The Delhi boy who has it all!

That’s what Aanand L Rai says about Shah Rukh Khan

Aanand L Rai believes Shah Rukh Khan may have become a superstar, but the actor still is the same Delhi boy at heart with humble beginnings and it was this quality that made him even more endearing for the filmmaker’s next Zero. In Zero, the 52-year-old actor, popular for portraying characters in love stories set abroad, plays a vertically challenged man, who travels from Meerut to New York. “I always felt he is a very basic Delhi boy. Whenever I saw him in those valleys of Switzerland, I felt, ‘Oh Delhi boy wahan tak pahuch gaya’ (the Delhi boy has achieved great heights). I never felt he didn’t belong there. That is the reason why I think he has a great connect in our country, because he represents a basic middle class boy who has achieved it,” Aanand said, when asked how does he see this transformation of the actor.

The movie reunites the cast of Jab Tak Hai Jaan with SRK, Anushka Sharma and Katrina Kaif featuring in the film. For the first time, Aanand has teamed up with a star like Shah Rukh. Asked if the stakes have become higher, the director says, “There were bright chances.” He is, however, relieved to have SRK on board. “Shah Rukh makes me feel so comfortable and makes you feel like he is the most obedient actor you have ever worked with. I have found a friend, a big brother in him. I am enjoying the process and he is letting me fly,” he says.

As of now, Aanand is gearing up for the Christmas release of the film which, he says, “is shaping up great and is a lifetime of experiences”.