When Shah Rukh Khan said, 'nobody is going to kill me... I'm an international treasure now'

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan on Thursday, received a death threat, the Mumbai police confirmed on Thursday. The threat to the actor follows a series of death and extortion threats issued to fellow Bollywood star Salman Khan.

A case was registered by the Bandra police against the unknown caller under sections 308(4) (extortion involving threats of death or serious injury) and 351(3)(4) (criminal intimidation) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Those keeping up with SRK, will know that this is not the first time that he has been on the receiving end of death threats and extortion demands. Back in the '90s, when the actor established himself as a reigning Bollywood star, he faced a chilling threat from notorious underworld don, Abu Salem. At the time, senior police officer Rakesh Maria informed director Mahesh Bhatt that Salem had set his sights on Shah Rukh, as he apparently declined a film project backed by the underworld don's associate.


Alarmed by the news, Shah Rukh quickly surrounded himself and his home with security personnel. However, that didn't stop Salem from reaching out to the actor via telephone and threatening the actor, demanding an explanation for the actor’s choice to turn down the proposed film.

In Anupama Chopra’s book, King of Bollywood: Shah Rukh Khan and the Seductive World of Indian Cinema, SRK opened up about a conversation he had with Salem, where the gangster reportedly told him, "Log bolte the tu bahut proudy hai lekin tu bada sharif hai. Abhi police ki zaroorat nahin tereko. Main nahin maroonga (People say you are very proud, but you’re actually decent. You don’t need the police. I won’t kill you)."

Despite this assurance, Shah Rukh’s security remained tight, as Salem continued to call frequently and tell the actor that "he could see me." Reflecting on this period, Shah Rukh said, “It was like living under a telescope. It was very depressing and very scary.”


In the book, the actor also noted one memorable exchange, when Salem suggested film projects. Shah Rukh replied, "I told him, I don’t tell you who to shoot, so don’t tell me which film to do."

Eventually, as the actor "got very disturbed", he chose to make security changes for his family’s well-being. He replaced police security with a private guard and invested in a bulletproof car. In a characteristic display of humour, he quipped, "Nobody is going to kill me. I’m an international treasure now."

Meanwhile, as far as the latest death threat against Khan is concerned, Raipur Senior Superintendent of Police Santosh Singh said to PTI, "Mumbai police visited Raipur and summoned a man, identified as Faizan Khan, who lives within the limits of Pandri police station."

As per preliminary information, the threat call to the actor was made from a phone number registered in the name of Faizan. He has been asked to appear for questioning at Bandra police station, Singh added.



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