Shah Rukh Khan was a ‘true chain smoker’, would light one cigarette with another: Pradeep Rawat

Pradeep Rawat said that although Shah Rukh Khan has an admirable dedication towards his work, he shared his surprise at his chain-smoking habit.

Shah Rukh Khan's co-star in Koyla, Pradeep Rawat, is expressing his surprise when he saw the star smoke multiple cigarettes on set. In an interview with Siddharth Kannan, Pradeep shared his experience shooting for Rakesh Roshan’s Koyla, which starred Shah Rukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit in the lead roles. He called Shah Rukh a ‘true chain smoker.’ (Also read: Salman Khan, not Aamir Khan was 1st choice for Ghajini: Pradeep Rawat reveals why 'short-tempered' actor was not cast)

What Pradeep said

Shah Rukh Khan and Pradeep Rawat worked together in Koyla.

In the interview, he said, “I wasn’t close to Shah Rukh during the shooting, but he was always well-mannered and a wonderful person. One thing I remember vividly is that I haven’t seen any other actor smoke as much as he did. He would light a cigarette, use it to light another, and then light yet another one. He was a true chain smoker. Nonetheless, his dedication to the film was undeniable."

'Hrithik would come in the evening to give the script to Johnny Lever'

Pradeep also shared about Hrithik Roshan on the set of Koyla, where he was the assistant director. “Hrithik Roshan was an assistant director in Koyla. I remember Hrithik would come in the evening to give the script to Johnny Lever. Rakesh ji is a very large-hearted person and if any evening passed without a party, then it wasn’t a film shot by Rakesh Roshan. He used to call everyone and there would be food and everything. Then they would go to a disco. He would knock on everyone’s door and call everybody,” he added.

Shah Rukh was last seen in Rajkumar Hirani's Dunki.