Dabboo Ratnani Recalls Shah Rukh Khan Walking Into A Lake Without Hesitation: 'He Took Off His Shoes And...'

Renowned celebrity photographer Dabboo Ratnani recently shared insights into his working relationship with Shah Rukh Khan, praising the superstar for being not only a “director’s actor” but also a “photographer’s model.” Reflecting on the early days of Shah Rukh’s career, Dabboo recounted how the actor, then a newcomer, would actively seek guidance on posing during photoshoots. In one memorable instance, he recalled Shah Rukh’s unquestioning dedication when asked to wade into a lake for a shot.

In a conversation with Vishal Malhotra on his YouTube channel, Dabboo reminisced, “When I shot Shah Rukh for the first time in Film City, he was still new to the industry. He asked, ‘How do I pose? I am not good at it.’ At first, I thought he was joking with me. Then I explained the poses, and he responded, ‘Nahi nahi, tu karke dikha (No, no, you show me). I’ll copy that.’ I initially thought he was kidding, but he was completely serious. By that time, he had already done a couple of films and literally copied the poses I demonstrated for him.” However, Dabboo was quick to clarify that despite this, he wasn’t responsible for Shah Rukh’s iconic pose.

Dabboo also highlighted Shah Rukh’s willingness to immerse himself in the photographer’s vision, showcasing the actor’s dedication and humility. He shared, “Shah Rukh is genuinely curious about what is going on in the director’s and photographer’s minds and aims to embody that vision. During one shoot, I decided to change our pre-planned setup and directed the cameras and lighting toward the lake. I asked him to walk into the lake so I could capture him coming out from it. Without questioning me even once, he took off his shoes and socks, wore his slippers, and just walked in. No natak, no nothing—he completely understood the vibe of the shoot.”

SRK will soon be seen in King, which will reportedly also star his daughter Suhana Khan and Munjya star Abhay Verma. At the Locarno Film Festival, Shah Rukh Khan also opened up about King for the first time and said, “It is an action drama, it’s a Hindi film. It’ll be interesting. I’ve been wanting to do a film like that for some time, and I really wanted to do a film like this for seven, eight years. We just felt Sujoy would be the right choice, because we wanted it to be very emotionally correct. We are all coming together to make a cool, massy, action, emotional film.”

King Khan further mentioned that despite his absence in Hollywood, his ultimate dream isn’t about personal fame on a global stage — it’s about something much larger. “My dream is to get that one Indian film to be seen with the kind of audience that a big Hollywood film is seen, whether I’m part of it as an actor, as a light man, as a producer, as a writer, as a presenter,” Khan revealed.