Shah Rukh Khan playfully mocks Vicky Kaushal as ‘nepo kid’, calls himself ‘outsider’

Shah Rukh Khan pulled the leg of actor Vicky Kaushal by calling him a “nepo kid” while referring to himself as an “outsider.” The two actors were interacting at the recently held 24th IIFA Awards in Abu Dhabi. As Vicky humorously trolled Shah Rukh for claiming that all the big films first came to him and then directors took them to other actors, Shah Rukh gave it back to him with his patent wit and humour.
When Shah Rukh joked that he rejected the Hollywood blockbusters Avengers, Spider-Man, and Jurassic Park, Vicky asked him if director Francis Ford Coppola came to his Mumbai house Mannat to offer him the American epic gangster film, The Godfather.
SRK said, “Coppola ne bohot chakkar lagaye (Coppola visited a few times), but I told him, ‘I don’t need a godfather; I am an outsider and not a nepo like someone we know’ (points at Vicky). Industry ke bachche, idhar udhar kya dekh raha hai? (Nepo kid, why are you looking around)?”
While hosting the award show, Shah Rukh Khan also talked about his flop films and called Jab Harry Met Sejal, his 2017 film, a mistake. As Vicky asked the ‘Badshah’ of Bollywood why he chose to do Imtiaz Ali’s film Jab Harry Met Sejal, he responded, “Voh meri doosri galti thi. Har kisi ko teen galtiyan allowed hain. (That was my second mistake. Everyone is allowed to make three mistakes.)”
Shah Rukh Khan then doled out some career advice for Vicky as he said, “Aisi picture kabhi mat karna jiske title mein uski kahaani ho. (Don’t ever do a film where the story is in the title.) ‘Harry met Sejal’ picture khatam (film ends). ‘Bade Miyan Chote Miyan’ picture khatam (film ends).” Shah Rukh also took the name of Vicky’s film The Great Indian Family, and before he could finish his sentence, Vicky finished it for him by saying, “Picture khatam (film ends).”
The banter between the two stars didn’t end there. Vicky Kaushal also brought up SRK’s 1995 film Guddu, which tanked at the box office. Embarrassed at the mention of the film, the 58-year-old actor said, “Itihaas ke kaunse panne palat raha hai tu yaar? Please inn sab baaton ki yaad mat dila. Main aage jana chahta hu, tu peeche peeche kheench raha hai. I beg you. (What pages of history are you flipping through? Don’t remind me of all this. I want to move on; don’t drag me behind. I beg you.)”
Shah Rukh Khan took a sabbatical from films after his 2018 release Zero tanked at the box office. He made a successful comeback in 2023 with Pathaan, Jawan, and Dunki, all of which were received well by the audience.