Rajya Sabha MP and vice-president of the BCCI, Rajeev Shukla spoke about his friendship with Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan. In an interview, he recalled the advice that Shah Rukh gave him about giving acting a shot. He said that over the years, several filmmakers have approached him to play small roles in movies, but Shah Rukh once advised him to stick to what he’s good at. He also narrated an anecdote about the late singer Lata Mangeshkar coming to the BCCI’s rescue after the board was unable to pay members of the World Cup winning team of 1983.
Shukla spoke with YouTuber Samdish Bhatia for the Unfiltered by Samdish channel, where he was asked about his rolodex of famous friends, one of whom happens to be Shah Rukh. “A few directors have offered me roles, but I refused to do them. It’s not about liking or disliking the field of acting, but sometimes you’re forced to fit into certain roles, and there’s no fun in doing them. Recently, another filmmaker offered me the role of a politician in their film, and I asked Shah Rukh about it. He said, ‘Rajeev ji, that isn’t your job’. He’s the biggest star we have, so of course I’d ask him. If he’s ever offered to become an MP, he’d ask me.”
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In the past, Shukla has spoken highly of Shah Rukh’s devotion to his country, amid the row around the song “Besharam Rang.” Describing the actor as a ‘rashtra bhakt’, Shukla said in an interview with ANI, “Shah Rukh Khan always remains positive and he comes from a family of freedom fighters. He comes from a family which is nationalist. He is a rashtra bhakt.”
In the Unfiltered interview, Shukla also spoke about the evolution of Indian cricket, by narrating a story about the late singer Lata Mangeshkar. “Mr Dalmia and Mr Bindra’s team changed the BCCI by selling the broadcast rights, otherwise matches would by default be telecast on Doordarshan. That’s when the income started flowing in. After the 1983 World Cup, the board didn’t have money to award the winning team members. Lata Mangeshkar had to do a concert, and the players were paid with the money that concert brought in. She did it for nothing; she was offered lifetime passes to India’s matches,” he said, adding, “But she never availed them.”
According to a Hindustan Times report, the late singer said about the fundraiser in a radio interview, “I said I will definitely do it. I reached Delhi on 17th August and I did a special show. Suresh Wadekar and Nitin Mukesh, son of Mukesh Bhaiya also supported in this show. Rajiv Gandhi was also present in that show.”
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