When Shah Rukh Khan was thrown out of the house because he couldn’t pay rent: "Hum 48 hours sadak par the, tabse mujhe cars, watches ka shauk nahi, bass mujhe..."

When Shah Rukh Khan was thrown out of the house because he couldn’t pay rent: "Hum 48 hours sadak par the, tabse mujhe cars, watches ka shauk nahi, bass mujhe..."

As Shah Rukh Khan turns 60, the world celebrates not just a film icon but a man whose journey from struggle to superstardom continues to move generations. Behind the confidence, wit, and glamour lies the story of someone who has truly lived through uncertainty, loss, and survival.

Ina throwback interview, Shah Rukh recalled a painful chapter from his early life, the time he and his family were thrown out of their home because they couldn’t pay rent. “The only fear is that my children should never be without a house. If you have a house and education, the world is at your feet,” he said. That fear wasn’t theoretical; it was born from experience.

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He shared, “If you don’t have a job and money, at least you’ll have a roof to sleep and cry under. I’ve slept on the roads. There have been times I’ve been thrown out of my house because we couldn’t pay the rent.” These words offer a glimpse of the vulnerability behind the man known to the world as King Khan, someone who built his empire not just on charm, but on sheer resilience.

In another conversation, Shah Rukh revisited that difficult phase with even greater candour. “In Delhi, when the landlord threw us out of the house, we spent 48 hours on the streets. And of course, when my mother returned home, the people who had thrown us out — my mother threw them out instead, and brought us back into that house.” He even joked about how the experience shaped his perspective on material things: “Hum 48 hours sadak par the aur tabse mujhe cars, watches ka shauk nahi, mera bass ek he shauk hai ki mera ghar, ek aashiyana ho.”

Also Read: When Shah Rukh Khan revealed what his kids fill in the ‘Religion’ column, “Main Musalman Hoon, Wife Hindu Hai, Bacche Hindustan Hai”

He also spoke about an even earlier memory of losing his childhood home. “And there’s just one more thing I truly long for, maybe it’s greed, but in a good way, it’s for a home, a place to belong, a little nest. When we were kids, our house was seized… people here in Mumbai might not even know what kurki means, in the North, kurki means when the house is taken away because of debt.”

Years later, Shah Rukh would go on to buy Mannat, the now-iconic bungalow in Mumbai that symbolizes his long climb from homelessness to security. But for him, Mannat isn’t just a mansion; it’s an emotional anchor. “People will always remember me for Mannat. It belittles my other achievements but it’s okay. Beyond your house, whatever you get is value addition. As they say, you’re not going to eat money and the food won’t taste better if you eat from a silver plate. I eat the same food, I wear the same clothes. I have four pairs of jeans. How much ever people may think differently of me, I’m exactly the way I was 20 years ago.”

Today, as he stands at the pinnacle of success, Shah Rukh Khan’s story serves as a reminder that home isn’t just a place, it’s a promise. A promise he made to himself long ago on the cold streets of Delhi: that his children would never know what it feels like to sleep without a roof over their heads.