Turkish actor Hande Erçel denies calling Shah Rukh Khan ‘uncle’ amid furore, puts an end to viral rumours

Turkish actor Hande Erçel had to issue a clarification after a screengrab went viral claiming that she had called Shah Rukh Khan an ‘uncle’.

Updated on: Jan 21, 2026, 15:40:35 IST

By Neeshita Nyayapati

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Ever since the Joy Awards took place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on January 17, Turkish actor Hande Erçel has been making headlines in India for various reasons. The most recent being a claim that she referred to Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan as ‘uncle’ on her Instagram stories. The actor finally put an end to rumours.

Turkish actor Hande Ercel's name has constantly been brought up since she attended Joy Awards, which also saw Shah Rukh Khan in attendance. (PTI/Instagram)

Hande Erçel denies calling Shah Rukh Khan ‘uncle’

A video circulated on social media after the awards night claiming that even Hande was a massive Shah Rukh fan. She was filming her friend Amina Khalil, his co-host at the event, but many misunderstood. Later, a screengrab claimed that Hande wrote on her Instagram stories, “Who is this uncle? I was just filming @aminakhalilofficial, I am not his fan!! Please stop spreading false information!!”

An X (formerly Twitter) user shared the screengrab and claimed, “Shah Rukh Khan went to host Joy Awards 2026 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A clip of Turkish actress Hande Erçel went viral in which SRK was on stage. News was made that Hande is a fangirl of SRK, but she denied even knowing SRK and referred to him as uncle.” Hande responded to him with a simple, “This is fake,” putting an end to it all.

Shah Rukh Khan fans call the whole fiasco ‘embarrassing’

Both Shah Rukh and Hande’s fans responded to her comment. “we will always be here to defend you, i'm so sorry you have to go through this, my love,” wrote one of her fans. “So Embarassing .... sorry on behalf of these Clowns,” wrote an X user, while a Shah Rukh fan wrote, “Imagine waking up daily just to lie about SRK and still getting fact checked by the person you dragged into it.”

Last seen in the 2023 films Pathaan, Jawan and Dunki, Shah Rukh is currently shooting for Siddharth Anand’s King. The film will also star his daughter Suhana Khan, Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachchan and others.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Neeshita Nyayapati
Despite having a Master's degree in Journalism and over a decade of experience in print and digital media as a field reporter and sub-editor at organisations such as The Times of India and Reader's Digest, Neeshita Nyayapati remains a movie buff first and a Chief Content Producer second. She fell in love with movies in childhood and believes nothing matches the magic of watching a good film that moves you with a warm tub of popcorn in hand. Her love for writing about cinema follows that. Come Friday, you'll find her at her happy place, the movies, catching the latest rom-com or masala offering, for reviews or otherwise. As for the rest of the week, she's here reporting the juiciest news in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi or bringing out the best of celebs in interviews. While her niche is Telugu cinema, Neeshita likes to dabble in a little bit of everything to stay up to date. From film announcements to scandals and hard news angles, she has explored it all. A good book, a comforting cup of hot chocolate, puppy kisses and a stunning beach view are all she needs to unwind. Her passion for biking and travelling has taken her to various places across the country. She has found peace in everything from the frozen lakes of Gangtok to the coffee plantations of Coorg and the dense forests of Bandipur, to the monasteries of Darjeeling. But no matter where she goes, Neeshita loves coming across inspiring and moving stories.Read More

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