On Sunday evening, if you had looked closely at the crowd huddled outside Shah Rukh Khan’s Bandra Bandstand bungalow Mannat, chances are that you would have noticed this foreign couple among them. Ireneusz Wroblewski, a 42-year-old from Poland and his wife Alexandra have come all the way to India just to catch a glimpse of Shah Rukh Khan’s home.
“One of the main reasons why we are in Mumbai is because of Shah Rukh Khan. My wife loves his movies, so do I. We’d watched this area and the house on YouTube and were prepared to be among the people who throng this gate,” said Ireneusz. “We wanted to do the same, click photographs and also see around the area where the star lives, the road where he walks,” he added.
Alexandra, his wife, turned more heads around the Bandstand Promenade area as she flaunted an ‘I love SRK’ T-shirt and a chain with the star’s name inscribed in Hindi.
“I bought this t-shirt from Poland for 10 dollars,” she said. Yes, you read that right. Unfortunately, she did not know about Linking Road or Colaba before she landed here.
Talking about why they hero-worship SRK, she said, “Shah Rukh’s movies are very popular in Poland. People are actually this crazy. Yes, not many come to India just to see his house. But having access to Bollywood films, it is easier to fall for his charisma.”
Alexandra wears a chain that has ‘Shah Rukh’ inscribed in Devnagri (Photos: Aniket Mitra)
Apparently, Shah Rukh’s role in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi left an indelible mark on Polish minds. Even Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham had a massive opening there.
But the couple’s favourite, they said, is, “My Name Is Khan and Kal Ho Na Ho.”
Why? “It speaks about the people, the love for mankind, peace and brotherhood. People in Poland love that,” said Ireneusz.
When asked why they love Shah Rukh among so many superstars around in the industry, they said: “He seems to be a nice man. He is of good character and loves his family, just like I do. Many celebrities go astray in the world of glamour but he is not like that,” added Ireneusz.
Alexandra asserted that she is also aware of the fact that the star owns a cricket team.
“I also know Kolkata Knight Riders but sadly, cricket isn’t much popular in our country. Hence, we do not get to watch his team in action,” she said.
Even though they are such passionate followers of SRK, they don’t mind playing critics too, when they deem necessary. They were honest to confess that they did not like Om Shanti Om.
However, before capturing the mansion in their camera, they said their trip would have been complete had they met Shah Rukh. “If I met him, I would have told him how much my wife loves him,” said Ireneusz. “It would have been great to at least shake hands with him,” said Alexandra.
