Rituraj Singh Credits Shah Rukh Khan for Acting Career Initiation, Explains Why He Never Sought Film Opportunities from SRK

“As his oldest friend, he would give me hugs and present me to others. On Shah Rukh Khan’s 50th birthday, late actor Rituraj Singh said, “He would invite me to his vanity van and we would smoke together.” At the age of 59, Rituraj passed away on Tuesday following a deadly cardiac arrest.

Before they even started acting on screen, Rituraj Singh and Shah Rukh Khan were students at Barry John’s TAG (Theatre Action Group), and Singh talked about how they grew close to one another then in an earlier interview with indianexpress.com. We used to talk about a wide range of life topics. At that age, everything is just ordinary, and you experience a daily high. Among other things, we used to practice together and play football. He had said, “Somewhere along the line, he realized that acting was what he wanted to do with his life. Thank God it worked out, or else we wouldn’t have a miraculous star like him today.”

Additionally, Rituraj claimed that Shah Rukh had inspired him to relocate to Mumbai and pursue a career in acting and that the two of them were “thick buddies” who frequently shared clothes. We had similar body shapes, so we could wear each other’s clothes. Those were the best days of my life, and we were really good friends. It was his insistence that I come to Mumbai to act. When he visited Delhi, he would ask me, “What are you doing here?” Let’s travel to Mumbai, please. You’re an amazing actor.

Rituraj gained popularity with TV shows like Banegi Apni Baat, Jyoti, Hitler Didi, Shapath, Warrior High, Aahat, Adaalat, Diya Aur Baati, and Anupamaa, among others, while SRK went on to become one of India’s biggest stars. He had stated, “I have never asked SRK for work because unlike others, I don’t suck up to him and ask for favours,” in reference to not approaching the actor about getting roles in movies. However, I am confident that SRK will be the first to get in touch with me if, heaven forbid, I find myself in a terrible situation the following day.