Shah Rukh Khan was at Bollywood Parks Dubai on Saturday to exclusively preview the video of a new Arabic version of his Hindi song, <i>Zaalima</i>, alongside Arabic singers Grini and Jamila. The Bollywood superstar was at the amusement park's Rajmahal Threatre to introduce the song, taken from his upcoming thriller <i>Raees</i>, which is out on Thursday (January 26). Also in attendance to meet Khan was Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs. He joined members of the media in the audience for a special private performance from the park’s singers and dancers in the impressive theatre auditorium. Khan shared the film’s promotional duties with director Rahul Dholakia and co-star Nawazzadin Siddiqui. Although it was rumoured that leading lady Mahira Khan would also be joining for the promotional trip, the Pakistani actress ultimately did not appear. Although Khan kept journalists waiting, he was charm personified when the scheduled question and answer session finally got underway. He even invited one journalist to visit him at his Dubai home on The Palm to further their conversation. “I’m on Frond K,” he revealed. “Just come by and call ‘Shah Rukh Khan.” Khan was clearly in a sociable mood – he later found a hair pin on the floor and suggested whoever dropped it to collect it from him backstage. The 51-year-old star then delighted fans outside the theatre by mingling with the crowd and posing for photographs. <i>Raees</i> finally releases in cinemas next week following a difficult journey to the screen. The film had originally been scheduled to open during last July, but was initially moved to avoid scheduling conflicts with Salman Khan's blockbuster<i> Sultan</i>. There were further delays when the son of alleged Indian underworld figure, Abdul Latif, took court action claiming that Khan’s titular lead character was based on his father’s exploits without permission. A further hurdle arose following the 2016 Uri terror attacks in Kashmir when the Indian Motion Picture Producers’ Association banned films featuring Pakistani actors from screening in India. Despite the challenges, Dholakia said he was always confident that the film will eventually be made. “It’s been about five years from conception to getting it on screen, but we never felt at any stage that we wouldn’t get here,” he said. “It’s been an incredible journey, and the whole team feels very much like its their film.” <i>Check out Arts and Life soon for more interviews and a review of Raees.</i> cnewbould@thenational.ae
