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Shah Rukh Khan, who began his journey as a television actor, turned to films soon after losing his mother — a loss that came amid severe financial struggle. Through those uncertain days, one man stood steadfast beside him — actor-producer Viveck Vaswani. From offering Shah Rukh a place to live in Mumbai, to signing him for Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman, and even returning his profits from Patthar Ke Phool — despite being its co-producer — Vaswani did it all out of friendship and a promise to help build Shah Rukh Khan’s career. He even lied to get SRK his first few films.
In an interview with Radio Nasha, Viveck Vaswani recalled how destiny brought them together — and how their lifelong friendship began over a cigarette. “I was sitting at Bandra’s International Coffee Shop when a waiter came up and said, ‘A TV star is here and he wants a cigarette,’” Vaswani shared.
That simple encounter led to a conversation — and then to an impromptu movie plan. “We went to watch James Cameron’s The Abyss. I think that’s where our friendship really began. We sat quietly through the film, and after it ended, he asked me for Rs 100, saying he had run out of money and needed to go home — which, at that time, was filmmaker Aziz Mirza’s office in Bandra, where he was staying while working on Circus,” Vaswani recalled.
But Vaswani didn’t have the money either — he had already spent his Rs 400 on their movie tickets, coffee, cigarettes, and scrambled eggs. “I had my car though, so I offered to drop him. But then we ran out of petrol! Since my place was nearby, I told him we could borrow Rs 100 from my mother, who suffered from insomnia. But strangely, that night, she was fast asleep.”
That twist of fate sealed their bond. “I offered him my pajamas and told him to stay the night. The next morning, I couldn’t wake him — he looked like he hadn’t slept properly in ages. I asked my mother to give him breakfast and some money when he woke up.”
When Vaswani returned home that evening, Shah Rukh was still asleep. “He woke up at 6:30 in the evening and thought it was morning! I made him shower — he said, ‘In Delhi, we don’t bathe in winters.’ I told him, ‘In Mumbai, we do — or my mother won’t let you sit at the dining table!’”
Dinner that night was vegetarian, which disappointed Shah Rukh, until Vaswani promised to take him out. “We went to Church Street once my dad returned with the car. We ordered all his favourites — butter chicken, tandoori chicken, chicken tikka, Coke… I must tell you, all his favorite things start with the letter C — cola, coffee, cigarettes, chicken, cinema… and of course, Gauri’s surname, Chibba,” Vaswani smiled.
That night, Shah Rukh opened up about his mother’s illness. They spoke till dawn — marking the start of a friendship that would change both their lives.
After his mother’s passing, Shah Rukh arrived at Vaswani’s house with a bag full of clothes, determined to fulfill her wish for him to make it big in films. “He stayed with me. I knew it’s hard to keep feeling grateful to someone endlessly — he needed a career. So I started taking him everywhere,” Vaswani said.
One of those outings proved pivotal. “I took him to my favorite restaurant, China Garden, where we met Rakesh Roshan. Rakesh asked me to bring Shah Rukh along, and by the end of that meeting, he signed him for a three-film deal starting with King Uncle.”
Around the same time, filmmaker Rajiv Mehra, who had earlier funded Vaswani’s Gawaahi, was making Chamatkar. “He initially wanted Naseeruddin Shah and Sachin Pilgaonkar but wasn’t convinced. He said, ‘My first choice is Rishi Kapoor, but he is expensive.’ I suggested Shah Rukh. We went to Natraj Studios, he read the script, and got the part.”
Then came another fateful call — from Hema Malini. “While Shah Rukh was still staying with me, Hema ji called him after Salman and Aamir had turned down her film. We met her — and Dharmendra ji was sitting nearby, reading a newspaper. She asked if Rakesh Roshan had signed him; I said yes. She asked about Ramesh Sippy — I lied again and said yes,” Vaswani laughed. “When it came to Shah Rukh’s career, I could lie like a king.”
Hema Malini signed him for her directorial Dil Aashna Hai and gave him a Rs 500 cheque — making it his first muhurat, even though Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman was his official launch, King Uncle his first shoot, and Deewana his first release.
To honour his commitment to Shah Rukh, Vaswani even returned the profits he had earned from Patthar Ke Phool, signed an agreement with Ramesh Sippy to divert those earnings into Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman, and took risks others wouldn’t — all to keep his promise.
And the rest, as they say, is history. Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman was one of the highest earning film of that year, and opened doors for Shah Rukh Khan.
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