SRK Was Never an Outsider Who Struggled: Close Friend Viveck Vaswani Sets the Record Straight
Mumbai: As Shah Rukh Khan celebrated his 60th birthday amid massive fanfare and anticipation for his upcoming film King, a candid revelation from one of his oldest friends in the industry has sparked widespread discussion. Actor-producer Viveck Vaswani, who once provided SRK shelter when he first arrived in Mumbai, has openly disputed the popular “struggler” narrative attached to the superstar—and taken issue with the dark portrayal of Bollywood in Aryan Khan’s debut web series The Bads of Bollywood.
In an interview with Radio Nasha Official, Vaswani expressed genuine hurt after watching the show, questioning why the industry was depicted as a ruthless, sinister place. “When Shah Rukh came into the industry, the amount of love and respect that Aziz Mirza and Nirmala gave him, and that me and my mother gave him, and Saeed Mirza gave him… everyone treated him with so much affection,” he said.
Vaswani emphasised that Khan, far from sleeping on pavements or knocking on doors for work, was immediately embraced by insiders. “Not once did he struggle from the road. He was living in Cuffe Parade. After he got married, when he couldn’t stay in my house, Aziz gave him a house in Bandra. Haroon treated him like a brother, Aziz’s son. Raheela treated him like a brother, Aziz’s daughter. I treated him like a brother. Everyone treated him so well, so warmly, without a single rift.”
The filmmaker admitted the series left him introspecting: “I just thought, did I do something wrong? Am I to blame? Did I hurt him enough for him to think Bollywood is such a bad place?” He stressed that Khan, despite being a complete outsider with no family connections, received “VIP treatment” from day one and never let anyone down with his dedication.
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While acknowledging that most viewers loved the show and that even SRK might disagree with his perspective, Vaswani stood by his emotions. “To show your karam-bhoomi in that way, I thought that was a little sad,” he added, clarifying that Bollywood remains his professional homeland, just as it is Khan’s.
Despite his reservations about the tone, Vaswani praised the performances, singling out Emraan Hashmi and Bobby Deol, and revealed he binge-watched the entire series.
As Shah Rukh Khan gears up for Siddharth Anand’s high-octane action drama King, Vaswani’s heartfelt account serves as a rare insider reminder: the greatest superstar’s journey may have been far smoother than the myth suggests.