolling down. Shahrukh lost his father at the mere age of 15. I am fortunate enough that I have both my parents by my side at the age of 24. So I may not understand the pain that he went through or the pain that any one of you may have gone through if you have lost a parent. The book goes on to describe the struggles of his father. The backbone of the family was Shahrukh's mother, Fatima. His father was a man of honesty. And because of this quality in his father, Shahrukh would learn how to face his responsibilities. His father was known to have a temper, but Shahrukh never remembered his father or mother raising their hands on him. Shahrukh claims that when his father passed away he didn't cry. He felt cheated despite the fact that he had prepared him for his death. However, when his mother passed away that was a whole different story. He was completely broken after the death of his mother. He was shattered. He had seen his mother go through the most struggles in life such as raising him and his sister as well as taking care of the business after the death of his father. It was also his mother who introduced Shahrukh into the film world. Were it not for her, we wouldn't be seeing Shahrukh as an actor. His mother always gave him the liberty to do what he wanted in life. He was always by his mother's side. When she was ill he would travel from Bombay to Delhi. He would go to Bombay to work and gather money for the medical treatments of his mother. His mother passed away when Shahrukh had left the hospital to buy some medicines for his mom. Shahrukh was quoted saying "My mother's death made me realize nothing is permanent. I stopped hoping for anything. Nothing shocks me anymore. I cried a lot. It was the most painful moment of my life, when my mother died. The first time I prayed to God was when she lay dying. I'd never prayed before. That's the kind of family we were, a Muslim family that never forced you to pray. And it was the first time I really prayed, but she died all the same." One of his close friends was quoted saying "I don't know how he stayed alive after she died. I think a part of him completely died."

"My dad was a lawyer by profession and he had a furniture business. He was a cool guy. Can you believe it, he was the one who designed the diplomat whisky bottle? He could do anything."

"It can never be totally complimentary. I don't like telling anyone I like you straightaway."

"My dad was a good-looking man. He was even offered the role that Ajit Saab eventually did in Mughal-E-Azam. But my dad fell in love with Madhubala and he wasn't sure how he would be ablet o handle this. So he refused the film."

"Once, when I asked my dad if I could go cycling beyond a certain boundary of my home, he whacked me hard on my head and asked me what I was afraid of. He had left his home when he was 16 and he knew how important it was to take decisions on one's own."

"My mother behaved like a true friend when I told her I wanted to marry Gauri. Is she Muslim or Chinese? Nothing was asked."

"My one regret is that my mother never really saw my work as an actor. She wasn't there when I won my first award. No, but she must have seen it. I miss her a lot. I think she is a star. Whenever I feel too sad, I just go up to the terrace and cry. And I know she is watching me from somewhere. Because I wouldn't be what I am had it not been for her blessings."

"There are days when I don't even want to smile on meeting people. But I push myself because I like to be loved and needed."

"In school my teacher used to say I was naughty and that I had a devilish angelic smile. I was always forgiven and would get away with murder."

"I always forgave people. But I will never forget a person who has betrayed me once and is quite liable to do it again."

"On November 2nd, 1965, I was born in Jalwar Nursing Home on Delhi's Pusa Road. I am told mine was a very difficult birth. There was a terrible problem with the umbilical chord. Luckily, I fought it well to live and ell the tale."

"I am a great fantastic accident of being the right person at the right place at the right time. That's the description of my success."

Shahrukh's Friends' Quotes:

"Everything he does is for his mother." - Sunjoy Roy

As a child, Shahrukh was a complete sports person. He played in Cricket, Hockey, and Football. He excelled in Hockey, though he loved Cricket. During his school days, while playing he got in a rift with soon to be wife's Gauri's brother. Coincidence or not? Not only did he play sports, but Shahrukh was an all-rounder athlete! He'd won championships in 200 metres, 400 meters, you name it!

As a college student he changed majors a lot. He did economics at one point. He did arts at another point. He did mass communications at another point. He didn't know which field to settle in. "For the teenager Shahrukh, the switch from sports to the arts was the rsult of an accident. He had hurt his lower back while playing soccer and the doctor forbade a sporting career. The next six months were painful. It was the most depressing period of his life.

He started his acting career while taking parts in small plays and theater acts. "As a young boy, Shahrukh's first encounter with the film world was probably during his trips to his maternal grandparents' home in Bangalore. Mehmood, the legendary Hindi film comedian, actor, and director, owned a large farmhouse in Bangalore, which was populated by numerous relatives and his own huge family. The Bangalore trips were riotous times, with Shahrukh and Shehnaaz running around with Mehmood's children, very much part of the family."

The book goes on to describe the initial struggles of Shahrukh and his career in the theater groups and small plays. Circus and Fauji are what jump started his carer, but most already know that. Through these initial phases, Shahrukh saw failures as well. He was rejected many times.

