'Aur Paas': 42 months without Shah Rukh Khan on big screen and my leap of faith!

Not seeing Shah Rukh Khan on the big screen for nearly four long years reminded me of the popular meme from his 2003 film, Main Hoon Naa, "Sabki Nahi Hoti, Laxman!" SRK's last movie outing as the leading hero was Zero, which was released in 2018. Since then, we have seen several actors have back-to-back and multiple releases in a year, but our superstar was MIA from the big screen.

We, Shah Rukh Khan fans, have been keeping calm throughout these years, knowing that he will make his return worthwhile. Well, there's no denial in that. Since the announcement of his upcoming film, Pathaan, which is set to hit the big screens on January 23, 2023, the calm before the storm has reduced, with fans cheering for the star and how!

I am one of the silent (not really) cheerleaders who has accepted the man for who he is: G.O.A.T! Although he has been away from the big screen for four years, there is hardly a single day when he is not mentioned by me in some way or the other. Be it his songs, those deadly combinations of hot and cute photos, or him spreading his arms, uff! I could go on and on about him; I see him, almost feel his presence, and continue to adore him as I have for many years.

In one of his most beautiful movies, Dil Se, Shah Rukh as Amarkanth Varma tells Manisha Koirala's character Meghna, "Sabse zyada pasand mujhe yeh doori hai; kyun ki agar ye doori na ho; toh tumhare kareeb aane ka bahana na mile."

The "doori" of not seeing him in the movies made me fall in love with him so hard that I am ready to fight at dance clubs if they don't play Chaiyya Chaiyya or any other Shah Rukh song.

How silly of me!

Everyone thought the "doori" might end on January 23, 2023, with Pathaan. On April 1, 2021, without fooling anyone, came the trailer of Rocketry: The Nambi Effect (Hindi), which starts with Shah Rukh Khan! He is seen asking Madhavan's character why he even made it to the studio if he thought whatever was happening around him was futile, with a slight head tilt, a stubbled look, and well-kept hair. Don't forget the sharp suited-up look!

Enough said!

After 15 months, I got an opportunity to go watch the Hindi version of Rocketry: The Nambi Effect during the press show, held for the members of the media. I had just seen that one trailer for Rocketry and made sure that's all I needed to know about the film. I have reservations about the trailer being cut nowadays.

I had no idea who SRK would be playing in the film or how long he would be on screen. Going by that one trailer, I assumed that the superstar would be seen in the second half of the film.

But Madhavan dropped a major surprise for me: despite having a 20-minute long role in Rocketry, Shah Rukh is present in every interval. The superstar makes an entry within 10 minutes of the start of the film.

Finally, Shah Rukh shows his face in slow motion, and tears stream down my cheeks as I see him on the 30-foot-long theatre screen. I was prepared to gasp while seeing him in a new film after a long time, but not my tear glands.

In just a few minutes, we see a change of emotions within Shah Rukh, who plays himself on the screen. It seems unusual that a superstar of his calibre is seen interviewing one of the greatest aerospace engineers in India, and that too for a television channel in Kerala. I made my critical mind shut down and concentrated entirely on witnessing Shah Rukh in the film.

The actor shows a slight arrogance about why he is here for an interview with Nambi, and he is also puzzled that he signed up for this amid his busy movie schedule. But as the film progresses, Shah Rukh is seen as the representative of the viewers, who, like a curious cat, keep on questioning Nambi about his early life, career, and espionage allegations.

As eager as I was to know about Dr. Nambi Narayanan's story, I was keen on seeing SRK back on screen, who for most of the film had close-up shots. There's nothing to complain about.

All I could say in my mind was "Aur paas, aur paas, aur paas".

Then came a Kabir Khan moment from Chak De! India, where Shah Rukh is left numb and speechless, knowing what Dr. Narayanan had to suffer all these years. Little did we know that SRK would be meeting the real-life iconic figure and not Madhavan during that sequence.

Although both are not shown much in the same frame, it's mostly the over-the-shoulder shot where the emotional level hits the sky, and all I could hear were people sobbing in the theatre.

I'm not sure what hit me so hard—Shah Rukh's dialogues after hearing about Dr. Narayanan's story, or the latter's breaking down after narrating how he suffered over the years, despite being one of the greatest scientists India has ever witnessed.

It seems like the superstar shot for Rocketry way before his sabbatical. But, whatever he says in the film about how India wronged Dr. Nambi Narayanan, it had a personal impact on his position in the country.

Despite being known globally, Shah Rukh over the years has faced controversies in the country, with the most recent case of his son Aryan Khan being arrested for a drug case. Yes, he was given a clean chit eventually, but the pain as a father that SRK faced is well known, and it's heartbreaking to even think about.

Nevertheless, with his special appearance in Rocketry: The Nambi Effect, Shah Rukh has subtly said, "Picture abhi baaki hai mere dost!"

The superstar has three films as a leading hero coming in 2023—Pathaan (January), Jawan (June), and Dunki (December). After being away for four years, the actor has promised that he will be seen every six months in 2023.

And as a Jabra fan, I say, bring it on, Shah Rukh. I am ready!