For Farah Khalid, a Shah Rukh Khan film brings back memories of her family gathered around the television and her father, who died in 2021.
The Abu Dhabi resident, who was born and raised in the UAE, remembers a film starring the Bollywood actor as one of the first movies she watched. It was a familiar fixture on television and one of her father’s favourites.
“One of the first films I remember watching starred Shah Rukh Khan. It would always come on TV, and the whole family would gather to watch it,” she said.
“It was one of my dad’s favourite movies. He passed away in 2021, so watching it brings back memories of him.”
For Farah, the connection goes beyond the actor’s performance. The film carries memories of spending time with her family, giving it a significance that has stayed with her into adulthood.
Her experience is one of three personal accounts from Arab fans living in the UAE, who describe an attachment to Khan rooted in childhood viewing. Their recollections touch on family habits, his romantic roles and the combination of acting and dancing that made him stand out.
A familiar face
For UAE resident Mujhiaid, discovering Khan came at a time when his experience of cinema centred on the films themselves.
He recalls being less familiar with directors, film categories or the details of actors’ lives. Yet Khan was someone he recognised.
“Back then, we didn’t know much about film categories or directors. We weren’t watching actors’ interviews or following their personal lives,” he said. “But we knew Shah Rukh Khan. We knew him through his movies.”
His account describes a familiarity built through repeated appearances on screen. Following the actor’s interviews or knowing the details of his career was not necessary for Khan to become a recognisable presence in his life.
Farah’s and Mujhiaid’s memories also show how the circumstances of watching a film can become part of its appeal. For one, it was a family gathering around the television. For the other, it was recognising an actor through the movies he watched.
‘He had it all’
For Arwa Ahmed, the introduction came through her mother’s preference for Indian films.
“When I was young, my mum always wanted to watch Indian movies, so I grew up watching him,” she said.
Khan caught her attention through the range of qualities he brought to his performances, from acting to dancing and movement.
“For me, he had it all: the acting, the dancing and the moves. Even now, whenever I see his picture, I remember the movies I watched growing up.”
The titles recalled across the interviews include Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Chennai Express and Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. The song Tujh Mein Rab Dikhta Hai, from Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, also forms part of those viewing memories.
Romance and charisma feature in the recollections, along with the emotional quality of Khan’s performances, including the way he cries on screen. The appeal encompasses the songs and dancing as well as scenes in which his characters express sadness or vulnerability.
For Farah, Mujahid and Arwa, the reasons overlap, but each carries a different memory: a father’s favourite film, a star recognised without knowing his life story, and childhood evenings shaped by a mother’s choice of movies.
For Farah, returning to a familiar film also means remembering her father and the time they spent watching it together.
Source: Khaleej Times