Tim P. Whitby—Getty Images for The Red Sea International Film Festival

I’ll never forget the first time I met Shah Rukh Khan. I had just arrived in Mumbai from Bangalore with one suitcase and a dream. The next thing I knew, I was sitting in his house! I was being considered for a role in a film opposite him.

It’s been 16 years since. What makes our relationship special is the love, trust, and respect we have for one another.

Shah Rukh Khan will forever be known as one of the greatest actors of all time. But what truly sets him apart is his mind, his chivalry, his generosity. The list goes on …

For someone who has known him intimately and cares for him deeply, 150 words will never do justice to the phenomenon that is Shah Rukh Khan.

Padukone is an actor and the founder of the Live Love Laugh Foundation for mental health

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