We all remember the memorable song “Chaand Taare” from Aziz Mirza’s 1997 romantic comedy Yes Boss. It’s not only rendered with wide-eyed wonder by singer Abhijeet Bhattacharya, but also performed by Shah Rukh Khan with so much infectious earnestness. Eagle-eyed fans noticed how the actor even shot in front of the building that became Mannat, his future home, on Bandra Bandstand in Mumbai just four years later.
Ashok Saraf, who shared screen space with Shah Rukh in that film and in that song, has fond memories of working with the actor. They also shared screen space in Rakesh Roshan’s 1995 blockbuster reincarnation saga Karan Arjun. But Saraf’s enduring memory of Shah Rukh is from their Yes Boss days.
“There’s no one as hardworking in the industry as him. He works very hard for his role. He’s always alive to ideas on how he can make it better. He hasn’t become a star just like that. He never leaves even a small thing behind that could potentially help his performance,” Saraf told Radio Nasha.
‘Shah Rukh Khan has so much energy that he never stops’
Aditya Pancholi, Juhi Chawla and Sha Rukh Khan in Yes Boss. (Express archive photo)
Ashok Saraf recalled suggesting Shah Rukh Khan to try one of their scenes differently, and the star took to his suggestion earnestly. “He said, ‘Let’s do a rehearsal.’ He rehearsed so many times! He didn’t let it go till the scene was perfect. Usually, actors aren’t open to suggestions like these. They refuse to do the scene again. But he’s not like that. He always tries and then sees if it works or not. He’s a very good human too,” said Saraf.
“If someone asks me who has a lot of energy, I’d point them to Shah Rukh. He has so much energy that he never stops. He never gets tired. It’s a huge deal, especially for today. Others should learn this from him. That’s why he’s reached where he is today. I’m really fond of him,” added Saraf. The actor also said that he doesn’t get to meet either Shah Rukh or their Karan Arjun co-star Salman Khan these days.
Ashok Saraf isn’t the first actor to rave about Shah Rukh Khan’s hard work on a film set. Karisma Kapoor, Shah Rukh’s co-star from Yash Chopra’s 1997 blockbuster romantic musical Dil To Pagal Hai, also called him “hardworking” as compared to the “fun” Salman Khan and the “perfectionist” Aamir Khan, in an interview with Pinkvilla last year. Also, last year on Raj Shamani’s podcast, Farhan Akhtar claimed Shah Rukh gets “obsessed” with his projects. The actor-filmmaker has directed Shah Rukh in the successful Don franchise.
