The Real Bodyguard Takes Charge

As he makes his way through the crowds in Chandigarh,watching over Kareena Kapoor (as instructed by Khan himself),Shera takes time off duty and shares a bit of his life and times. “My maalik told me to look after her,and here I am,” he says. Born to a Sikh family which migrated to Mumbai from Pakistan post-Partition,Shera says he never thought of becoming a bodyguard.

“I was always well-built,tall and rugged,and even bagged Mr Mumbai and Mr Maharashtra titles. At that time,one of our neighbours was the director of Wizcraft,the event management company,and one day,he asked me if I would be interested in handling the security aspect of an event. I agreed,and there has been no looking back since,” Shera says.

Soon,he set up his company in Mumbai,Tiger Security,hired some staff,and trained them to be security guards. “We hold training camps to keep them physically fit and teach them the basics about safety and handling weapons,” says Shera,whose company has handled the security of almost every big international star visiting Mumbai in recent times — Jackie Chan,Steven Seagal,Diane King,Keanu Reeves,U2,UB40,Whigfield,Guns ‘n’ Roses etc. On many occasions,on his maalik’s instructions,he has escorted Hrithik Roshan,Kareena Kapoor,Mallika Sherwat,Malaika Arora,the Khan family,Sanjay Dutt etc.

“People don’t know Salman the way I do. He is a gem of a person,a true yaaron ka yaar. I can do anything for him,” says Shera,adding how he doesn’t accept monetary compensation for his services to Khan,as “he is family”.

“The media doesn’t know a thing about Salman — his work,his charities,how he goes out of the way to help people. If he loves someone,he is there forever,” says Shera,getting sentimental . But what about the fallout with Khan a couple of years ago? “That was rubbish,a piece of news that appeared in the morning and vanished by evening. Nothing happened,” he clears the air.

But it’s not easy being a bodyguard,admits Shera — the hours are long and one has to be mentally alert all the time to keep threats,crazy fans and stalkers at bay. While the profession is gaining acceptance,Shera says it’s still an underpaid job. “I have my company to sustain me,but other star bodyguards are paid even less than his/her make-up man or dress designer,” he says,adding that at best,bodyguards get to earn Rs 35,000-40,000 a month.

The press interaction is over,and Kareena Kapoor is ready to leave. Dressed in a safari suit with a Tiger Security logo on it,Shera leaves to answer the call of duty.