As American visual artist Andy Warhol said, every individual would eventually “have their 15 minutes of fame”. But for these three ardent fans of Indian actor Shahrukh Khan, those 15 minutes came relatively ‘unexpected’ and ‘easy’.
They bought tickets for the ‘Access All Areas’ concert, held at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday night, and “just happened to be in the right place at the right time”.
One fan said: “It is a life-long dream for every individual who has ever adored a famous personality to share stage space with him or her.”
For Dubai residents Kirti Srivastava, Nabeel Naved, and Hazel, this dream came true on the night of the first concert of the actor’s world tour with Bollywood actors Deepika Padukone, Madhuri Dixit, Jacqueline Fernandez and singer Yo Yo Honey Singh.
For Srivastava, who has been here since February 2013, buying the tickets for the concert was ‘a birthday gift to self’. “I didn’t dream that I would make it on stage with him. As of now, this is the biggest moment of my life,” said Srivastava in an interview with Khaleej Times.
Shahrukah Khan is best known for his interactions with the audiences during his shows.
“All I did was stand up and raise both my arms up, and next thing I know was that he was saying, ‘the girl with the black belt, will you please come up on stage’,” she said.
“I’ve grown up watching his movies. I spent a lot of my childhood in Patiala, Punjab and back then, there were no multiplexes there. I remember going for an 8.30am show to watch Dilwaley Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge. And since then I have seen every movie of his at least two-three times. And as of today, I went on stage with him,” said Srivastava.
“What was wonderful about the experience was that even though everything he said was for the benefit of the crowd, it seemed as though he was telling me all those lines. I felt immensely comfortable and I am not someone who suffers from stage fright anyway,” she added.
She still finds the experience surreal and added: “How many people can say that they had Shahrukh Khan kneeling in front of them, serenading them with songs.”
Naved, who was also invited on stage by the actor, dedicated the entire moment to her younger brother. “My brother was diagnosed with brain cancer and he is a big fan of Shahrukh Khan,” said Naved on stage.
The actor signed him an autograph and requested the audience to pray for the well-being and speedy recovery of her brother.
Indian expat Hazel presented the actor with a red, heart-shaped soft toy and told him that she waited to deliver her son on the same day as Shahrukh Khan’s birthday. “It wasn’t a normal delivery and I insisted to the doctors that my son has to be born on the same day as Shahrukh,” Hazel told SRK on stage.
Srivastava added: “Shahrukh seems so down to earth and grounded. Indian actors generally have a tendency to gain God-like status and despite all the fame and wealth, he seemed so human.”