"Today, it may appear as if one is stating the obvious by calling him a champion. But from what I remember of Shah Rukh, he has always been number one: topping in studies, excelling in sports. One had to be an all-rounder to score all the time." - Rahul Dev (College Mate)

"It looks like I can't say 'no', but I don't do anything that I don't want to."

"An actor needs to be in touch with people. I refuse to live in an ivory tower. I am at the entrance of the tower and I will resist going in. I need to be in touch."

"It's wrong to think that a star or actor of my status or higher is in power. Whatever time one gets, one uses it in ass-licking."

"By my own standards if you ask me whether I'm successful, no I'm not. I want even aliens from Mars coming down to Earth to see my films. In 10 years, I will be the most successful actor. I'll achieve so much success that I'l just live off it."

"Between a quick affair and peace of min, I prefer the latter."

"I'm pompous, pig headed and honest even to accept it. I can't look beyond my nose. When I say I'm the best, I believe it."

"I'm basically a lazy man and want to take it easy after 30."

"I find it very strange when people call me sexy or good-looking. I treat it as a joke,"

"Maybe this is the era of average lookers. I don't have muscles, but I am capable. Maybe it is a 13-year fluke. I am the right person at the right time. Or the audience is short-sighted."

"The first day after pack up, I was quite crushed. I felt I was the wort actor on earth. I kept thinking that maybe I was not cut out for this,"

"Adaawon se mein maar khaa gaya, nahin to main bahut achcha actor hota."

"I don't like watching my films after they are complete. I don't like me on screen and most of my films are only me. So I don't like watching them. It's not that I am not proud of them. It's only that I have done it and I want to move on. I don't want to live with it."

"There is no external pressure on me to perform. The world calling me King Khan does not put any pressure on me. I was king even before they call me that. I believe I am King Khan."

"I finally end up working with half-women, half-men directors."

"I hate my films when I am shooting them. I want them to wind up quickly so I can move on. I am in the quick...quick...quick...mode. I even go to the heroine's make-up rooms and tell them to come out quickly."

"Let's get real. I am 40 and I can't look 20. I have some fans who say I look 24, while there are others who tell me I look old nowadays. I believe both. I have started playing my age and I have no issues accepting the fact that actors age."

"Your work rocks, so you rock. No person has fame just because of himself. You stop working, the fame stops. I know I'm the means to the end, not the end itself. My work stops, my fame will stop. I don't expect it to continue."

"I have always wanted to be a star and I want to die being a star."

"Who am I? What am I doing here? All of us are very self-centered; we all want to be respected and liked. We all have a certain sense of worth surrounding us. We want all to accept that and maybe buy that. All of us sitting here are brands."

"I remember when I began doing advertisements, they told me I was making a mistake. Today, it's become fashionable to commit the same mistake."

"Why should I be immodest and way that I choose brands. I have no options. The brands choose me and it's not the other way around."

"Unless you know the bad, you will not know the value of good. Everything is born with the yin and yang. White shines brighter when the black is really dense."

"I am most uncomfortable when I have to make an entry into to a party. I cannot go to a party alone. I need someone with me for moral support."

"I don't think of myself as an icon. In life I have never thought of anyone as a hero, Mother Teresa and Gandhi are more relevant as icons. For, they were selfless. What I do is just a job."

"I have always believed in myself. Today, I can control on billion people. But my power does not come from my dimples, lips, or skin color. It's simply because I have the power to entertain."

"He is so full of life, he makes everyone around him appear like wimps." - Manisha Koirala[/NOCOPY]

"He has a certain humane angle that leaves an everlasting impact on you. You act with many co-stars but there are only few who you can never erase from your mind. Shah Rukh is one of them. A terrific actor, he knows what makes another actor tick on screen. A fantastic co star, he is great to face the camera with. When you have an actor who is understanding, then your life on the sets becomes far easier. Wish they made more like him." - Madhuri Dixit

"There is no one like him. He knows what he wants and he will get it come what may. On screen, he sizzles. Off screen, he rocks. There is nothing about him I can bitch about." - Manish Koirala

"He is one non-stop entertainer. One does not know it when you just meet him in person, but watch him on screen and you know this man has persona; screen presence that shocks you." - Aishwarya Rai

"This man gives his co-stars respect. He treats women with utmost care and dignity. There is nothing cheap about anything that he does. It's always a treat to be with him. He constantly motivates me to give my very best to the take. He teats me like a child and also tells me the rights and wrongs of facing the camera. Ever helpful, I can always count on him. Because I know he is there." - Rani Mukherjee

"His mother had asked me if he would be a superstar. I told her I didn't know, but since he was talented he would always be a loved actor. I think it's her prayers that have worked in his favour and helped in making him a superstar." - Aziz Mirza