Shah and Me

Tum pass aaye
Yun muskuraye
Tum ne na jaane kya sapne dikhaye
Ab to mera dil
Jaage na sota hain
Kya karoon haye
Kuch kuch hota hai

~Sameer
~~ Kuch Kuch Hota Hai

October 18th 2011, Tuesday, I see a post on Shahrukh’s Google+ profile. He says he is going to “hangout” with his fans on Thursday, October 20th . I read it once and then I read it once again, it was true, and he was actually coming. 340 people +1’ed that post and some 150 commented. I was one of those 340 and 150. This was my chance to talk to Shah, hear him say my name, see him sitting in front of me! But, there were millions of others who were like me, his ‘biggest fans’ waiting to hear him. Google had opened the doors to millions of dreams. All we spoke about at work on Wednesday was how Thursday was going to be the biggest day of our lives! And Thursday, all status messages on buzz, facebook, Google +, twiiter were about Shah hanging out at 3pm IST. There was a full page advert on Delhi/Bangalore/Bombay/Hyderabad Times about Shah hanging out at 3pm on Google + and how you could join him and talk to him!

Thousands must have logged on to Google + that day, thousands must have made sure they were in a place with good Internet connectivity at 2PM. Many would have been watching the clock tick and gone through the day like zombies. For many, work, life, would have stopped at 2:30PM. And all their senses would have been devoted to Shah’s Google profile. I was one of them. I spoke to my boss and explained to him, that he cannot disturb me 3PM onwards and I should be excused from all “work-related” things. He miraculously agreed. 2:45, I went into a room away from all the noise and stared at Shah’s page with a million others.

I had my fellow Shah fans on chat and we were pinging each other with updates. The clock struck 3 and people all over the world got anxious. “Has it started?” “Why are we not selected” “How to join a Hangout on Google +” “Is the Hangout not public?” Shah posted on his profile saying his team was still testing out the system and we all knew there was still hope.

Shah was to do multiple hangouts with sets of 9 people each. 9 people were manageable, he could talk to all one by one and listen to all their questions and humour them.

3:00 became 3:15 PM and still no news. I could feel my heart pound with an intensity I had never known before. There was an excitement I had never felt before; anytime now I could be talking to the man I had grown up loving. Anytime now, I could hear his voice not as Raj, Rahul or Aryan but as him, as Shah Rukh Khan himself. Anytime now, I will be living a dream. A dream fulfilled.

3:30PM he started his first hang out. In that anxiety, excitement and thrill, I hit “Join this Hangout” and waited breathlessly to be connected, but then I saw “Fix your hair and make sure you mic works” message for the longest time ever and then it kicked me out because 9 people were already on board.

I waited, he started a second hangout and a third and a fourth, each lasting 10 minutes and I watched the live showcast on YouTube, seeing him talk to people, answering their questions, singing for them and still not being able to get through. Millions from all over the world were trying to get through. People from Autria, Australia, Paris, New York, New Delhi - absolutely everywhere Shah fans were awake and trying to live a dream.

When the clock struck 5:00pm, I gave up hope and went upstairs to my desk.

My boss looked at me and said “Did you?!” and then saw my dejected expression and came and patted my back and said “it’s ok, someday soon enough, you shall meet him” His tone resembled the one he usually used when talking to his 8 year daughter. I smiled and open my laptop, and heard a colleague ask me ‘Nayana, how can you leave hope like this, he is still Hanging out with people!” I said, “Akshay, I’ve been trying and waiting and clicking and staring for the past 2 hours, when it didn’t happen then, voice in my head said “ one last time Nayana.” And I opened my Google + profile and Shah had just begun one last Hang out, and I said, “Join this hangout”. I knew it was going to kick me out again. But, when the screen said “Fix your hair and check you mic, we are connecting you..” I screamed!

I forgot to put myself on mute and Shah and Kareena and the 8 other who were in the Hangout heard me scream “OMG I just GOT THROUGH!” Shah Laughed, and said, “Yes, you certainly did, Hello Nayana” I lost it. From that moment on the to time Shah logged out, I was in a trance. Screaming, screeching, crying, laughing, smiling. I said “Hello Shah” and ran into the closest meeting room. Called all the folks who loved Shah, tried searching for my friends, couldn’t locate them. The irony was those who put up status messages saying “Oh this noise about SRK coming on Google +, stupid people!” were the first to enter the meeting room. Not stupid anymore huh?!

Anyways, there was suddenly too much noise, with about 40 people crammed into the small room, groups of people had gathered on the other 8 screens as well. Shah said, “All you guys mute your mics and ask me questions and stuff on Chat and I’ll answer”. Suddenly there was quiet and we could hear Shah talk clearly. The first time in my life, I heard him live and right there, in front of my eyes. I lost touch with reality, for about a second; it was just he and I on that screen. It was that moment when I teared up.

Loads of people said loads of things around me. I gathered myself, raised my shaking hands to the keyboard and started typing: Shah, can you please say the “I love you naina.” dialogue from Kal Ho na ho… And he said it. He said, “ I love you naina, I love you very very much, main jab bhi apni aankhen bandh karta hoon, tumhe dekhta hoon,” I tried to scream and couldn’t, and started crying instead, someone hugged my from the side.

I typed again “ Thank you Shah, I have waited my entire life to hear you say that to me “ He said “Anytime my dear” And then while others asked him questions over questions , I just heard him talk. And then I said “Shah do the Main hoon na, hand thing “ and he said “which hand thing, oh the one over the head” and he did the move! And people around me screamed! It was a friend’s birthday and she asked me to ask him to wish her and I typed “ Shah it’s Cassy’s bday, please wish her” and he said “Happy Birthday Cassy” And then I told him I wanted to do Eco hons from Hansraj College in Delhi University, because he did it from there, but ended up doing it from Jesus and Mary College. He asked me what I was doing now, I said I work for Google, he said: “See things always turn out right, don’t they” I said yes, “always “.

Then I spoke to Kareena and him and told them to sing Dildara and they sang a line and then I told Kareen, the boys here are swooning over her and if she could give a flying kiss or an e-hug, she looked at Shah and asked him “What’s an e hug” and he showed her and she gave us a flying kiss and an e-hug! I asked a few other questions, I don’t remember now. More and more people entered the room, and I heard someone say “She is actually talking to and chatting with Shah Rukh Khan” and then I wished Shah the very best for the movie and told him he is going to kick ass as usual and that I will be there, the day it releases! He said “Inshallah” and then he said he needed to go and then everyone requested him to sing a song and he sang, “tum pass aaye” from Kuch Kuch Hota hain, and everyone un-muted themselves and sang along with him… and then he logged off.

I sat back, and looked at the people around me, they were hugging each other, congratulating, jumping, still screaming, someone shook me and wiped my tears and said “Nayana, omg omg omg Nayana” I smiled and stood up and someone hugged me. In that one-minute some 10 people hugged me and said “we are so happy for you” and then the screaming batch went outside and clapped. Everyone one the floor looked up and cheered. And I took a minute and let it sink in. I gave myself that one-minute to capture the scene on the floor. I gave myself that one-minute to “feel the feeling “ and make sure that I remembered it for the rest of my life. And then I sat down and wiped my eyes, and smiled to myself, looked a Shah poster at my desk and smiled at him too. I then opened Google + and boasted about it. I received some 6 calls; the minute it went up from my friends,they just didn’t know what to say to me. I didn’t know what to tell myself too. I’ve heard about dreams coming true, and how it feels, the euphoria. My dream came true that Thursday evening and all I can say is … Thank you Google. I love you.