Shah Rukh Khan, who recently entered the billionaires’ club with a net worth of Rs 12,490 crore, has long been targeted for performing at high-profile weddings. One of the most widely discussed examples remains his appearance at the 2004 wedding of steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal’s daughter — a moment that has fueled criticism for years.
He was recently in Delhi for yet another star-studded celebration, this time accompanied by Salman Khan. But the online chatter took a different turn, with trolls targeting him over a commercial endorsement linked to the event rather than his performance.
Shah Rukh Khan tells bride: ‘You’ll get me banned’
A video from the event went viral, showing Shah Rukh in a slightly awkward moment when the bride unexpectedly asked him to recite the famous “Bolo Zubaan Kesari” tagline from his Vimal pan masala advertisement. Known for his quick wit, SRK laughed it off and responded in his signature playful style. He joked, “Once you work with ‘gutkha wale’, they never let you forget it.” He then tried to dissuade the bride, saying, “God bless you, keep doing good things, but should I really say ‘Zubaan Kesari’, here?” When the bride persisted, requesting he say it just once, he replied, “Oh no, this is banned now. Don’t say such things, you’ll get me banned too. Just stay quiet here.” Still, when she continued, Shah Rukh quipped, “Are you my fan or Vimal’s?”
Bride refuses to dance with Shah Rukh?
Another video circulating on X (formerly Twitter) showed Shah Rukh dancing on stage with the bride standing nearby, captioned: “Shah Rukh Khan danced at some billionaire’s wedding for money, and even the bride refused to dance with him.” However, this clip is cropped. In the original video shared on Reddit, SRK was actually dancing with the groom, who was trying to match his steps. The full video shows SRK dancing to Pathaan song as the groom tries to follow him and a bemused bride watching them both.
Earlier this year, Shah Rukh, along with Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff, faced legal notices over alleged misleading claims in the same product endorsement. The complaint accused the actors of falsely implying premium ingredients, like saffron, in the pan masala, calling it deceptive advertising targeted at youth.
In an exclusive chat with SCREEN, acclaimed photographer Atul Kasbekar, known for his work on numerous premium brand campaigns, defended Shah Rukh Khan’s continued endorsement amid criticism. He remarked, “The government makes ample revenue on pan masala and soft drinks. We cannot hold individuals to higher standards than the state.”
Filmmaker Shoojit Sircar, who has worked with SRK on several ad campaigns, echoed this sentiment, stressing that attention should be directed toward addressing the “root cause” instead.