When Shah Rukh Khan persuaded former attorney general Mukul Rohtagi's wife to get him fight Aryan Khan’s case: ‘I am a father’

Shah Rukh Khan and Aryan Khan

In 2021, Shah Rukh Khan went to a very difficult phase of his life where he had to see his child becoming the centre of a national controvery.

When his son Aryan Khan was arrested in the now-infamous drugs-on-cruise case, the superstar didn’t sit back or let others take the reins.

He stepped up — not as a celebrity, but as a father. And now, former Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi has shared just how far Shah Rukh went to protect his son.

At the time, Mukul was on a holiday in the UK, trying to take a break. The case was already making headlines across the country, but it wasn’t the media frenzy that got the senior advocate involved — it was a heartfelt request from a father.

“I got a call from somebody close to Mr Khan saying he wants you to argue the case in Bombay High Court. I refused... I didn't want to break my holiday,” Mukul recalled on The Legal Side of Things for Rupublic TV.

But Shah Rukh wasn’t ready to take no for an answer. Not this time. “Somehow, Mr Khan got my number and he called me, and I told him the same thing… He is a great actor and he said, ‘can I speak to your wife?’” It wasn’t about pulling rank — it was about being human. When Shah Rukh spoke to Mukul’s wife, he said gently, “I'm a father.” That was enough.

Moved by his sincerity and the raw emotion in his voice, Mukul agreed to take the case. Shah Rukh even offered him a private jet to return to Mumbai — a gesture of gratitude and urgency.

“I didn’t take it… I’m not very fond of small jets,” Rohatgi smiled. “So I flew down, and Shah Rukh had himself checked into the same hotel I usually stay at — Trident, Nariman Point.”

What stood out was how involved the actor was. Not just emotionally, but intellectually. “He had made a lot of notes and points... He discussed them with me. We argued the case, bail was granted, and I flew back to spend the rest of my holidays.”

Today, Aryan has moved forward, making his directorial debut with The Ba***ds of Bollywood, now streaming on Netflix. But behind that success story lies a father who quietly fought one of his hardest battles — not in front of the camera, but in court, beside his son.