Shah Rukh Khan’s 60th birthday wasn’t just a celebration of his stardom — it also brought emotional reflections from one of the people who stood by him at the very start of his journey, actor-producer Vivek Vaswani.
Vaswani, who famously gave SRK a home when he first came to Mumbai, opened up about his feelings after watching Aryan Khan’s debut series, The Ba***ds of Bollywood. In a candid interview with Radio Nasha Official, he said the show’s dark depiction of the film industry left him “a little sad.”
“When Did Shah Rukh Decide Bollywood Was a Bad Place?”
Vivek Vaswani expressed confusion over why the industry was portrayed so negatively, especially considering how warmly Shah Rukh was welcomed as an outsider.
“When Shah Rukh came into the industry, the amount of love and respect that Aziz Mirza and Nirmala gave him, that me and my mother gave him, that Saeed Mirza gave him… everyone treated him with so much affection,” Vaswani said.
“So when did he come to the conclusion that Bollywood is a gutter and everyone in it is bad people? He is the one person who was treated with kid gloves as a rank outsider.”
He also highlighted that SRK never endured the typical hardships most newcomers face.
“Not once did he struggle from the road. He was living in Cuffe Parade. When he got married and couldn’t stay with me, Aziz gave him a house in Bandra. Everyone treated him warmly, without a single rift,” he recalled.
“Did I Do Something Wrong?”
The veteran producer admitted that watching Aryan’s series made him reflect deeply on whether he or others in the industry may have unintentionally caused SRK to form a cynical view of Bollywood.
“I just thought, did I do something wrong? Am I to blame? Did I hurt him enough for him to think Bollywood is such a bad place?” he said.
“Because when a boy has been given VIP treatment by the industry — being a non-nepo kid — everyone gave him work and respect. And he worked hard in return.”
Vaswani further added,
“If India is my janam-bhoomi, then Bollywood is my karam-bhoomi. But then it is Shah Rukh’s karam-bhoomi as well. To show it that way, I thought it was a little sad.”
Still, He Praises Aryan’s Work
Despite his emotional response, Vaswani praised Aryan Khan’s debut as a filmmaker and appreciated the performances in the series.
“I binge-watched it. I enjoyed the show. The cameos were fabulous. Emraan Hashmi was absolutely superb. And I was very pleasantly surprised by Bobby Deol’s performance,” he said.
He acknowledged that his view might be personal, adding,
“Everyone has loved the show. Nobody will agree with my point of view. Shah Rukh will not agree with my point of view. But you asked me for the truth — and I felt a little sad.”
What’s Next for Shah Rukh Khan
On the professional front, Shah Rukh Khan is gearing up for his next big action drama, King, directed by Siddharth Anand. The film’s first-look reveal on SRK’s 60th birthday has already set social media ablaze, promising another grand cinematic spectacle following Pathaan and Jawan.
