In a conversation with Firstpost’s Lachmi Deb Roy at the Dehradun Literature Festival held at the end of last year, Ajay Jain, author of ‘Charlie’s Boy’ described SRK as having the same charisma in school as he does on screen, excelling in academics, theatre, and sports.
Charlie’s Boys is a St Columba memoir that chronicles Delhi’s schooldays is a book by author and entrepreneur Ajay Jain that chronicles his time at St. Columba’s School in Delhi during the 1970s and 1980s. The memoir highlights school life, including the ‘larger-than-life’ presence of his senior, Shah Rukh Khan.
Jain says, “
Shah Rukh Khan was our senior in school by three years. It seemed as if he was born with a charisma from day one because he was the most popular boy and always talked about in school. He was the best in dramatics, sports and when the sword of honour had to be given to the passing out batch, he was the undisputed boy. There is absolutely no other competition.”
The book focuses on the nostalgia of the school era, including experiences with teachers, friends, and the school’s atmosphere. “Many didn’t know him personally, but he was such an enigma. For example, there was an elocution teacher in our school and boys being boys and it was an all- boys school, everybody had hots for her. But the other boys in the school would say, she had got the hots for SRK.”
In the media, there is a lot of buzz that he came from a very lower middle-class family. But Jain says, “We never knew for sure. But he lost his father when he was very young. There was a restaurant near Safdar Jung tomb and a lot of people had to say that it was owned by his mother. But we really don’t know the truth. Though St Columbus was a very elitist school in terms of education, but it was a very inclusive school.”
About the book
Charlie’s Boys is a hilarious and heart-warming memoir by Indian author Ajay Jain that reminisces about his school days at the all-boys’ institution, St. Columba’s, in Delhi during the 1980s. The book has huge references of Shah Rukh Khan during his childhood days.
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Lachmi Deb Roy is the Entertainment Editor of Firstpost, Network18. She reviews films and series with a gender lens. She is a ‘Rotten Tomatoes’ certified critic. Her interviews are called ‘Not Just Bollywood’ because she takes a huge interest in world cinema. She has been the winner of the prestigious Laadli Media and Advertising Award for Gender Sensitivity for two consecutive years, 2020 and 2021. OTT over theatrical releases is her preference unless and until it’s a King Khan film. She takes interest in fashion, food and art reviews too.
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