To some people it seems like a scene straight out of a Bollywood film, but the reality is far more fascinating. The ‘crossover of the century’ happened when celebrated England player Wayne Rooney came together with Bollywood’s Baadshah, Shah Rukh Khan, to discuss the exhilarating FIFA WC final, and Khan’s action-thriller film, Pathaan.
For starters, SRK was in Qatar to promote Pathaan.
During the panel’s conversation, Wayne asked the Kal Ho Na Ho star, “Who is Pathaan? Is he similar to anyone in football?”
In response to Wayne’s question, the Billu actor quipped, “I’m not saying this because you are here, honestly I will tell you who Pathaan is. Pathaan is the guy you call last minute when you are all tied up and you can’t find a solution.”
When asked about who could embody ‘Pathaan’ in real life, Khan compared his upcoming character to the Manchester United striker.
The Don actor suggested, “For me, if you don’t mind me saying, if Pathaan is to be equated to any footballer in the world, before or after or later, it will always be you. You are the tough guy. You can’t get a goal and you know the guy who is going to get it for you when you are in trouble, when you need a break, when you need a victory, who are you going to call? ‘Mr Wayne Rooney’.”
Once the gentlemen discussed Khan’s upcoming offering, Wayne learnt SRK’s signature pose with a bright smile and the heartiest laughter. Rooney finally aced the iconic embrace pose from the cult-classic film Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge.
Fans couldn’t contain their excitement and took to social media their love for Khan and Rooney. However, there were some who thought this promotional stunt was way over the top and cringe-inducing.
Shah Rukh Khan and Wayne Rooney had a good time.pic.twitter.com/0ZtTzwVxbe
— Abhishek Ojha (@vicharabhio) December 18, 2022
If someone had said that perhaps one of the most defining or oddest moments will be of Wayne Rooney and Shah Rukh Khan staring a stage at the #QatarWorldCup we’d think that person has been experimenting in some different drugs. I still can’t get my head around this. pic.twitter.com/uGC0N2MxZp
— Hasan Patel (@Hasanpatel) December 18, 2022
The Indian World Cup coverage – featuring Wayne Rooney and Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan – is the deranged TV I didn’t know I needed pic.twitter.com/8DwyWQnjp3
— joe steele 〠 (@joe5teele) December 18, 2022
I never thought I’d ever see Wayne Rooney doing Shah Rukh Khan’s classic lean back.
Another reason why this World Cup slapped harder than any other.
Straight vibes, bringing the World closer together than ever before. #Qatar2022 pic.twitter.com/6szwU3Xcan— Halima Khan (@HalimaNyomi) December 18, 2022
باثان مسيطر على شاروخان اوي❤️@iamsrk We Love you Sir ???? pic.twitter.com/XaDD4b3Ct5
— Samar❤️SRK❤️Ka❤️Pyaar❤️ (@PyaarSamar) December 18, 2022
“ When you want someone to come and save it at the last moment, Wayne Rooney is the man, same as Pathaan. So I would choose him as Pathaan.” @iamsrk ????????❤️✨#FIFAWorldcup #ArgentinaVsFrance #Arg #Fra #FIFAWorldCupQatar2022 #FIFAWorldCup2022 #Messi #Pathaan #ShahRukhKhan pic.twitter.com/jcnhde11mI
— Shah Rukh Khan Universe Fan Club (@SRKUniverse) December 18, 2022
Cringe https://t.co/jnqBkdaasa
— (((Sukhdeep Butty))) ????????️❌❎ (@Sukhdeep_Butty) December 18, 2022
What a shame @JioCinema . Try to bring quality discussions about Football, rather than forcing renowned athletes into cheap steps for increasing the viewership. This is just a disgrace to the Global sport and the fans who got exposure from Football League matches discussion.
— Harikrishnan R (@hari2981) December 18, 2022
Yesterday in pre-match show they were discussing cricket. Today they were promoting “Pathan”. Ppl tune in early to get some expert insights not to watch some random theatrics ????
— Shashank Gupta (@shankyrox) December 19, 2022
Pathaan’s lead actress Deepika Padukone was also in Qatar to unveil the winners trophy.
The film is directed by Siddharth Anand and is a part of Aditya Chopra’s YRF Spy Universe. The high-octane action thriller stars Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone and John Abraham. The film is slated for a release on January 25, 2023, in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.
