Tribute to a star

Shah Rukh Khan surrounded by fans

Shah Rukh Khan may be India’s superstar of all times but that does not mean his fans are restricted to India and the neighbouring countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Yes, in what can be called the flawless expression of being an ardent fan, 18-year-old Rene Lazar, a German, has managed to recreate two of King Khan’s songs –– the title track of “Kal Ho Naa Ho” and the song Challa from “Jab Tak Hai Jaan”. Thrilled about reception received for his creation, Rene says: “Actually, we did not expect our work to be so widely appreciated in India. We are overwhelmed by this. This has been a very encouraging experience.”

In an interview with Friday Review, Rene speaks about about his journey thus far, how he became such a fervent fan of the actor, how he recreated the songs and what more he has on his agenda.

Excerpts:

When did you first come to know about across Shah Rukh Khan?RK, the actor?

When I was eight or nine years old, my parents bought the first Bollywood movie. It was “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai”. The colours, the music and the great actors inspired me as a little boy, apart from SRK, of course. Unfortunately, in Germany, they release only four to six movies per year. But Bollywood movies sell a lot and we love watching Indian movies.

How did the idea of recreating the songs come about?

I have played being SRK even as a child. My father would gladly shoot photographs and videos of me posing as him. The first clip we made was of the song Dard-e-disco from “Om Shanti Om”. Finding a location to shoot the song from “Kal Ho Naa Ho” was difficult. We had to drive for hundreds of miles to find the right place. We just had to keep our eyes open, sometimes we found the place by accident and sometimes after a good day of research.

Do you understand Hindi? Are you a fan of other Bollywood actors? anyone else from Bollywood? Yes, of course. We watch everyone from Aamir Khan to Abhishek Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra, Amitabh Bachchan, Rani Mukherji and many more.

Tell us something about your childhood. Also have you visited India and met SRK?

I had the most beautiful childhood. When I was 12, my mother passed away but my father brought us up with utmost care and affection, he has done the best for us. He has shown us the way but we have to run it ourselves.

Unfortunately, not yet. But hopefully, my dad and I will visit Mumbai next year October. And no, I have not met SRK. That will be a dream come true moment for me. Who does not want to meet SRK?

What do you do for a living? Are you working on more such productions?

Well, I am training myself to be a part of industrial management. My father is an investigator. We are shooting for Suno Na from “Chalte Chalte”, Mitwa from “Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna” and some more. It is not easy because for the second song, we need a stadium as we want to stay as close to the original as possible. RBL Productions is not a company, it is just a name we have given. My father is the manager for everything, he is the one who plans the shoot completely.

(Rene’s video can be found on YouTube under the name “Tribute for Bollywood Fans Kal Ho Naa Ho”)