Gauri to Shah Rukh: Do less stunts in the movies!

'Shah Rukh is very romantic in real life. And he keeps making these cute little gestures. He's more romantic than I am.'

Gauri Khan gets candid about the superstar in her life.

Shah Rukh Khan's glamorous wife Gauri Khan is trying to step of his superstar shadow and carve a niche for herself as a businesswoman.

She has opened an upscale store for interior decorating in Mumbai, called The Design Cell. The store has elegantly crafted artifacts and designer furniture handpicked by Gauri from across the globe.

As we sit down for the interview, Gauri's phone flashes. It reads SRK with a cute picture of their baby AbRam. She doesn't take the call, and instead, focuses on the questions.

In this brief conversation with Sonil Dedhia, Gauri tells us how she manages her time between work and kids, and why she wants Shah Rukh to do less stunts in the movies.

Quite a few star wives are into interior designing. What took you so long to open your store?

My kids Aryan and Suhana were growing up. I was also busy doing up my home in Mumbai. Later, I got busy doing up our houses in Dubai and London.

These things took up a lot of time.

There wasn’t a pre-planned thought behind opening this store.

I always wanted to showcase my designs and I thought it was the right time to do it.

We decided in December to open a store and within three months, we have our store up and running.

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You had assisted Sussanne Roshan with her store.

I had designed and kept some of my products in Sussanne’s store. My love for interior designing has always been there.

I used to paint.

Also, people, who come over to our place, appreciated my work and started offering me projects.

It’s a simple case of a hobby becoming a passion and eventually a profession.

You have personally been a part of selecting every piece that is on display in your store.

Yes, this store essentially showcases a lot of collectibles and I handpick most of them. I have been collecting beautiful pieces from different parts of the world. 

Some of them have been made by me. 

There are two young designers, Aakash and Poonam, who will be displaying their collection too. There is a good mix of various collectibles, which range from Rs 2,000 to Rs 15 lakh.

AbRam isn't even a year old. How will you juggle between home and the store?

AbRam comes along with me to most of the places I go.

When I was conceptualising and putting this store together, I would spend my mornings with him and would reach the store by afternoon. He would accompany me most of the time.

How have Aryan and Suhana adjusted to AbRam?

They love him a lot. Aryan is in London studying so Suhana is the one who spends time with him and takes care of him.

What was Shah Rukh’s reaction when you told him about opening the store? Has he seen the store?

He is busy with his work but he came here once. Shah Rukh has always been very supportive and encouraging.

He loved the concept. In fact, I have had offers to open stores internationally, and he told me that I shouldn’t let the opportunity go.

Are there any expansion plans?

We are planning to open another store in Delhi but it all depends on how much time I can give.

What is the secret of your successful marriage?

Although we are busy with our own work we still try and spend time together.

At the same time, we give each other space. I think that is the key to a successful marriage.

Shah Rukh is known as the king of romance. How romantic is he in real life?

Shah Rukh is very romantic in real life too. On Valentine’s Day, he gave me a fancy greeting card and a bouquet of flowers.

And he keeps making these cute little gestures. I believe he is more romantic than I am (smiles).

Shah Rukh has injured himself so many times in his movies. Do you try and stop him from doing certain stunts at times, or do you scold him?

It’s a part of his job. There is nothing you can do about it. We can only pray and hope that nothing wrong happens.

I don’t advise him against anything. Although I would love him to do less stunts. He is very enthusiastic about his work and sometimes he lands up injuring himself.