Hina Khan has shared a memorable story from the early phase of her television career, recalling the time she met Shah Rukh Khan on a flight and nervously waited for the superstar to wake up so she could ask for a photograph. What stayed with her, however, was not simply meeting Shah Rukh, but the fact that he remembered his promise and made sure they got the picture before the journey ended.
For many actors, meeting Shah Rukh Khan for the first time can become an unforgettable career memory. For Hina Khan, that moment happened unexpectedly on a flight, when she was still relatively new to the entertainment industry.
Hina recently revisited the encounter while speaking with Rocky Jaiswal, Rubina Dilaik and Abhinav Shukla on the podcast POV. She recalled being surprised to discover that Shah Rukh was seated next to her and described the nervousness she felt about approaching one of the biggest stars in Indian cinema.
The story ultimately became even more memorable because Shah Rukh, despite appearing exhausted, remembered that he had promised her a photograph.
Hina Khan Was Still New to the Industry
When Hina met Shah Rukh, she had been working on ** Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai ** for around a year and a half.
At that stage, she was still establishing herself in the television industry and was far from the level of recognition she would eventually achieve.
Hina recalled how surreal it felt to suddenly find herself sitting beside Shah Rukh Khan.
“The first time I met SRK, we were on the same flight. It had been a year and a half since my show Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai had started. I was very new in the industry.”
For someone who had only recently entered show business, encountering a superstar of Shah Rukh’s stature in such an ordinary setting naturally created a moment of hesitation.
Shah Rukh Khan Was Asleep
Hina’s first challenge was simple: Shah Rukh was sleeping.
Rather than immediately disturbing him, she waited.
She recalled looking at him and taking a moment to process the fact that she was actually sitting beside him.
“I saw him sitting next to me. I took a deep breath and saw again that he was sleeping. I couldn’t believe it.”
The situation became a mixture of excitement and nervousness.
Hina wanted a photograph but did not know when it would be appropriate to approach him.
For a young actor meeting a superstar she admired, the hesitation was understandable.
The Coffee Break Gave Hina an Opportunity
Eventually, Shah Rukh woke up for coffee.
That gave Hina the opportunity she had been waiting for.
She asked whether she could get a photograph with him.
According to Hina’s recollection, Shah Rukh told her to wait and assured her that they would take a picture.
But after having his coffee, the actor went back to sleep.
That left Hina waiting once again.
The episode might sound amusing in retrospect, but for someone meeting one of India’s biggest film stars for the first time, the uncertainty made the moment particularly memorable.
Hina Thought She Had Missed Her Chance
As the flight came to an end, Hina began to assume that the photograph might not happen.
She had asked him, he had said yes, but the journey was nearly over.
“Once we landed, I thought I missed the chance…”
At that point, she could easily have walked away without the photograph.
Instead, Shah Rukh remembered their earlier conversation.
That is the detail Hina appears to remember most clearly.
Shah Rukh Remembered His Promise
Hina said that after the flight landed, Shah Rukh got up, called her and made sure they took the photograph.
“He got up, called me, and clicked a picture.”
For Hina, the significance of the moment went beyond getting a celebrity photograph.
She had been nervous about approaching him in the first place, and after waiting through the flight, she had assumed the opportunity had disappeared.
The fact that Shah Rukh remembered his promise turned the encounter into a lasting memory.
It is also the kind of small interaction that often stays with people long after much bigger professional moments have passed.
Shah Rukh Was Reportedly Exhausted
Hina also recalled that Shah Rukh appeared extremely tired during the journey.
According to her account, the actor had been occupied with film promotion at the time and had reportedly gone several days without getting enough sleep.
That context made his decision to remember the photograph even more meaningful from Hina’s perspective.
Instead of simply forgetting the brief conversation after returning to sleep, he followed through once they arrived.
It was a small gesture, but one that left an impression on the young actor.
A Different Kind of Celebrity Encounter
Celebrity encounters often become memorable because of dramatic circumstances.
Hina’s story is different.
There was no red carpet, film premiere or formal introduction.
There was simply a flight, an exhausted actor, a nervous young television performer and a photograph that almost did not happen.
That ordinary setting is perhaps what makes the anecdote so relatable.
For audiences, Shah Rukh Khan is one of the most recognisable figures in Indian cinema.
For Hina at that particular stage of her career, however, he was also the superstar sitting beside her on a plane.
The contrast between those two perspectives gives the story its warmth.
Hina’s Early ‘Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai’ Phase
Hina’s meeting with Shah Rukh took place during the early years of her association with Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai.
The television series had become an important platform for her career, and her portrayal of Akshara helped establish her as a household name.
Her work on the show eventually gave her a strong television following, which she later expanded through reality television and other acting projects.
Looking back now, the flight encounter represents a very different point in her career.
She was still the relatively new actor who was excited and nervous about meeting a superstar.
Years later, she had established a substantial career of her own.
Abhinav Shukla Also Shared a Shah Rukh Memory
During the same conversation, Abhinav Shukla recalled his own encounter with Shah Rukh Khan.
Shukla spoke about meeting the actor during his modelling days and praised Shah Rukh for taking the time to stand up and shake his hand even while he was engaged in another conversation.
The two anecdotes therefore shared a common theme.
Both Hina and Abhinav remembered Shah Rukh not simply because of his celebrity status, but because of a small gesture of personal interaction.
Such moments often contribute to the enduring reputation of major stars.
Why These Stories Continue to Resonate
Stories about Shah Rukh Khan’s interactions with other actors continue to attract attention partly because his career has made him such a prominent figure in Indian popular culture.
But the most interesting celebrity anecdotes are often not about awards or box-office records.
They are about small moments.
A greeting.
A handshake.
A photograph.
A promise remembered.
For Hina, the photograph represented a memorable encounter at a time when she was still finding her place in the entertainment industry.
The fact that she can recall the sequence so clearly years later suggests just how significant the experience was to her.
From a Nervous Fan to an Established Actor
There is also a larger career arc hidden inside Hina’s story.
When she met Shah Rukh on that flight, she was still relatively new to the industry.
Since then, Hina has built a career spanning television, reality shows, films and digital projects.
She became one of the most recognisable faces to emerge from Indian television and subsequently expanded her work beyond the medium that first made her famous.
The young actor waiting nervously for a photograph on the flight is therefore very different from the established performer audiences know today.
That contrast makes the memory particularly nostalgic.
Shah Rukh Khan’s Next Big Project
Meanwhile, Shah Rukh Khan continues to prepare for his next major screen appearance in ** King **, directed by Siddharth Anand.
The film is also expected to feature Suhana Khan, marking an important on-screen collaboration between the father-daughter duo.
As Shah Rukh enters another major phase of his career, stories from his earlier years continue to remind audiences why seemingly ordinary interactions with him can become lasting memories for fellow performers.
The Final Takeaway
Hina Khan’s story is ultimately a simple one: she saw Shah Rukh Khan sleeping beside her on a flight, gathered the courage to ask for a photograph, waited while he returned to sleep and eventually assumed the opportunity had passed.
But Shah Rukh remembered.
After landing, according to Hina’s recollection, he called her over and made sure they took the photograph.
Years later, the detail she remembers is not merely that she met one of India’s biggest stars.
It is that he kept his word.
For a young actor at the beginning of her career, that small gesture transformed an unexpected meeting on a flight into a story worth remembering—and sharing years later.
