Sharma and the Charmer greet their fans
Shah Rukh Khan and his Bollywood leading lady thrill fans at Mussaffah
Thousands of people filled the atrium of Dalma Mall yesterday for a glimpse of Bollywood superstars Shah Rukh Khan and Anushka Sharma, there to promote the romantic comedy,
Jab Harry met Sejal [When Harry met Sejal].
Thousands lined the roads to the mall to cheer and welcome a caravan of vehicles that carried the stars.
Inside, many more packed tightly around a stage on the main floor as hundreds more took in the view from the balconies.
The actors were due to arrive at 6pm but didn’t get on stage until 8.15pm, when the energetic audience was starting to get restless, forcing security to jump in and push people back after warning them.
Khan and Sharma arrived on stage to thunderous cheer.
“Asalam alaikum,” Khan yelled to the audience, bringing the excitement to fever pitch.
Sharma greeted the audience with: “Good evening, everyone,” then they danced to a hit single from their movie, to premiere in the UAE next month.
As the crowd began to once again crush towards the stage, Khan politely appealed for them to settle down and take a few steps back.
“It was worth the wait,” said Talha Razzak, a Pakistaki software engineer who accompanied his wife, blogger Nida Arshad, to the event. “I am a fan of Shah Rukh Khan. I have seen him for the first time, so close. I have always heard about him, like he is so decent and good, and that is what we saw. Now I have more better affection for him than I had before.”
Nowshin Khaleque, 28, a Bangladeshi, said: “He is called King Khan. This guy is the man of romance. He is the king of romance.”