Shah Rukh Khan reveals how he met billionaire who built Burj Khalifa: 'At a dhaba'

Shah Rukh Khan with Mohamed Ali Alabbar in Dubai

Shah Rukh Khan opened up about his friendship with the Emirati billionaire who built Burj Khalifa at a recent event in Dubai. Khan was in Dubai for the launch of a new project by Emaar Properties when he spoke about his friendship with Mohamed Ali Alabbar and recounted their first meeting.

Alabbar is the founder and chairman of Emaar Properties and the developer of the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building. He shared the stage with Shah Rukh Khan at the launch of Oasis Emaar, where the Indian superstar revealed that their friendship goes back several years.

Shah Rukh Khan said he met Mohamed Ali Alabbar through a common friend when Dubai was just becoming the bustling metropolitan it is today.

“A common friend of ours introduced me to Mohamed Ali Alabbar. Then, I decided to visit his office. At that time, Dubai was beginning to become what it has become today. And, I was expecting to go to a lush office,” said Khan.

“But Mohamed Ali Alabbar took me to a place that we call a chai shop. It was somewhere in the corner… outside of the city somewhere, small benches… What, in India, we call a dhaba,” he explained.

He concluded by saying that despite his surprise at seeing the billionaire’s office, the two went on to have lovely chai.

Shah Rukh Khan has close ties with the city of Dubai – he reportedly owns a mansion named Jannat on the island of Palm Jumeirah in Dubai. In 2016, the Pathaan actor was appointed brand ambassador of Dubai. He is also the first Indian to be given the UAE golden visa.