Exclusive: Woh Munjya Wala Ladka…- What Shah Rukh Khan Said After Abhay Vermas King Audition

Abhay Verma is on a roll. After making his mark with Munjya, the actor’s performance in Operation Safed Sagar also emerged as one of the highlights. He now has an exciting line-up ahead, including Laikey Laika, JC and one of the most anticipated films of the year, Shah Rukh Khan’s King.

Abhay will be sharing the screen with SRK in the Siddharth Anand directorial, which also features an ensemble cast including Suhana Khan, Deepika Padukone, Rani Mukerji, Abhishek Bachchan and more. Speaking exclusively to Filmfare, the actor opened up about the experience of being in and around his idol and revealed how the fact that Shah Rukh had seen Munjya became a major highlight for him.

Recalling a precious piece of advice from Shah Rukh Khan, Abhay shared, “Shah Rukh sir once said to me while we were shooting King, ‘Son, we have to work for the person who is sitting at the back with a balcony ticket. We have to work for that smile to come on his face after he has had a very bad week, after all the struggles he has gone through.’ So, when a legend like him, even after 35 years, thinks this way, I have no right to think otherwise. He is still on his toes after 35 years, winning every person’s heart across the world. So, my schooling comes from there. I learn from every word that comes out of his mouth.”

Reflecting on being a part of a Shah Rukh Khan film so early in his career, Abhay continued, “It feels like life has come full circle already. At times, you feel undeserving of it. You wonder, ‘What did I do right in my life to be on such a set?’ It’s a culmination of all these things where you can only thank your gods. He is the best teacher one can get in the world. I really envy Suhana in that sense. But having said that, it’s also a liberating feeling because you know that you get to learn from the best. That’s what I have really aimed for. I always wished that I could just get to see him in real life and that my work would reach him. And now that I get to be on the same set as him, it just feels like a dream come true.”

When asked whether Shah Rukh Khan had seen some of his previous work, Verma revealed, “I got to know about this later, but after my King audition, he had said, ‘Woh Munjya wala ladka hai na, usko le lo, woh achha rahega is role ke liye.’ (Yes, take that guy from Munjya. He will be good for this role.) And I was blown away. If my work has reached him, I think one big part of my dreams and my passion, and what I work for, is complete.”