Shah Rukh Khan totally deserves the title of a true gentleman. The actor is known for his kindness and sweet gestures towards his industry colleagues. Recently, Divya Dutta opened up about how she once went to the sets of Shah Rukh Khan’s film Dil Se and expressed her wish to be a part of the movie. Directed by Mani Ratnam, Dil Se also featured Manisha Koirala in a key role. Recalling the incident during an interview with Siddharth Kannan, Divya Dutta said, “I wanted to do the film, and Shah Rukh and I had the same manager at that time. He suggested that I show up on set and ask him to get Mani Ratnam’s number. I didn’t have a mobile phone then, so I landed up at Connaught Place exactly when I was told to, and watched from the side as they filmed a a chase scene. Thousands of people had gathered to get a glimpse of Shah Rukh, there wasn’t an inch of space to stand on…”
Divya Dutta also shared that due to the large crowd, she thought there was no chance of meeting Shah Rukh Khan. Just as she was about to leave, someone escorted her through the crowd towards a parked car, which turned out to be SRK’s makeshift vanity van. “He opened the door for me and held my hand… Such a ladies’ man he is. He asked how he could help, and I told him that I really want to do the film. He asked if I’d like some coffee, and told me that he would convey my message to Mani Ratnam. ‘That’s all I can do,’ he said. The crowd was right outside, screaming his name, rocking the car…” Divya Dutta added.
Divya Dutta did manage to meet Mani Ratnam, who told her that he could not cast her in the movie because she looked too similar to Manisha Koirala. She later met Shah Rukh Khan again when they worked together in Veer-Zaara. During this time, SRK went out of his way to help her understand camera angles. Divya Dutta recounted King Khan telling her, “I’m not going to be there on every set, you have to learn to look after yourself.”
In Veer-Zaara, Divya Dutta played the role of Shabbo, Zaara’s (Preity Zinta) friend. The 2004 film also featured Rani Mukerji and Amitabh Bachchan in prominent roles.
In addition to Veer-Zaara, Divya Dutta and Shah Rukh Khan worked together in Baadshah, Shakti: The Power and Silsiilay.
