My first memories of SRK begin with Main Hoon Na. It was the first time I saw him on the big screen, as far as I remember. My family says I saw him in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai first, but I was too much of an infant to remember this. However, what I saw of him in Main Hoon Na stayed with me. It was my first introduction of him as a star and that magic has stayed with me.
Growing up, people changed their favourite heroes but mine remained the same because my fondness for SRK only grew from there. This is before I even knew a movie like DDLJ or Baazigar existed. This was in 2004. The same year that another very precious movie was released – Veer-Zaara and I remember sobbing like a 6-year-old kid who had just discovered (fictionally) how selfless love can be. Oh, wait, I was that kid.
Veer-Zaara is a special movie. It’s about love that transcends human boundaries. A love that doesn’t need physical proximity for fulfillment. A love that is happy to exist as is. A love that is spiritual. Veer Pratap Singh, an Indian Air Force Pilot, fell for this stranger Zaara, a Pakistani woman who was in India to fulfil her granny’s dying wish. It was love at first sight. They spent only a couple of days together in which Veer gave her a glimpse of the Indian culture. He took her to his village and introduced him to his doting uncle and aunty.
When they had to part at the station on the tune of Do Pal, it was the most heartbreaking scene. By this time, Zaara had fallen for him too and took her longing for Veer to Lahore. She had to get married, and Veer had to sacrifice his youth and identity to protect Zaara, a stranger.
You watch a movie with good performances, you appreciate the acting. But then with SRK, the thing is that you don’t really recover from his acting. It stays with you. That man would cry (fictionally) and you’d cry with him, there’s no doubt about that. Enough has been said about his ocean-like eyes but it’s all true. His eyes emote feelings words cannot convey. There’s an air of magic about him. When SRK is present on the screen, you cannot help but look at him. Which is why he is also the best thing in Heyy Babyy and basically, most films he’s ever cameoed in.
People also speak of SRK’s on-screen charm. You watch it and you know. That same year, 2004, Swades also released. Now that was a movie way ahead of its time and it did not fare well at the box office. Even I watched it much later, but I recall seeing SRK on TV urging kids to gaze at stars in Yeh Tara Woh Tara song. Well, I wanted to be that kid. I also wanted to eat that Banarasi-Paan with him in Don. But you know I was also content with adoring his craft from a distance, that’s what I do still.
Now, you might think these words are only natural to come from a fan. Agreed. But then, this wasn’t me trying to fangirl on him here. This was me trying to give vocabulary to what I had felt as a 6-year-old. I have better words now. These memories resurfaced with the re-release of Veer-Zaara, the second SRK film I saw, wait, experienced on the big screen.
