Bollywood bound: Cousin sets out to reacquaint with Shahrukh Khan

Noor Jehan says she is taking some indigenously prepared presents for Khan.

PESHAWAR: A cousin of the Indian film superstar, Shahrukh Khan, is visiting India in pursuit of meeting the actor, who has  ruled the silver screen for the past decade.

Noor Jehan, related to Shahrukh on the paternal side says,“I am leaving for New Delhi in the first week of February and will stay there for around 10 days.”

Noor says this will be her second trip to India after 1997, when she stayed with Shahrukh for around a month. Her father Ghulam Muhammad, popularly known as Gama, an eminent Peshawari, was the elder brother of Shahrukh’s father, Taj Muhammad.

“This time round, I’m visiting India to attend a relative’s wedding in Dehli.  However, I would like to avail the opportunity to meet the King Khan.”

“I’ll approach Shahrukh and if he spares time for me, I will proceed to Mumbai.” She says he has been in contact with her for the last couple of years.

“Earlier, we had lost contact as Shahrukh kept changing his phone numbers and also owing to his busy schedule.”

However, she got hold of Shahrukh’s personal number from Surinder Kapoor, father of Bollywood star Anil Kapoor and retouched base with the celebrity.

“Surinder Kapoor belongs to Peshawar and keeps in touch with his fellow natives.”

Talking of her previous trip to India, Noor says Shahrukh had received her warmly.

“He keeps concerned about his paternal family, across the globe, even though he has not met them in quite a long time” Noor says. She adds Shahrukh loves Peshawar because of his roots there and fondly uses things from his ancestral city.

“Shahrukh wishes to visit Peshawar. He expressed the sentiment that if he visited Pakistan for even a day, he will come over to the city of his father.”

“I am taking some indigenously prepared presents for him”, she says.

She boasts of having bought Peshawari Chappal (Sandal), Silk suits (Boski) amongst other things for him. She says Shahrukh likes to wear Peshawari chappal and during his visit to Peshawar in the 1980s, he had bought a pair for himself and used it for about seven years which shows his affiliation for this part of the world.

She said when her brother Mansoor visited India in 2001, Shahrukh had asked him to bring along a pair of small-soled Peshawari chappals and he had taken three pairs.

Noor says she would deliver the gifts to Sharukh’s mother-in-law in case meeting him was not salvageable. His mother-in-law is also based in Delhi.

She says: “I am proud of my cousin and have named my child after him. Shahrukh has made us proud and given us recognition. If I meet my cousin, I would request him to visit his ancestral city because his relatives are eager to see him.”

Published in The Express Tribune, January 26^th,  2011.