‘Aryan Khan is so tough, he challenged me to panja’: Zayed Khan recalls meeting Shah Rukh Khan’s son at Pathaan premiere

Shah Rukh Khan would say during Main Hoon Na that he wants his son Aryan to grow up to be like Zayed Khan.

September 18, 2024 09:22 AM IST

3 min read

Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan will make his directorial debut with an upcoming series.

Zayed Khan burst onto the scene with a supporting role in the hit film Main Hoon Na, starring Shah Rukh Khan in the lead role. Zayed has said that the overnight success that he experienced changed him as a person, but the bond that he formed with Shah Rukh remains strong even two decades later, when they met each other at the premiere of Pathaan. In an interview, Zayed recalled going to watch the film at the trial show, where he bumped into Shah Rukh’s son, Aryan Khan.

Chatting with Subhojit Ghosh on YouTube, Zayed recalled that on the Main Hoon Na set, Shah Rukh would say that he wants Aryan to grow up to be like Zayed, and when they met again at the Pathaan premiere, the first thing he proudly asked Zayed was what he thought of Aryan. The actor recalled, “A year back, I had gone for the Pathaan trial at Yash Raj. And, of course, I enjoyed the film thoroughly. During Main Hoon Na, I remember Shah bhai would always say on mic, ‘I wish Aryan grows up to be like Zayed’. And I met Aryan there after a very long time.”

Also read – ‘Aryan Khan works 18-20 hours like Shah Rukh Khan,’ says Manoj Pahwa: ‘I ate Aryan’s tiffin, then he started getting me food from Mannat’

He continued, “He was looking so nice and tough. And he said, ‘Panja (arm wrestling), Zayed?’ And I said, ‘Sure’, and Aryan and me started doing panja. And then Shah bhai came up to me and asked, looking at Aryan, ‘How is he?’ I said, ‘He has the all-spark in him’.”

Superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s eldest son, Aryan Khan, has directed his father, for an advertisement for his brand D’YAVOL X.

In a recent interview with Rohit Roy, Zayed narrated memories from the Main Hoon Na set, and remembered how supportive Shah Rukh was when he was struggling with a scene and needed a rehearsal. “Shah Rukh Khan is well-prepared. He is an ocean of insight. When you are with him, you don’t feel that he is pressurising you to perform as well as he is. What he is doing is, he is always observing and he is giving you his best back,” Zayed said. The actor couldn’t sustain his early success, and his career slowed down after a few box office flops. But he is gearing up for a comeback. Aryan, on the other hand, is busy directing his first streaming series, which is said to be based in the Hindi film industry and will feature scores of cameos by popular stars.

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