SRK has very pleasant opinions of Pakistan: Shakeel

No matter how frequently they come up, cross-border interactions or even mere mentions of them are effective in giddying-up the hearts of showbiz enthusiasts. One such instance cropped up when Pakistani comedian Shakeel Siddiqui reminisced about his time working alongside Bollywood king Shah Rukh Khan and revealed the superstar's views on Pakistan.

"He has very pleasant opinions of Pakistan, and a lot of his relatives reside in Peshawar to this day—his cousins and such. Moreover, my first experience working with Shah Rukh Khan was not on TV. I was at a show abroad, a two-hour drive away from New Jersey," Shakeel shared, during an interview with Tabish Hashmi.

"You might remember he mentioned that he once got detained at the airport. That was the show he was present for. And that was where I first met him," Shakeel continued. "He made an appearance as an actor while I was there as a comedian. We were the only two people at that show. That was my first gig with him, and after that, we gathered to do several shows together."

Shedding light on the Jawan actor's nature, Shakeel further shared that a third party attempted to introduce the two to each other. However, Shah Rukh shrugged the individual aside and came to meet Shakeel himself.

The comedian spoke fondly of the Bollywood star's big heart, adding that the actor even mentioned having watched Shakeel's shows. "You don't become a big man just like that. You elevate others first in order to earn that level of respect yourself," Shakeel commented.

He also did a brief bit, employing a common manner of imitation that reflected Shah Rukh's acting quirks. Shakeel later added that the 59-year-old actor himself isn't a fan of this style of mimicry. "He would protest and say, 'When do I ever do this?' And I'd tell him, 'You used to do this. You just don't realise it,'" Shakeel recounted, impersonating Shah Rukh's vocal complexities and infamous stutter.

The seasoned comedian noted that with age, an artist's voice undergoes change, citing veterans like Dilip Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan to validate his observation. "An actor's voice changes constantly and in different ways," he said.

In a later part of the interview, he was forthright about the fact that if he got the opportunity to work in India once again, he would take it. "There is a reason for that. I'm an artist. I work to bridge gaps, not set fire," Shakeel poignantly put.