Shah Rukh Khan may now have his own style of acting, but that was not always the case. The actor has often admitted that in his initial days he would imitate Dilip Kumar and part of the reason for this was his mother.
Recalling those days, King Khan says, “My mother thought that I looked like Dilip Kumar. And this, only an Indian mother can say. It was just the faith of a mother. She even wished that I would become like Dilip Kumar when I grew up. Not realising that it could never happen.”

And it never did. As SRK developed his own style, he became famous for that. However, when the actor played the iconic role of Devdas previously essayed by the legendary Dilip Kumar himself, he faced the same quandary. People compared the two, and for obvious reasons. Says SRK, “There should be no comparison at all. It is completely wrong to speak about both the performances in the same line. We should stop comparing actors and their work. It is not a car or a shirt, but heartfelt emotions. And you can never compare emotions.”

That doesn’t belie the fact though, that often actors, including SRK, turn to the veteran star for acting cues. “No one can dare to copy an actor like Dilip Kumar. And all those who do it are idiots, like me! You can’t imitate him,” admits SRK.