The King’s out, but Mannat darshan is still a must

Opposite Shah Rukh Khanrsquos Mannat mdash the sprawling bungalow in Bandra that now holds the status of an iconic spot in the city mdash Kiran Pal Singh serves up a bit of the superstar from his crate every day With chutney on the side he dishes up what he likes to call ldquoShah Rukh Khan ka samosardquo Itrsquos R15 each and the satisfaction is unlimitedldquoMain 30 saal se bech raha hoon I have been selling it from past 30 yearsrdquo he tells us But itrsquos not the same any more Singh remarks Khan and his family have temporarily moved out of Mannat which is undergoing renovation and will return only after two yearsSingh who moved to Mumbai from Ghaziabad in 1995 and lives a shanty in Bandra East begins his day at noon and sells samosas and tea till 10 in the night ldquoI have seen Shah Rukh Khan a thousand times When his fans come to see him this area where we are sitting is full Now that he is not there khaali hai Bohot kam log aa rahe hainrdquo he saysThe road outside Mannat wears a deserted look save for visits from diehard fans such as Minhaj Hassan and his daughter Manara PicsAshish RajeFor fans Shah Rukh Khan is an emotion But for Singh and many like him the superstar connotes something far more urgent mdash their livelihood Guddu Prajapati who has been selling Fryums outside Mannat for 25 years now says ldquoWhoever knows that Mannat has gone under renovation is not coming here There was a time that if a car exited Mannat the public would crowd up hoping to see him Him moving out has affected the number of fans who used to come to see Mannat Dhande pe asar toh pahucha hi hai Hamaara dhanda unhi ke vaaste chalta hairdquo he sharesA regular day for autorickshaw driver Ravindra Tank starts from the eastern suburb of Bhandup Every tourist he gets he first brings them to Mannat ldquoMost of them want to see SRKrsquos house and they believe theyrsquoll get to see him at some point They then continue Mumbai darshan Some fans have made me wait all day as they wait that long for one glimpse of the superstar There are people who still donrsquot know that he is not here for the time beingrdquo he saysThe road overlooking Mannat is quieter than usual The tiny area where families fought to find space to get clicked next to the Mannat board is now able to accommodate the few that are still visiting They are all aware that their favourite star has left ldquoSo what if Shah Rukh is not here His house still isrdquo says an ardent fan from Karnataka who took a Mumbai trip with her family especially to see MannatAn SRK fan shows his friends how itrsquos doneldquoI have loved him for over 20 years now Who doesnrsquot love Shah Rukh I have visited Mumbai in the past as well but somehow couldnrsquot make it to Mannat So this time I decided we have to see itrdquo she says gazing fondly at the bungalowKhan bought Mannat in 2001 and over the years developed a ritual of waving at his fans from the terrace on special occasions Even those who could only watch on television the visuals of the actor opening his arms wide for the sea of fans standing below it made them feel they were right there with himAs Minhaj Hassan a visitor from Bengaluru puts it ldquoMy fiveyearold daughter Manara has been his fan since she was two She has seen his iconic pose and copies it at home She has been wanting to see this house for a very long time Of course we read in the news that Mannat was undergoing renovation We were little disappointed but we still wanted to visit have a look at it and go back It wasnrsquot about meeting Shah Rukh in person I was just telling Manara lsquoHe comes out and stands in the balconyrsquo So she said lsquoOh Itrsquos so close I also want to come and stand herersquo She is already wishing she meets himrdquo He laughs as he makes Manara sit on his shoulders to get a better view of MannatRickshaw driver Ravindra Tank Samosa seller Kiran Pal Singh Fryums seller Guddu Prajapati Bhavika BarotAnil Sharma a fan from Rajasthan says ldquoI have been to Mumbai before but couldnrsquot visit Mannat But this time when I came I decided to have a look at it I am loving it I felt bad knowing that I am here to see his house but he is not living here right now I have grown up watching him and his movies It used to feel so nice to see him come out and wave at his fans from Mannat Thatrsquos a beautiful memory for all of us It would make us want to come to Mumbai and stand outside his house Of course we canrsquot speak to him but the thought of standing outside Mannat and seeing him up there is so reassuring He wonrsquot be here for another two years at least but I would still come to Mannat on every Mumbai visit because this place gives me joy Mann hi nahi bharta Aisa lagta hai ki bas dekhte hi raheinrdquoA slight sadness is reflected on Bhavika Barotrsquos face too She travelled from Jamnagar in Gujarat to see where Shah Rukh Khan lives ldquoItne door se aayein hain toh achchha lagta agar woh yahaan aate Par hum toh aate rahenge chahe woh kitna bhi waqt lein wapas aane meinrdquo she says before adjusting her pose for a picture next to MannatKolkatabased youth Shomodeep is here with his cousins who are all of 20 but call Khan their love guru ldquoWe have learnt romance from him He grew old and we grew up with himrdquo one of them says Shomodeep tells us that he had wanted to visit Mannat since he first saw DDLJ ldquoJust the prospect of him sleeping in his room or gymming would have been much more exciting It feels a little sad But I am happy that I got to see his residence Shah Rukh represents the prospect of hard work that a commoner can reach so far and become a global icon And Mannat is the symbol of that success It shows you that you can come from the lowest level and reach to the very toprdquo he smilesTank has been a witness to these fan emotions ldquoI see them making video calls to their relatives in their hometowns and showing them Mannat Their eyes light up I love seeing that love and in return it also helps my business So it is a winwin for all of us and itrsquos only because of Shah Rukhrdquo While his fans across the globe wait for him to dazzle them on the big screen with his next film Guddu has only one wish ldquoWoh jaldi waapas aa jaaye Public aati hai unko dekhne ke liye toh humhi ka khaati hairdquoatOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params