When Shah Rukh Khan called Priyanka Chopra 'my tame rat' and latter said, "His eyes are the se*iest"

It feels like a lifetime ago, but in 2006 when Don released, Shah Rukh Khan and Priyanka Chopra created the kind of on-screen chemistry that can’t be manufactured. Directed by Farhan Akhtar, the slick action thriller was their first film together  and it set off a wave of rumours, interviews, and flirtatious soundbites that Bollywood still remembers.

Priyanka had long been vocal about her admiration for Shah Rukh Khan, long before Don. In fact, she’d declared her crush on him as early as 2003, when she was still carving her space in the industry. Speaking to Cine Blitz, she said, “What’s sexy about Shah Rukh? Everything! He’s my favouritest! In the song Suraj Hua Maddham, dressed in those loose kurtas... mmm, he looks absolutely sexy. His eyes are the sexiest… they can look right through you. I’ve always had a huge crush on Shah Rukh Khan. Not the ‘I-love-you-want-to-marry-you’ kind — it’s more like idolisation. I just love everything about the man. He can’t go wrong anywhere.”

By the time Don went into production in Malaysia, her words had taken on a life of their own. It was the first time in Shah Rukh Khan’s 15-year career that gossip columns seriously speculated about his closeness with a co-star. Magazines brimmed with stories about how the superstar “looked after Priyanka on set,” and how she seemed “smitten.” What gave these stories a spark was the easy chemistry the two shared off-screen, especially during interviews where Shah Rukh’s signature wit met Priyanka’s quickfire charm.

In one such memorable exchange with The Times of India, when asked if Priyanka was like the “jungli billi” he calls her in Don, Shah Rukh replied with that effortless mix of humour and mischief: “She’s my tame rat.” Priyanka shot back immediately, “I’m not a rat, and I’m certainly not tamed. Please find a better-looking animal to compare me to.” Shah Rukh, always the gentleman in his teasing, quickly adjusted: “Ok, she’s my tame rabbit. Look, I am extremely, extremely, extremely fond of her and I have a huge amount of genuine love and respect for her talent.”