Our lives are connected in strange ways.

This is the unique story of a crazy but endearing Anil Kapoor fan, Asim who used to ride a taxi in Sharjah. A few years ago on a radio show, the Pakistani taxi driver broke down while talking of his school memories. Can you believe that he dropped out of school because Anil Kapoor’s character in the film Beta dropped out of school! And that he came to the UAE with the sole purpose of a possible meeting with his idol. He would marry only after meeting him. His story moved me and I felt compelled to call Anil Kapoor in India who by a stroke of luck, answered the phone. I requested Anil jee to be on air and connected him to the show’s host Gaggan Mudgal.

What happened later is the stuff magic is made of. Asim was overjoyed at speaking to Anil Kapoor and blessed us abundantly. I also got him to meet Anil Kapoor at a later event in Dubai and he was overjoyed. When he left Dubai for Pakistan, he started a business of potato chips and called it ” Dhak Dhak chips” .

Asim got married eventually and had a son and he kept in touch with me all the while.

But tragedy struck in 2020 when he sadly lost his wife, he messaged me saying this , “Like Anil Kapoor’s biological mother dies in the film Beta, my son too has lost his mother.”

I am yet to see someone match this love and fandom and run his life parallel to that of a movie. I narrated this incident in a recent podcast with Pankaj Sharma titled Project Life and got two immediate responses from Asim’s family with a lot of sincere blessings and duas. Is there anything better to receive in this holy month of Ramadan!

Do check the podcast here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTVkgGXh9D4&t=1089s

MANJU RAMANAN