Kicking off his 57th birthday celebrations, Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan greeted scores of admirers stationed outside his Bandra home last night.
After a no-show last year, the actor revived his annual ritual of meeting fans from the balcony of his sea-facing bungalow 'Mannat', one of the landmarks of Mumbai.
Dressed in a black T-shirt and denims, Shah Rukh waved, blew kisses and spread his arms in his signature pose to the hundreds of people waiting to catch a glimpse of their favourite star. He was accompanied by his youngest child AbRam.
The road leading up to the star's house was chock-a-block with fans, who were singing birthday songs for their idol, flashing torchlight from their smartphones.
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Sudhir Kothari, an ardent Shah Rukh fan, was among one of the many outside Mannat to see his hero. He flew in from Chennai to the city on Tuesday.
"He came on the balcony around 12.10-12.15 am and was there for about 15 minutes. He was expressing gratitude to all of us. He did his signature pose and also clicked a selfie. We come to relive this moment every year. It is special for us," Sudhir, 34, founder of SRK Chennai fan club, told PTI.
The actor will be spending the day with family, friends and fans.
"In 2019, there was a huge fan meet-and-greet event, where he interacted with them, danced and sang songs, etc. It will be a bigger celebration with fans this year. He will be interacting with fans, who are all flying down from across the country and world," a Shah Rukh aide had previously told PTI.
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"Besides this, there is nothing big planned. He will be spending the day with his family and friends," he had said.
The actor celebrated a quiet birthday last year, which came just days after his eldest child Aryan Khan was released on bail on October 30, 2021 in an alleged drug case. Aryan, 24, was released after spending more than three weeks in jail following his arrest in a Narcotics Control Bureau raid on a cruise ship off the city coast.
In 2020, Shah Rukh had promised "a bigger and better party" on his next birthday. The actor, who was then in Dubai to support his team Kolkata Knight Riders at the Indian Premier League, had also urged admirers to not gather outside his bungalow on his birthday in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
To celebrate his 57th birthday, production banner Yash Raj Films on Wednesday re-released his iconic 1995 romantic-drama "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge" across the country.
Shah Rukh, whose last full-fledged screen appearance was 2018's "Zero", has three film releases lined up for next year. There is the high-octane spy thriller "Pathaan" -- whose teaser will be unveiled virtually today -- followed by "Jawan", a pan-India movie helmed by Atlee, and Rajkumar Hirani's "Dunki".
