When Shah Rukh Khan revealed why he never visited Pahalgam or Kashmir before 2012

Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan once opened up emotionally about why he hadn’t visited Kashmir, specifically Pahalgam and the Valley, until much later in his life. While Shah Rukh had explored several parts of the world, including Istanbul and Italy, his first visit to Kashmir came only in 2012 during the shoot of Yash Chopra’s romantic epic ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan.’
“My father’s mother was Kashmiri”
The revelation came during an episode of ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’, where Shah Rukh joined Amitabh Bachchan to promote the film. In a heartfelt moment, he recalled a wish his father had expressed before passing away when Shah Rukh was just 15. “My father’s mother was Kashmiri,” Shah Rukh shared. “He once told me there are three places I must see in life: Istanbul, Italy, and Kashmir. But he said, Even if I see the first two without him, I must not see Kashmir without him.”
“ I never went to Kashmir because…”
As a result, despite having several chances to visit the Valley over the years, the actor held back. “Bahut saare mauke mile… friends called me, family went for vacations, but I never went to Kashmir because of what my father had said. He had told me, ‘Kashmir main dikhaunga’ (I will show you Kashmir)”.
It was only when legendary filmmaker Yash Chopra, whom Shah Rukh considered a father figure, took him to Kashmir for ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’ that he finally stepped into the region. After the visit, he shared a touching message on Twitter: “My father’s one unfulfilled wish was to bring me to Kashmir… now I am here, it feels like I am in his big, strong arms.”
Shah Rukh had earlier shot ‘Dil Se’ in Ladakh in the 1990s but had never entered the Kashmir Valley. Most recently, in April 2023, he returned to Kashmir for the filming of Rajkumar Hirani’s ‘Dunki,’ with sequences shot in Sonamarg alongside co-star Taapsee Pannu.