‘Shah Rukh Khan walked into a lake without hesitation, asked me how to pose’, recalls Dabboo Ratnani: ‘He took off his shoes and walked in’

Celebrity photographer Dabboo Ratnani recalled working with Shah Rukh Khan and how the superstar once walked into a lake for a photoshoot without asking any questions.

By: Entertainment Desk

Chennai | October 6, 2024 11:32 AM IST

2 min read

Dabboo Ratnani recalls working with Shah Rukh Khan. (Photo:Dabboo Ratnani Photography /Facebook)

Celebrity photographer Dabboo Ratnani recently opened up about his experiences working with Shah Rukh Khan, sharing how the superstar is not only known as a director’s actor but also a “photographer’s model”. He recalled the time when Shah Rukh was a newcomer in the film industry and would ask Dabboo for guidance on how to pose. In another instance, he shared how King Khan walked into a lake for a photoshoot without asking any questions, just because Dabboo asked him to do so.

In an interview with Vishal Malhotra on his YouTube channel, Dabboo recalled, “When I shot Shah Rukh for the first time in Film City, he was still new to the industry. He asked, ‘How do I pose? I am not good at it.’ At first, I thought he was joking with me. Then I explained the poses, and he responded, ‘Nahi nahi, tu karke dikha (No, no, you show me). I’ll copy that.’ I initially thought he was kidding, but he was completely serious. By that time, he had already done a couple of films and literally copied the poses I demonstrated for him.” However, when asked if he was responsible for Shah Rukh’s iconic pose, Dabboo said that he had nothing to do with it.

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Dabboo also described how Shah Rukh approached their photoshoot with no pretensions. He recalled, “Shah Rukh is genuinely curious about what is going on in the director’s and photographer’s minds and aims to embody that vision. During one shoot, I decided to change our pre-planned setup and directed the cameras and lighting toward the lake. I asked him to walk into the lake so I could capture him coming out from it. Without questioning me even once, he took off his shoes and socks, wore his slippers, and just walked in. No natak, no nothing—he completely understood the vibe of the shoot.”

Shah Rukh Khan will next be seen in Sujoy Ghosh’s The King, which will also feature his daughter Suhana Khan in a pivotal role.

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