Shah Rukh Khan's doppelganger earning lakhs per show

Once struggling to secure three daily meals as a sign painter, Junagadh's Ibrahim Qadri now earns up to 5 lakh rupees per event simply by impersonating Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan.

Ten years ago, the 40-year-old native of Gujarat found it difficult to run his household on erratic wages. Although friends and family had drawn comparisons between him and SRK since his youth—frequently annoying him to the point where he altered his look—his life transformed dramatically during a 2017 IPL match in Rajkot. Spectators swarmed him thinking he was the real King Khan, and even the police officers called to clear the crowd ended up posing for selfies with him.

Realizing the potential, Ibrahim dedicated an entire year to mastering Shah Rukh Khan's signature walk, speech patterns, dialogue delivery, dance moves, and overall body language. 

Now, he commands between 1.5 lakh to 5 lakh rupees per appearance across India and internationally, while commanding 3.2 million YouTube subscribers and 2.6 million Instagram followers.

Despite his viral success and having trained over 300 individuals in the art of imitating SRK, Ibrahim admits he feels no rush to meet the superstar in person, fearing it might shatter the illusion of his craft—though he says his ultimate dream remains sharing a cup of coffee with SRK on the balcony of Mannat.

-SA