Shah Rukh Khan Recalls Protests When He Married Gauri; Says 'They Threw Stones At My Friend...'

Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri’s love story began when they crossed paths at a party. Although they faced some difficulties along the way and separated for a while, it all changed when Gauri decided to take a vacation to Mumbai with her friends. Determined to win her back, Shah Rukh traveled to the city and searched for her at various beaches, knowing her love for swimming. Thankfully, he found her at the final beach he visited, and right from that moment onward, their relationship only got stronger. But right before getting married the duo had to face a lot of trouble. Shah Rukh Khan initially faced resistance from Gauri’s family and later opposition from certain religious institutions regarding his intention to marry a woman outside his religion.

In an interview with BBC, the actor had shared that had he been in place of Gauri’s parents, even he would not have let his daughter get married to someone like him. He shared, “Now I look ok, I wear a suit and my hair is combed back. But at that time, I had hair all over here (pointing towards his forehead) and I was from a different religion. I wanted to be an actor. So, with this combination, if somebody came up to me and if I had a daughter and they said, ‘See my head is like this, I am from a different religion, and I want to be a film star’, I would say, ‘Just pack your bags and get out of the house before I kick you out’. So, I think they were completely right in not wanting their daughter to marry me.”

While Gauri’s family eventually approved of the marriage, the problems were far from over. Shah Rukh Khan added, “We had protests outside of the house. Fortunately, I didn’t have a house in my name, so I had given a friend’s address. Instead of throwing stones at me, they were throwing stones at him. My friend Sanjay was calling me saying, ‘They are throwing stones at my house’. That happened. So, we had to keep it (their marriage) a little under the wrap and get it done.”

Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan finally exchanged wedding vows on October 25, 1991. They have been happily married for more than three decades now and are blessed with two sons and one daughter – Aryan, AbRam and Suhana Khan.