Shah Rukh Khan once stood up against gangster Abu Salem's incessant threats

Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan’s more than 25 year-long journey in the Indian film industry has not always been a joy ride. While the actor has given some of the biggest hits in the history of Indian cinema, there have also been times when he faced failures upon his releases.

Indeed, there were times when life threw curve balls at him where survival in the industry became life-threatening, but the Baazigar of Bollywood with his honesty and adored wit always managed to stay atop with an unharmed repute. There were times when dangerous gangsters like Abu Salem and Chota Shakeel contacted and threatened the actor over unjust favors.

In her book The King of Bollywood, Anupama Chopra details that Khan had received a call from Abu Salem while he was shooting Dil To Pagal Hai. As he picked up the phone, the actor heard the person on the other end furiously abusing him.

Throughout the call, SRK kept his calm and replied politely in English. The gangster wanted him to work in a film being made by a friend, which the actor refused to do. After the gangster had hurled several threats his way, Khan replied, “I don’t tell you who to shoot so don’t tell me which film to do.”

Later, he was given security by the Mumbai Police. In the book, the actor described this time in his life as ‘depressing and scary’.