There is no doubt in saying that 2023 was the year of Shah Rukh Khan. With three back-to-back movies, making a total business of more than 2500 crores, without any promotion of whatsoever type, the King yet again proved his dominance over the hearts of millions. I too was overjoyed as the teasers/previews of these movies dropped and definitely was overjoyed when the movies hit the theatre. A part of me became his admirer because of his demeanor in public when he faced the unjust wrath of the media and many other people on the stories regarding his family and activities. The way SRK handled the unjust media glare and trial made many of us die-hard fans of his, we never knew we could be. We wanted SRK to win both in his personal fights and in box office numbers. And since we couldn’t play any role in his personal wars, we made sure to play a role in him being reminded as the King of Bollywood. But throughout the year I also lurked to read articles and reports about SRK. I just wanted to know more perspectives that people have of him, why he is the star that he is, and a lot more. In short, I was looking for a book on SRK. I initially wished for a book by SRK, but when I happened to come across Shrayana Bhattacharya’s book “Desperately Seeking Shah Rukh”, it didn’t occur to me even once of not reading it. And there I was, in the second last week of 2023, finishing the year of SRK on a book about SRK, at least that’s what I thought it must be.
The book though was a surprise to me. It comprised of chapters with titles of SRK’s movies, songs, quotes, etc. But it was not just that. The book revolves around women, who hail from different sections of our society, doing all kinds of jobs ranging from studying in top colleges of India and abroad to working as migrant labourers, to working as air hostesses in international airlines, to making and selling agarbattis and embroidered clothes. The book gives sharp statistics on the status of working women in our country. How marriage and motherhood are considered as the only primary jobs of women and how they are quietly removed from the Indian workforce as their life progresses. It just doesn’t do a social commentary, but gives you real numbers, percentages, and the sources of these numbers. The book gives you a perception that women from different classes may dress differently, and live differently, but they are bound by the same old patriarchy. And how the ones who defy this, are often left alone, seeking love, seeking companion, and seeking a partner. They do find their partners sometimes, but having lived and battled all along, they often do not seek a Salman Khan who will protect them by beating the bad guys if ever around or an Aamir Khan who will keep lecturing about the social discussions, but instead, the Shah Rukh who will share the small things with them, like getting involved in household chores, acknowledging the woman of his life like SRK acknowledges his wife on every major interview, be vulnerable with them. It was overall a book that I never expected it to be. Needless to say, I loved reading it.
The kinds of women interviewed in this book are all held by a common thread of being admirers of SRK. They do acknowledge that it is impossible to find a man like him whom they see in movies to also be in real life. But it does give you a fairly good idea of what women want. I wish more men may read this book to know how the thoughts of women actually run. Also, the book made me realize how lucky I have been to have found the perfect partner, who flies along with me, and not just takes me along. There is a subtle yet significant difference between the two.
Aali Pant 
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