Deven Bhojani recalls first meeting with a ‘loving and warm’ Shah Rukh Khan: ‘I had heard he was arrogant, threw tantrums’

Also Read: ‘Aamir Khan and I got lost in jungle’: Deven Bhojani recalls assisting Mansoor Khan on Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar

He further shared, “Navneet Nishant and Mohnish Behl were also in the film. Since I was new, I introduced myself to everyone. But I kept wondering if I should go and speak to SRK or not. I hesitated thinking what if he insults me. I was learning my lines in a corner, and someone tapped me from behind. It was him, he introduced himself and praised my work in Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, that’s when all the rumors about him were busted. Shah Rukh was so down to earth, he told me that he had seen Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar just a few days back with Mansoor, and he loved my work so much that he took my details from Mansoor.”

Deven also recalled working with Shah Rukh Khan in Dunki. He said, “In Dunki, when we worked together, he was very warm; it felt like we started where we had left. We shot the first day, the second day, we were doing a scene at the church, and suddenly, he started calling me ‘sir’. I wondered and asked him why he was calling me Deven sir, then he said the entire unit addressed me like that, so he also thought to do so. He makes you feel so special that after a point, you start feeling flattered; he loves you that much.”

About Deven Bhojani’s upcoming film Dhabkaaro

Deven Bhojani will be seen in the Gujarati film Dhabkaaro, which is directed by National Award-winning director Abhishek Shah. In the slice-of-life film, Deven will be seen playing a 65-year-old bachelor who lives life to the fullest until he suffers a serious heart condition. The health crisis forces him to revisit his past mistakes and make amends for them. Talking about the film, Deven Bhojani said, “There were many reasons to do Dhabkaaro. When Abhishek called me, I remembered he was the Hellaro guy, and I always wanted to work with him. I manifested it. I loved the character so much; it wasn’t something I had done. It’s my lifetime role.” Director Abhishek Shah also added, “It’s a very difficult character. I wanted an actor who could pull off so many shades. I have seen him since my childhood, so I was confident about him. I thought he had never played a character like this; the range he has is amazing.”

 

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Abhishek Shah won a National Award for his 2019 film Hellaro. Sharing this award brings conviction in people about the stories he wants to tell, and Abhishek said, “Yes, people salute you, listen to you once you achieve something. People get convinced easily. If you are a newcomer talking about a story like Dhabkaaro, people might not trust you. But after the national award, people do listen to you.” Deven Bhojani also added, “Abhishek never goes around with the national award baggage; he feels proud about it, but never mentions it. He is conscious about what he writes or directs; he doesn’t let that success go to his head.”

Deven and Abhishek also discussed how the new generation of directors is bringing in a new wave in Gujarati cinema.