Nikitin Dheer recalls being nervous during Chennai Express trailer launch, says, “Shah Rukh Khan grabbed me by the hand and pulled me forward”

Shah Rukh Khan is celebrated Bollywood stars, often praised by their co-stars. Recently, Nikitin Dheer, who has worked with him, shared his experience in an interview. During a candid conversation with Siddharth Kannan, Nikitin Dheer recollected memories of his working on Rohit Shetty’s directorial Chennai Express with Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone. He recalled King Khan telling him that a hero is only as intimidating as a villain, while he encouraged him to not hold himself back while performing the action scenes. 

Nikitin Dheer on working with Shah Rukh Khan

Nikitin reminisced about working on Rohit Shetty’s ‘Chennai Express’ with Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone. He recalled King Khan telling him that a hero is only as intimidating as a villain and encouraging him to give his all in action scenes. Nikitin remembered feeling overwhelmed on the first day of shooting, seeing Deepika and SRK with their entourage. He shared, “I would sit in the corner and do my thing, but the magnanimity of Shah Rukh Khan… Instead of calling me to him, he brought his own chair next to me and sat down. I’ll never forget it.”

Wihing a very Happy Birthday to @iamsrk one of the kindest people and most generous co actors one could ask for, sir i have learnt so much from u, thank u for being the man u r..wish u a year full of health and happiness.. Love & respect always 🙏🏽#HappyBirthdayShahRukhKhan pic.twitter.com/UDTNa1jcWt

— Nikitin Dheer (@nikitindheer) November 2, 2019

He also recounted a scene where he had to grab Shah Rukh’s cheek and say, “Tu apne aap ko bada hero samajhta hai kya (Who do you think you are)?” Feeling nervous, Nikitin kept discussing the scene with SRK, who reassured him, “Do whatever you want, however, you want to do it. The more intimidating you are, the better the scene will be.” Despite his initial hesitation, especially after SRK’s shoulder surgery, Nikitin was encouraged by both Shah Rukh and Rohit Shetty to fully commit to the action scenes. The intense fight sequence between him and SRK spanned 8–9 days without cables or duplicates.

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Nikitin also fondly remembered his first film promotion experience, being invited to stand with the cast during the trailer launch. He said, “I was totally dumbfounded by the audience’s reaction at the trailer launch because I was a nobody. I was standing behind everybody because I didn’t want to block the crowd’s view, but then Shah sir grabbed me by the hand and pulled me forward. He said, ‘Out of these 1000 people, even if 20 come for your character, it’s a good thing’.”

Nikitin shares his experience working with Salman Khan

Describing it as the ‘best experience,’ Nikitin realised that maintaining stardom is a different level of accomplishment. Having worked with both Salman Khan in ‘Dabangg 2’ and Shah Rukh, he acknowledged their unparalleled stardom. He called them the last of the stars, highlighting the euphoria around them. Nikitin also shared an example from ‘Dabangg 2’ where even 50 bodyguards were insufficient to control the crowd gathered to see Salman. He noted that when Salman asked the crowd to move aside, they did so out of sheer love and respect for him.

Through these anecdotes, Nikitin emphasised the extraordinary star power and enduring appeal of both Shah Rukh and Salman Khan.

Also Read: New parents Kratika Sengar and Nikitin Dheer reveal the name of their newborn baby girl