Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Chhibber's love story has survived many tests of time, including the phase when her parents were against this interfaith marriage and the couple fought the odds to make it happen.
Shah Rukh Khan – the one, who taught us 'Pyaar Dosti Hai'. The one, who made 'Main Hoon Na' an ideal affirmation line. The one, who taught us to live life to the fullest because 'Kal Ho Naa Ho'. The one, who made us wonder if there are actually any boundaries when it comes to love. The one, who rekindled the patriotism in us. Decades ago, Shah Rukh came from Delhi to the city of dreams, Mumbai, with a dream to rule it one day and became its King. Without a 'Khandaan' to back him up, Shah Rukh, in his three-decades-long career, proved to be the rightful Badshah of the film industry.
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Not just with his characters in the films that Shah Rukh Khan had taught us never to let go of the person we love, but also with his real-life love story with Gauri Khan. Shah Rukh and Gauri's love story has survived many tests of time, making them one of the most inspiring and stable couples of Bollywood. The real-life romance story of this Bollywood superstar, who is known to be the ultimate on-screen lover, is nothing less than filmy in itself. In an era, where marriages soon lose their charm and couples struggle immensely to survive together, the magical love story of Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan is definitely worth telling. So, hop on as we take you on the journey of Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan's love story and married life:
Shah Rukh Khan laid eyes on Gauri Chhibber for the first time at a common friend’s party in 1984, when he was only 18 years old. Shah Rukh saw Gauri dancing with another boy, and due to his shyness, he could not ask her for a dance. When he finally gathered the courage to ask her, Gauri, who was not interested, turned him down by saying that she was waiting for her boyfriend. Shah Rukh’s dreams shattered at that very moment. But in reality, there was no ‘boyfriend’ and it was her brother, with whom she was attending the party. Shah Rukh had told in an interview, that later when he came to know about this, he called her and said:
“Mujhe bhi apna bhai samjho.”
And, that was the beginning of their beautiful relationship!
Gauri Chhibber soon fell for Shah Rukh's wit, confidence and charm, and the two started seeing each other. But things were not as hunky-dory for these two young lovebirds. Shah Rukh, by nature, was very possessive about Gauri. He did not like her to keep her hair open, let alone talking to other boys. It was then that Gauri realised that she needed a break from this relationship. A day after she celebrated her birthday at Shah Rukh’s place, she left for Mumbai with her friends without telling him.
It was at this moment when Shah Rukh Khan realised his love for Gauri Khan. Shah Rukh, who was very close to his mother, told her what happened. She not only told him to go after his love, but also gave him ten thousand rupees to help him out. Shah Rukh recalls that he and his friends searched the entire city, but had no luck in finding Gauri. It was only after a very frantic search that he found her at a beach. Shah Rukh and Gauri's eyes met and they broke down crying while in each other’s arms. That moment Shah Rukh and Gauri realised that they both of them cannot live without each other and decided to get married.
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To propose Gauri Khan, Shah Rukh Khan decided to pop up the question to her when he dropped her off at home in his car. As soon as Gauri stepped out of the car, Shah Rukh asked her if she would marry him. But Shah Rukh was so nervous that he drove off without hearing Gauri's answer. Fortunately, it was a yes!
If you thought that the drama in Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan's love story is over, then you're wrong! As Shah Rukh and Gauri were making peace with each other’s love and different temperaments, they showed little concern for the biggest factor of their relationship i.e., their different religious backgrounds. Gauri belonged to a family of Hindu Brahmins. Her father was a pure vegetarian and even had a temple within the house. And, Shah Rukh was a Muslim. It was obvious that her parents did not approve of their relationship. After all, religion does play an important role in marriages in our country. Leave aside the religion, they also considered Shah Rukh unsettled and their own daughter, young and immature to take such a big decision.
Shah Rukh Khan's parents
Born into a Muslim family in Delhi, Shah Rukh Khan's father, Meer Taj Mohammed Khan was an Indian independence activist from Peshawar (present-day Pakistan) and his mother, Lateef Fatima was from Hyderabad. Shah Rukh's parents got married in 1959 and he was born in 1965. Shah Rukh had a simple upbringing in Delhi with his sister, Shehnaz Lalarukh Khan.
