New Delhi: Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, and Aamir Khan, who have completed over three decades in cinema, made a rare joint appearance at an event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. They reflected on their stardom, friendship, and individual journeys in the film industry.
Known as the ‘Khans of Bollywood’, the trio shared the stage during a session at the Joy Forum 2025 on Friday. During their conversation, Salman spoke about Shah Rukh’s rise to fame in Bollywood despite not having a film background.
“Aamir and I come from film families, but this man (Shah Rukh) didn’t. He came from Delhi and made his way up,” Salman said, only to be interrupted by Shah Rukh, who insisted that he, too, belongs to a film family.
“May I interrupt, Salman? Sorry. I also come from a film family. Salman’s family is my family, and so is Aamir’s. That’s why I’m a star,” SRK said.
Aamir joined in, adding, “Now you know why Shah Rukh is a star.”
Shah Rukh also hinted at the long-awaited possibility of a collaboration among the three superstars. Notably, the trio recently appeared together for the first time in cameo roles in Aryan Khan’s Netflix series Bad***ds of Bollywood, where Aamir and Salman had brief appearances while SRK featured in an extended cameo.
“It’s been too long since I’ve been humble… I’ve been too nice, too kind,” Shah Rukh said in jest. “But if the three of us come together for a project, that itself would be a dream. Hopefully, not a nightmare. Inshallah, when the right story comes along, and whenever Aamir, Salman, and I are together, I feel grateful to share the same stage with them.”
Salman teased Shah Rukh, saying, “He always says this one thing… Come on, say it here. That nobody can afford the three of us in a film. Say it.”
To this, Shah Rukh replied with a laugh, “I won’t say that here in Saudi because someone will immediately stand up and say, ‘Habibi, done, done, done!’ But it’s not just about money, it’s about time and the way we work. We joke around so much, any director would need to remind us to actually start shooting.”
Aamir concluded by saying that all three are emotionally ready to work together, but the right script is essential.
“It’s just a matter of coming across the right script. So hopefully… it’s going to be the script that’s going to be the most important for the three of us,” the actor said.
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‘Never considered ourselves stars’
Salman, 59, dismissed the idea of stardom and said the three of them never considered themselves ‘stars’.
“None of us call ourselves stars. Some journalists may write ‘Salman Khan, star’ or ‘Aamir Khan, super duper star’, but we don’t believe in it at all. At home, we are just like everyone else. I still get yelled at by my father and mother,” he said.
The actor said that the people they work with, like the directors, DOPs, writers and above all, the audiences who make them who they are. “They’re the ones who turn average, mediocre people like me into what you see on screen,” Salman added.
According to Shah Rukh, who will turn 60 on 2 November, stardom is because of the emotional connection that they have with the fans. He said that while Aamir is extremely organised, a perfectionist and works very hard trying to tell a story, Salman has his freewheeling way to come in and work because it comes from the heart.
“I try to amalgamate both of these. But at the end, the core value that the three of us, all other stars and lots of other stars who will come along the way, there is an emotional connection that our films have,” SRK said.
The actor added that he is on the “duty of serving audiences”.
In one of the videos, going viral on social media, Aamir is seen singing ‘Oh Re Taal Mile Nadi Ke Jal Mein’, an iconic song from the film Anokhi Raat, starring Sanjeev Kumar.
Shah Rukh and Aamir, who initially stood behind him as background singers, couldn’t join him, or they simply raised their hands to cheer for him.
(Edited by Saptak Datta)