‘Shah Rukh Khan would get involved in college admissions and sports days’: Ananya Panday says ‘SRK uncle’ was an involved parent

Actor Ananya Panday spoke about witnessing Shah Rukh Khan from close quarters. Ananya is friends with Shah Rukh’s daughter, Suhana Khan, and spent a lot of time at their family home, Mannat. She said that she didn’t realise what a massive star Shah Rukh was until she was old enough to register the thousands of people who gather outside Mannat. She described him as a very hands-on parent, and said that he would get involved in his kids’ daily lives regardless of his work schedule. She also revealed that she calls him Shah Rukh ‘uncle’ personally, but ‘sir’ and ‘SRK’ in work environments.

In a chat with mid-day, Ananya was asked about growing up in Bollywood’s inner circle, and if that altered her outlook towards success and failure. She said, “Shah Rukh sir has come from the outside, and he’s the king. I’ve seen how he’s dealt with fame so normally. The way he was at home with all of us… We didn’t even realise until he went and stood outside Mannat with thousands of people. For us, it was always like he’s a father figure, who has taught us to run on sports days and practice for our taekwondo class…”

Also read – Ananya Panday says Aryan Khan would threaten to leak her vlogs if she didn’t comply with him: ‘Random trauma story’

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She continued, “He was a very involved and present parent. The way he is with Suhana and AbRam and Aryan is amazing. Suhana always says that even though he shoots for 12-16 hours, he’ll always come home and spend time with his children. He’s involved in their college admissions and homework. I remember seeing him like that, and he’s still like that, in all of our lives…” Ananya said that she doesn’t text him, but feels free to bring up her questions in person. Asked what she calls him, she said, “Shah Rukh uncle… But also ‘SRK’, because he likes being in our gang. I call him ‘Shah Rukh uncle’, but also ‘Shah Rukh sir’ in a work and professional environment.”

In a recent interview with Neha Dhupia, Ananya opened up about being made to feel special by SRK. She said, “Shah Rukh sir is a very inclusive person. Like there was this year when KKR, they won their first IPL and he was like ‘it is because of you three, you are my lucky charm, you will always be with me’. So he always makes us feel special. When we were younger, I don’t think we even realised this,” she said.