44th Birthday Of Bollywood’s Shahrukh Khan

MUMBAI: Shah Rukh Khan the superstar enters a make-or-break year on Monday — and 375 of his die-hard fans in Calcutta are seeking divine intervention to beat his 44th birthday blues. “SRK has been facing some personal and professional problems recently, so we thought of beginning the day with puja and rituals for him. We want him to emerge as the number one hero again,” said Arnab Roy, secretary of the 12-year-old Shah Rukh Khan Fan Club, at the thermocol-and-plywood shrine built for their screen god in Rajarhat

MUMBAI: Shah Rukh Khan the superstar enters a make-or-break year on Monday — and 375 of his die-hard fans in Calcutta are seeking divine intervention to beat his 44th birthday blues.

“SRK has been facing some personal and professional problems recently, so we thought of beginning the day with puja and rituals for him.

We want him to emerge as the number one hero again,” said Arnab Roy, secretary of the 12-year-old Shah Rukh Khan Fan Club, at the thermocol-and-plywood shrine built for their screen god in Rajarhat.

As he steps into his 45th year, the beleaguered badshah of Bollywood is battling a below-par box office, two Khans gunning for him, a Kumar packing a punch, a Roshan going strong, a host of young actors flexing their muscles, his endorsement count dropping and his Kolkata Knight Riders on a losing streak.

Reason enough for his fan club in KKR country to pray for his success, on screens big and small and on the cricket pitch.

“It took regular meetings every Sunday to plan it and one week to put together this 6ft-by-4ft temple created by pandal artisans from Girish Park. This is our gift to SRK and the puja is for his continued reign at the top, his family’s well being and for KKR to emerge champions at IPL 2010,” said Roy.

There will be a daylong puja at the Rajarhat address complete with a yagna at an altar painted in KKR’s black-and-gold colours.

The post-puja party will see actress Pallavie cutting the three-tier birthday cake.