SRK is selfless: Kanika Dhillon

Ever since the Badshah of Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan, launched her debut novel amid much fanfare earlier this month, Kanika Dhillon has been garnering generous proportions of attention and is riding high on the curiosity value.

Turns out, the vivacious St Stephens College, Delhi and London School of Economics alumni has co-written the script of SRK's magnum opus "Ra.One" and heads the creative content division of King Khan's production house.

Amritsar-born Kanika informs that it took her six months to ask SRK if he would launch her debut book. "I was wondering if I should ask him or not. I took six months to rehearse how I'd ask Shah Rukh Khan if he would launch my debut novel. I thought of 100 ways to ask him. Finally, three weeks before the book hit the stands I went to pop the question and forgot everything I rehearsed. I just bluntly asked 'Would you launch my book?' He graciously agreed. It meant a lot to me and I got very emotional."

The visibly excited scriptwriter-turned-author is still in awe of SRK for his selfless gesture. "He always encouraged me to write. By agreeing to be by my side, he has encouraged me as a writer as well. It was a dream come true for me because I'm a big fan of his and he is my mentor." She goes on to say that SRK's selfless nature and humility make him the star he is today. "He is selfless and has backed a lot of people in the industry. He launched a lot of directors and filmmakers' careers and this selfless nature of his makes him the star that he is."

Kanika's book, a satire on Bollywood's underbelly, revolves around the two vastly different worlds — the cushy reel world and the hard real world — as seen from an Amritsar-born Bollywood dreams-chasing young girl's eyes. "The book is about the tussle between reel and real worlds. It brings out the beauty and ugliness of Bollywood. Those who are working in Bollywood films' crews shift between their cramped existence in PGs where they share rooms and the larger-than-life lives of actors."

Does the "Om Shanti Om" assistant director have aspirations of making her debut book into a film? "Every book doesn't lend itself to a script. I will explore the possibility but for now, I hope the book does well." Apart from keeping her fingers crossed hoping both her book and "Ra.One" fares well, she has plans to pen her second book. "It is inspired by the life of a Pakistani girl whom I met in the UK. I spent an afternoon crying and laughing, as she spoke about her life. It is about the paradox of the life of Muslim girls and her story is a poignant one that has to be told. Apart from my second book, I will be writing the script of a film as well," she adds.

Thanks TOI

~~Long Live Shahrukh Khan