‘Shah Rukh Khan handed the keys to his Pajero as soon as I asked,' recalls Tiku Talsania: ‘He won't hesitate to do anything for you'

Indian Express

13-05-2025

Shah Rukh Khan started his career in the movies in the early 1990s and while he became a superstar after the release of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, he was a star in the making even before that. In a recent interview, actor Tiku Talsania, who worked with the superstar in his early films like Oh Darling Yeh Hai India, and later on, in films like Devdas, shared that stardom did not change SRK. Tiku shared that during the making of Oh Darling Yeh Hai India, Shah Rukh had bought a Pajero, which was quite a luxury at the time and when Tiku asked if he could drive it, SRK gave his keys without hesitation.
In a chat with Lallantop Cinema, Tiku was asked if Shah Rukh's attitude changed as he became a bigger star in the industry. The actor immediately said, 'Not at all.' He added, 'He is a fantastic actor and he is the same. If I meet him anywhere, he would still be the same. My daughter (Shikha Talsania, actor) met him recently. She said 'Papa, we spoke for 10 minutes and for 7 minutes, he only spoke about you.' And that's a very big thing for me, I feel honoured by that gesture.'
Tiku Talsania then recalled an anecdote from the making of Oh Darling Yeh Hai India when Shah Rukh Khan had just bought his Pajero. 'During Oh Darling Yeh Hai India, he had bought a red Pajero. I asked him 'Sir, ek round maru kya? (Sir, can I drive it a little?)' Because I had never been inside a Pajero. He said, 'Le jaa chabi (Take the keys)' and I drove it a little. Then he asked 'Kaisi lagi gaadi? (How did you like the car?)' I said, 'Great',' he shared and added, 'He is that kind of a man. He will not hesitate to do anything for you. He has worked hard to make Mannat, to reach this stage.'
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Tiku also worked with Shah Rukh in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Devdas, where he played the driver Dharamdas. He shared that during the scene where Devdas' father has died, Shah Rukh drank a quarter of Old Monk rum because he wanted the alcohol to reflect in his eyes. 'In Devdas, when we were doing the scene where his father dies, he was taking shots of Old Monk so I asked him, 'We just have to act. What are you doing so seriously?' He said 'Nahi sir, aankhon mein nahi dikhayi degi sharab. Sharab aankhon mein dikhayi deni chahiye isliye main pee raha hun. (No sir, the alcohol won't show in my eyes. It has to reflect in my eyes, that's why I am drinking.)' I said, 'Fantastic, and look at how he has performed that scene. Though being drunk because he must have had at least a quarter of a bottle of rum and it was so hot so he was sweating. That is the involvement of an actor,' he said.