Before the release of 'The Lion King', Shah Rukh Khan shares that he believes the story of this film is important because it talks about the precious bond between a parent and a child.
The importance of parent-child bonding shown by Mufasa and Simba, ‘Circle Of Life’ perfect defining our lives, ‘Hakuna Matata’ becoming our go-to mantra, are a few reasons why we love The Lion King so much! And now, 25 years later, we get to relive those words of wisdom and the inspiring story all over again with a soon-to-arrive live-action rendition of The Lion King. Bringing back the nostalgia for every 90s kid, the Hindi version of The Lion King will have the real-life father-son duo, Shah Rukh Khan and Aryan Khan voicing for Mufasa and Simba, respectively. (Also Read: Ananya Panday Finally Reveals If Rumoured BF, Kartik Aaryan Looks Better With Her Or Sara Ali Khan)
Shah Rukh Khan has, time and again, expressed his feelings for losing his parents at an early age and probably that is the reason why he ‘spoils them rotten’. Even Shah Rukh’s wife, Gauri Khan had spoken on the similar lines and had stated, “He spoils the kids rotten! It's because he lost his parents at a very early age and always feels the need to pamper his own because he didn't get it as much. He wants to give them all the happiness in the world because of which, sometimes he goes overboard which is such a headache for me. All I end up doing is sit on the side and complain, but he doesn't listen."
Before the release of The Lion King, Shah Rukh Khan reveals that he generally does not look for moral lessons in a film, but believes the story of this film is important because it talks about the precious bond between a parent and a child. Speaking about how one remembers the teachings of one’s parents only when they are gone, Shah Rukh said in an interview with the Hindustan Times, “The story inheritably gives a lot of morals. I personally don’t look for morals in a movie and enjoy it as pure entertainment. It is inheritably entertaining because it does talk about relationships. Many times, when kids are growing with their parents, they don’t realise that what their parents say could actually come handy much later on. It’s unfortunate that you remember the teachings of your parents when they are not in your life.”
Shah Rukh Khan believes that it is never a bad thing to listen to one’s parents as their teachings never fail one in life. He said, “Somewhere down the line, the story reflects that it’s nicer to listen to your parents and understand the deeper meaning of what they are saying to you. It does teach you that – Our parents always live within us and their teachings never go away. Personally, I do feel the same, the small things that my father and mother said actually define me now, and I realise it now and I didn’t realise it then.” (Also Read: Neetu Kapoor's Mother Used To Send Her Cousin Along On Dinner Dates With Then BF, Rishi Kapoor)
For the promotions of Hichki, Rani Mukerji had asking celebrities to share the hiccups they had faced in life and Shah Rukh Khan, who is a close friend to Aditya Chopra and Rani Mukerji, was among the first few to speak up. Shah Rukh had remarked, “My greatest ‘Hichki moment’ is the death of my parents. I was 15 when my father passed away and 26 when my mother passed away. It was very sad for us. The empty house without my parents used to come to bite us (my sister and me). The loneliness, pain and sadness of the loss of both my parents, could have been overwhelming enough to take over my life wholly. I decided to overcome this Hichki moment by letting acting fill up my entire life.”
Shah Rukh Khan had continued, “My parents went away suddenly. We got to know they had cancer and within two and a half months, they were gone. I didn’t know what to do. I just felt one night, while at their mazaar that I should fill this void with something. I got a fortunate break in films. For me, acting is not work but a place to vent out my feelings.”
Coming back to the upcoming rendition of The Lion King, Bikram Duggal, Head - Studio Entertainment, Disney India, had said in a statement, “The Lion King is a classic that epitomizes Disney’s prowess of bringing heartwarming stories that are timeless and transcend generations. A quintessential story of a father and his son and their heartwarming relationship; it’s a tale of a pride of lions that will connect with audiences emotionally. The movie is a pioneering blend of live-action filmmaking techniques and state-of-the-art virtual reality technology never seen before on celluloid.” (Also Read: Pooja Ghai Of 'Kyunki Saas Bhi...' Fame Gets Married For Second Time, Her 18 Year-Old Son Attends)
A while back, the first promo of The Lion King was released and the ones who had already watched it would vouch for when we say that Shah Rukh Khan's son, Aryan Khan sounds just like him. Sharing the promo, Shah Rukh tweeted, “Mera Simba.” Karan Johar was among the first to retweet Shah Rukh's post with a heartfelt message and a lot of heart emojis, “Pardon my excitement! But Aryan is the first born in our family!!! And even just hearing his voice has made me so so excited !!!!! And without a bias he sounds amazing!!!!!”
Are you excited to watch Mufasa and Simba back on the silver screen? Let us know your favourite moment from The Lion King!