What Shah Rukh Khan Told Adarsh Gourav During Their First Meeting At Amitabh Bachchan's House

It doesn't matter who you are in the film industry, actor, technician, or first-timer; anyone who has met Shah Rukh Khan has a story to tell. Actor Adarsh Gourav, who once played the young Shah Rukh Khan in My Name Is Khan, is no exception. What makes his story unique, though, is that he never met Shah Rukh Khan during the making of the film. That meeting happened much later, nearly two years ago, and it left him teary-eyed.

What Adarsh Gourav Said

"It was insane," Adarsh says, recalling the moment he first came face-to-face with Shah Rukh Khan at Amitabh Bachchan's house, Prateeksha. Surrounded by people, Shah Rukh Khan was in conversation when Adarsh spotted him.

"I somehow summoned the courage and walked up to him. I was just about to open my mouth when he launched into this whole thing, saying, 'Main tereko batata hoon tu kaun hai!'"

Instead of a polite greeting, Shah Rukh Khan began speaking in detail about Adarsh's work, particularly his performance in Guns & Gulaabs. "That's when it really hit me," Adarsh says.

"I kept thinking, how does he have the time? This man sleeps for four hours, works for 18 hours, and still knows who I am."

What followed completely overwhelmed him. Shah Rukh Khan described Adarsh's character and performance with remarkable detail. "I was so shocked by what was happening that I was completely teary-eyed," he admits. "I didn't imagine this moment would play out like this."

At the end of the conversation, Adarsh asked for a hug. "I just said, 'Sir, can I give you a hug, like really tight?' And he said yes. He then went on to speak to me for nearly 40 minutes at a party where he could have spoken to anyone else. And that," Adarsh says, "is Shah Rukh Khan."

The moment carried special significance because My Name Is Khan was Adarsh's first acting assignment. The role came to him almost by accident. "I always wanted to be a singer," he says. Growing up in Jamshedpur, he was an athlete in school, and music was his passion.

In 2008, a 14-year-old Adarsh was singing Vande Mataram at Mumbai's Kala Ghoda Festival when theatre personality Nazli Currimbhoy noticed him. "I had a lot of stage fear," he says, "but when she asked me if I could act, I said yes. I was 14." That "yes" led him to My Name Is Khan, though he never met Shah Rukh Khan at the time.

"I moved to Mumbai when I was 12. I couldn't speak English and had a very thick accent," he recalls. "I never really had a plan. I just believed in staying true to who I am."

Adarsh Gaurav will next be seen in Tu Yaa Mein, a creature film also starring Shanaya Kapoor. Directed by Bejoy Nambiar, the film is set to release on February 13.

Also Read: Tu Yaa Main Trailer: A Social Media Collab Between Shanaya Kapoor And Adarsh Gourav Turns Deadly In This Survival Thriller