Shah Rukh Khan gifted John Abraham a bike after he chose sleep over ‘Pathaan’ success bash

John Abraham, Shah Rukh Khan Pic/Instagram, AFP

Bollywood action hero John Abraham, who is on a promotional spree for his latest film ‘Vedaa', appeared as a guest on comedian Zakir Khan's chat show ‘Aapka Apna Zakir'. John shared an interesting anecdote from his time working with Shah Rukh Khan in the film ‘Pathaan'. The film showed John lock horns with King Khan as the primary antagonist.

When the film became one of the highest-grossing projects in Indian cinema, an elated Shah Rukh asked John to join him for a success bash. However, the actor who is a fitness enthusiast avoided the social convention and chose sleep instead. When SRK asked him what does he want, John settled for his favourite - a bike.

John recalled, "My last film Pathaan was with Shah Rukh. I remember there was a success party after the film's release, and Shah Rukh was like, ‘Come on John, let's party! Apni picture chal rahi hai. Achha opening mila hai.' I said that I wanted to stay home and sleep. Toh unhone bola kya chahiye tumhe? Maine bola ek motorcycle de do bas. Toh unhone mujhe motorcycle gift ki. Main khush ho ke gaya ghar. (I remember, after the film, there was a success party and Shah Rukh was very excited. I told him that I wanted to stay home and sleep, and he asked me what I wanted. I told him that I wanted a bike, and he gave me one)."

Helmed by Siddharth Anand, 'Pathaan', which was released in 2023 also stars Deepika Padukone in the lead role. Apart from "seeti maar" dialogues and high-octane action scenes, it's Salman Khan's extended cameo as Tiger that has made the film more special. 'Pathaan' will always remain special for SRK and his fans as the film marked SRK's first hit after his sabbatical of four years post delivering a series of duds like 'Zero' and 'Jab Harry Met Sejal'.

Coming to ‘Vedaa', the action thriller also stars Sharvari and Tamannaah Bhatia. Helmed by Nikkhil Advani, the film is described as a "powerful story of resilience and the indomitable human spirit." It follows the journey of a young woman, Vedaa (Sharvari), who dares to challenge the status quo. Her fight for justice is fuelled by the unwavering support of a former soldier (John) who becomes her shield and her weapon. The film was released on August 15.