Gauri Chhibber's parents, Savita Chhibber and Colonel Ramesh Chandra Chhibber
Gauri Chhibber was born in 1970 in a Punjabi Hindu family to Savita Chhibber and Colonel Ramesh Chandra Chhibber. Gauri has a brother named Vikrant Chhibber.
Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan's age difference is of five years as he was born in 1965 and she was born in 1970.
In an interview with a leading media portal, Gauri Khan had revealed her parents' reaction to her decision to marry Shah Rukh Khan, who was from a different religion:
“Yes, my parents were obviously not for it because we were so young and then, to take a decision to get married to a person who was going to join films and also from a different religion.”
Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Chhibber's wedding picture
Shah Rukh and Gauri went through a lot of struggles to be together, be it keeping their relationship a secret for five years or even changing his name to pose as a Hindu boy to impress Gauri’s parents. Shah Rukh and Gauri did all they could to convince her parents about their love and how serious they were for each other. Shah Rukh and Gauri never thought of eloping as he wanted to win the heart of everyone in her family. Shah Rukh had once admitted that he was intimidated by Gauri's brother. Finally, Shah Rukh was able to get Gauri's hand for marriage with her parent's blessings. And, Shah Rukh and Gauri got married on October 25, 1991, in a Hindu marriage ceremony. In an interview with a leading media portal, Shah Rukh had once said:
"I don't know whether I am a nut but I am very intense about my love for Gauri. She's a part of me."
Revealing that Shah Rukh Khan has been the only man in her life, Gauri Khan had added:
"He was the first person I met and went out with. And he has been the only man."
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At an award show, Shah Rukh Khan had revealed how he tricked his wife, Gauri Khan and took her to Darjeeling instead of Paris on honeymoon. Recalling the memories, Shah Rukh had said:
"This is my favourite picture...When I got married, I was very poor while Gauri was middle-class, well-to-do. So like how usually everyone does, I had promised her that after we get married, 'I'll take you to Paris and show you the Eiffel Tower'. But obviously, it was all a lie because neither I had the money nor I had the air tickets but somehow I convinced her. Finally, we were heading to Darjeeling to shoot a song for Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman. And I felt that considering even Gauri hasn't travelled abroad, she wouldn't know much, so main usko Paris bolke Darjeeling le gaya. Yeh humara honeymoon hai....20-30 days after our wedding."
Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan with his sister, Shehnaz Lalarukh Khan
In a throwback interview with Farida Jalal, Shah Rukh Khan had recalled the time when he had asked his wife, Gauri Khan in front of her family, to wear a burqa. Just for fun, Shah Rukh had once asked Gauri to wear a burqa and offer the namaaz with him in front of the guests as he informed everyone that he has decided to change her name to Ayesha. Shah Rukh had recalled on the show:
"I remember, when their whole family, old fashioned people, I respect them all and respect their beliefs but at that time, in that old-fashioned reception, all of them were sitting there when I came in at 1:15, whispering "Hmmm.. He's a Muslim boy. Hmm.. Will he change the girl's name? Will she (Gauri) become a Muslim?” " He further added, "They were all talking in Punjabi. So, I looked at the time and said, “OK Gauri, put on your 'burqa' and let's offer namaaz now.""
Revealing that one must respect religion but it should not come in the way of love, Shah Rukh Khan had continued:
"The whole family stared at us wondering if I had already changed her religion. So, I told them, 'from now on she will wear a burqa all the time, she won’t ever leave the house and her name will be changed to Ayesha and she will be like this'. So, I had a lot of fun, but the lesson in all this was that one respects religion but it should not come in the way of love. Now the time has come when her family love me more than they love her."
