Pakistani Bobby Deol superfan celebrates actor's birthday, gets his attention

A Pakistani Bobby Deol superfan just received a personal response from the Bollywood star after she wished him on Twitter with a picture of herself holding a cake with his image on it on his birthday.

However, this is not the first time that Manal Faheem Khan, a Karachi based activist, professor, and journalist, has gotten a response from Bobby Deol.

While speaking to Geo.tv, Faheem said that a few years ago, a friend in Dubai conveyed her birthday wish to Bobby Deol, who was attending a red carpet event, and Bobby recorded a shoutout video message for her, thanking her for the wish.

How it started  

Manal told Geo.tv that it all started as a joke in 2017, when she used to play pranks on her friends, forcing them to believe that she was a major Bobby Deol fan.

"I'd be at work, but when my friends called, I'd tell them it was Bobby Deol's birthday and that I was busy celebrating, and they'd believe me."

Faheem said that celebrating Bobby Deol's birthday eventually became an annual feature among her friends' group.

"It got to the point where my friends started getting me a cake with his picture on it for his birthday, and they brought the cake this year as well" said Faheem.

"This year, I thought, because the world is so well-connected now, why not approach him directly via Twitter?"

She said her idea was for him to know that someone in Pakistan was also celebrating his birthday, so she tweeted, tagging Bobby Deol, and it went viral within minutes, with friends and followers from both sides of the border retweeting and liking her tweet, prompting the star to respond.

"And he did! It was a lot of fun," she said.

But this did not stop here. Manal plans to celebrate Bobby Deol's birthday next year too.

Replying to Bollywood star's message where he thanked and sent his best wishes for her, she replied:

"Bobby Deol, you have no idea how much this means to me. Thank you for replying! Will be celebrating your birthday next year too!"

It was, however, both wholesome and surprising for Bollywood enthusiasts on both sides of the border.

"When it comes to fans, Pakistanis prefer the big Khans, but barely anyone mentions Bobby, whose media visibility has likewise diminished over time."

Apart from cricket, I believe that cinema and music are two things that bring Indians and Pakistanis together on a deep level, she shared.