Actor has made his love for city clear time and again.
By Nasreen Abdulla
DUBAI: Dubai is the city of glitz and glamour. It’s probably this that attracts Bollywood and Hollywood stars to this city. From Tom Cruise to Shah Rukh Khan, there are several stars who have an ongoing love affair with Dubai.
Shah Rukh Khan has time and again made his love for Dubai clear. In 2007, property developer Nakheel gifted the actor a magnificent bungalow at the K Frond of Palm Jumeirah. The palatial villa, sprawled over 8500 sq. ft, has 6 bedrooms and is laid over a plot of 14000 sq. feet.
The star and his family are thought to spend several days a year at this house where they have access to a private beach and water activities like kayaking, wind surfing, deep sea fishing. The villa has been named K-93, keeping in line with his image as King Khan.
SRK’s affair with Dubai was evident in his last movie Happy New Year. Produced by his wife Gauri Khan and directed by his friend Farah Khan, a large chunk of HNY was shot in Dubai. At a press conference, Farah Khan revealed: “I wrote the script of ‘Happy New Year’ with Dubai in mind. In fact, Dubai is not just a location, but also an integral character!”
During the press conference, Shah Rukh Khan had praised the emirate by saying, “Dubai is stunning from a scenic point of view. But we also selected Dubai for its people, culture and hospitality. It’s like a second home to me. I love Dubai and want to make a film that really showcases the city in its true spirit. We promise that we will make a film that will make this city very, very, proud.”
Around the same time, the actor also launched a $630 million real estate project “
” in the city. His wife, Gauri Khan, is handling the home decor for this plush 2.3 million-square-foot gated community located in Dubai Investments Park. At the launch, he had described Dubai as “the most beautiful city” and that he preferred it “to any other place in the world”.
He also went on to say, “So once you are in Dubai, you can do business with the Germans, with the French, with the English, with the Indians, with people from Singapore; everybody is present here. You know there are opportunities; I go for a cricket match, or I go for a shoot and you get to meet so many varied people doing businesses from the different parts of the world. The biggest of the companies are there. I genuinely think that it’s the biggest hub existing at least in this part of Asia.”
Of course, Khan’s investment in Dubai’s property market is also a sign of his business acumen. Dubai has now become a global hub with direct connectivity to more than 90 percent of the world. As the property market in the city booms, it is bound to bring in investors and buyers from all over the world. Coupled with Khan’s stardom, the property is sure to be a sellout. (Global India Newswire)