The problems in Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Chibber’s journey had arisen earlier due to the fact that she hailed from a family of Hindu Brahmins and he is pathani Muslim guy. When Gauri had appeared on Koffee With Karan season 1, she was asked about the difference in her and Shah Rukh’s religion. Gauri had said:
"Shah Rukh, he doesn't have parents, unfortunately. If they were there, the elderly people in the house, they would have taken care. But, it's nothing like that in our house. It's me who takes charge be it Diwali or Holi or any festival. So that's why influence of my kids would be a lot with the Hindu part of the ... but the thing is that, Aryan is so into Shah Rukh that he would follow his religion, I feel. He would always say 'I am a Muslim'. When he tells this to my mother, she gets, 'what do you mean?'."
Sharing that she respects her husband, Shah Rukh Khan’s religion but that doesn’t mean she would convert, Gauri Khan had continued:
"There is a balance, I respect Shah Rukh's religion but that doesn't mean that I would convert and become a Muslim. I don't believe in that. I think everybody is an individual and follow their religion. But, obviously there should be no disrespect. Like Shah Rukh would not disrespect my religion as well."
Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan celebrate festivals of both their religions with equal enthusiasm and they have taught their kids, Aryan Khan, Suhana Khan and AbRam Khan that before any religion, they are Indians. Elaborating on the same, Shah Rukh had said:
“Humne koi Hindu-Musalman ki baat hi nahi ki. Meri biwi Hindu hai, main Musalman hoon. Aur mere jo bacche hain, wo Hindustani hain. Jab wo school gae to school me wo bharna padta hai ki religion kya hai. To jab meri beti choti thi, usne aa ke pucha bhi mujhse ek baar, ‘papa hum kaun se religion ke hain?’ Maine usme ye likha ki hum Indian hi hain yaar, koi religion nahi hai. Aur hona bhi nahi chahiye.”
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Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan will complete thirty years of marriage on October 25, 2021, and the couple still seems to be deeply in love with each other just as newlyweds. Both Shah Rukh and Gauri respect each other’s religion and follow both at home. Their love, commitment, trust, fidelity and belief in one another, is an example to all couples within the industry and outside. Shah Rukh believes that for him, there is only one girl and that is Gauri. Shah Rukh always stays amazed by the way she handles their family, his production house and her work as an interior designer. He believes that she is a complete woman in every way!
Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan are proud parents of three lovely children, Aryan Khan, Suhana Khan and AbRam Khan. Shah Rukh Khan, on Netflix original, My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman, had revealed that while his daughter, Suhana wants to be an actress, his son, Aryan doesn't want to act. Shah Rukh had praised Aryan for his writing skills. AbRam, on the other hand, is completing his primary education right now. AbRam was born to Shah Rukh and Gauri through surrogacy.
Bollywood's Baadshah, Shah Rukh Khan is one of India's highest-paid actors, who co-owns the production house Red Chillies Entertainment with his wife, Gauri Khan. On the other hand, Gauri is a well-acclaimed interior designer, who owns the interior designing company, Gauri Khan Designs. With an annual income of Rs 256 crore, Shah Rukh Khan’s net worth is estimated to be Rs 5100 crores and his partner in living life king size, Gauri Khan's net worth is Rs 1600 crores, as per a Times Now 2018 report. Shah Rukh and Gauri's combined net worth is Rs 6700 crores.
Proud owners of a six-storey 26,328 square foot home, Mannat, Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan also own a villa in Palm Jumeirah in Dubai, UAE. According to an India Today report, Mannat is estimated to cost around 200 crores as of January 2019. And their Dubai villa, Jannat costs around Rs 24 crore as per a 2018 report by Times Now. Apart from Mannat and Jannat, Shah Rukh also owns a Rs 172 crore house at Park Lane, London.
Way before we had lost our hearts to the charm and wide-open arms of Bollywood's Baadshah, Shah Rukh Khan, he had found his Begum to rule his heart forever. Now, it has been more than three decades since they had known each other, and their relationship is growing stronger with each passing day. Shah Rukh and Gauri are one another’s cheerleaders and ensure their support to each other at every step of life. Shah Rukh and Gauri have proved that if behind every successful man, there is a woman; then behind every successful woman, there is a man too!
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