Renowned Bollywood playback singer Abhijeet Bhattacharya, known for his melodious chart-toppers, recently shared intriguing details about his past association with superstar Shah Rukh Khan (SRK) and his perspective on SRK’s patriotism in an exclusive interview with Lehren.
In the early days of his career, Abhijeet lent his voice to numerous Shah Rukh Khan starrers, delivering memorable hits like “Hum To Deewane Huye” and “Woh Ladki Jo.” However, their collaboration eventually soured, leading to Abhijeet ceasing to sing for the actor.
During the interview, Abhijeet made a startling revelation about SRK’s character. He said, “Jo ho gaya, so ho gaya. Dekhiye, ek hota hai ego aur ek hota hai self-respect ya self-esteem. Shah Rukh Khan apne dam se bana hai. Uske andar jo self-respect hai, jo swabhiman hai, woh same mere mein bhi hai. Woh bhi Scorpio hai. Humara date ek din age piche hai, nature same hai humara. Toh humko ghamand nahi hai, lekin humko swabhiman hai.”
Abhijeet went on to clarify his previous remarks about SRK’s commercial attitude, stating, “Ek do baar koshish kiya isko clear karne ke liye. Shah Rukh Khan is a very commercial person, very commercial. Woh apne success aur apne career ke liye kisi ko bhi side mein kar sakta hai. Woh use karega unko. Lekin uske liye yeh kehna galat hai ki he was anti-national. Magar Shah Rukh Khan se bada nationalist koi hai nahi.”
In a surprising twist, Abhijeet praised SRK for promoting Indian culture in his films, emphasizing that the actor has made significant contributions to showcasing Hindu culture on screen.
Furthermore, Abhijeet asserted that Shah Rukh Khan stands out as a true nationalist among the Khan trio, implying that other Khans may not share the same level of nationalistic fervor.
In the same interview, Abhijeet disclosed an incident involving underworld don Abu Salem, where he was asked for extortion money. Abhijeet’s refusal led to an unexpected request from Salem: “Tum yeh gana suna do, mein mic mein phone laga ke speaker mein sunaonga. Tu dhadkan ka gana gaya karta tha, tu woh hisab mein likta rehta tha. Tumhare itne kaam ho gaye, itne crore rupaye kam ho gaye us zamane mein. 90s mein itne crore maang raha tha, tu usmein se kam kar deta tha.”