‘Shah Rukh Khan said I am a Pathaan, just shoot me if you want’, Sanjay Gupta recalled how the superstar refused to bow down to underworld threats |

Shah Rukh Khan’s rise to stardom coincided with a period when the Mumbai underworld had a strong and often intimidating presence in Bollywood. At times, actors, filmmakers and producers were subjected to threats and pressure, and Shah Rukh also found himself on the radar of gangsters. Filmmaker Sanjay Gupta has now recalled how the actor refused to be intimidated and stood his ground despite the risks involved.Gupta said Shah Rukh responded to the threats in an unusually defiant manner. According to the filmmaker, the actor made it clear that he would not allow anyone to dictate the films or shows he worked on.He said on Hussain Zaidi’s podcast: “The only man in the film industry, Shah Rukh Khan, when he was threatened, said, ‘I will never do the film or the show, I am a Pathaan, just shoot me if you want’. I am not afraid of you, but I will not work with you or do shows for you. In fact, he earned their respect. They must have also felt that there is at least one person…”Despite his bold stance, the threats were serious enough that Shah Rukh remained under police and security protection for about three years.The actor had previously spoken about the dangers he faced during the 1990s in an interview with comedian and actor Ruby Wax. Recalling how the underworld supposedly operated, Shah Rukh explained the pressure stars could face when they refused to cooperate.“They set up a system and told you to do it. I may not have succumbed to it, but then they shoot you. So sometimes it’s good to make a movie,” he said.Wax then asked for clarification, asking, “Are you seriously saying that someone calls you and tells you to be in my movie or I’ll blow your head off?”Shah Rukh confirmed that the reality was even more disturbing than Wax’s description.“Not as good as you say.” When asked if he had personally received death threats, the actor did not hesitate.“Oh yes, on many occasions… I was very confident for three years.Shah Rukh’s willingness to confront threats was also remembered by filmmaker Karan Johar in his autobiography An Unsuitable Boy. Johar described an incident in which he himself faced pressure from the underworld over the release of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.According to Johar, Shah Rukh refused to let the situation intimidate either of them. He wrote: “Shah Rukh said: ‘What nonsense!’ He came in and dragged me out. He said, ‘I’m standing here in front of you. Let’s see who shoots you. I’m standing right here.’”Johar further recalled that Shah Rukh reassured his mother and made it clear that he would support his friend.“I am a Pathan. Nothing can happen to me and nothing will happen to your son. He’s like my brother. “Nothing is going to happen.”The relationship between the Mumbai film industry and the underworld was not a new phenomenon, but the nexus became increasingly visible in the late 1980s and 1990s. Allegations of illegal financing, interference in film projects and threats against industry figures brought the issue to the fore.The 1997 murder of music baron Gulshan Kumar became one of the most notorious incidents and highlighted the risks associated with the alleged nexus. The issue resurfaced prominently in 2001 with the Chori Chori Chupke Chupke case, which led to the arrest of financier Bharat Shah and producer Nazim Rizvi for alleged links with gangster Chhota Shakeel.