When Shah Rukh Khan Insisted Chamkila Actor Anjum Batra To Eat Pav Bhaji With Him In Mannat
NDTV
"He is a very good host," said Anjum Batra
Actor Anjum Batra, who played the role of Kesar Singh Tikki in Amar Singh Chamkila, has opened up about his experience of meeting superstar Shah Rukh Khan for the first time in Mannat. Anjum Batra said he met the Dunki star when he was helping the actor with his Punjabi dialogues for the film Jab Harry Met Sejal, directed by Imtiaz Ali. Talking about SRK's hospitable nature, in an interview with TV9, Anjum said, "I met Imtiaz for the first time in 2016. He was shooting for Jab Harry Met Sejal and there were a few Punjabi dialogues which Shah Rukh had to work on. Imtiaz took me to Mannat. Me, Imtiaz and SRK were in Mannat's library. We were talking the whole night and did a little bit of work too.”
Anjum mentioned that he and Imtiaz arrived at Mannat at 11 pm, and SRK came 15 minutes later because he was shooting for a film. Anjum added, “Shah Rukh told me, ‘Sit right beside me.' I said, ‘No, I will sit here, it's okay.' He insisted, ‘No, you come and sit close to me.' I kept talking for hours, they were just listening. He is a very good host. He asked me, ‘What will you eat?' He gave me a menu. I wasn't eating meat at the time so I refused. But then he insisted that I eat some pav bhaji with him.”
Meanwhile, fans have been praising the film's unique narrative choices and the lead actors' performances. About playing the iconic character, Diljit Dosanjh, during his appearance on The Great Indian Kapil Show, said: “I used to think that because I am from Punjab, I would understand Chamkila better. But after I met Imtiaz, I completely surrendered to him. The way he stood, the way he spoke, the way he would react, and even the way he would think, Imtiaz had it all figured out because of his extensive research and homework that he had done on Chamkila.”