Mumbai (PTI): Kicking off his 57th birthday celebrations, Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan greeted scores of admirers stationed outside his Bandra home last night.

After a no-show last year, the actor revived his annual ritual of meeting fans from the balcony of his sea-facing bungalow 'Mannat', one of the landmarks of Mumbai.

Dressed in a black T-shirt and denims, Shah Rukh waved, blew kisses and spread his arms in his signature pose to the hundreds of people waiting to catch a glimpse of their favourite star. He was accompanied by his youngest child AbRam.

The road leading up to the star's house was chock-a-block with fans, who were singing birthday songs for their idol, flashing torchlight from their smartphones.

Sudhir Kothari, an ardent Shah Rukh fan, was among one of the many outside Mannat to see his hero. He flew in from Chennai to the city on Tuesday.

"He came on the balcony around 12.10-12.15 am and was there for about 15 minutes. He was expressing gratitude to all of us. He did his signature pose and also clicked a selfie. We come to relive this moment every year. It is special for us," Sudhir, 34, founder of SRK Chennai fan club, told PTI.

The actor will be spending the day with family, friends and fans.

"In 2019, there was a huge fan meet-and-greet event, where he interacted with them, danced and sang songs, etc. It will be a bigger celebration with fans this year. He will be interacting with fans, who are all flying down from across the country and world," a Shah Rukh aide had previously told PTI.

"Besides this, there is nothing big planned. He will be spending the day with his family and friends," he had said.

The actor celebrated a quiet birthday last year, which came just days after his eldest child Aryan Khan was released on bail on October 30, 2021 in an alleged drug case. Aryan, 24, was released after spending more than three weeks in jail following his arrest in a Narcotics Control Bureau raid on a cruise ship off the city coast.

In 2020, Shah Rukh had promised "a bigger and better party" on his next birthday. The actor, who was then in Dubai to support his team Kolkata Knight Riders at the Indian Premier League, had also urged admirers to not gather outside his bungalow on his birthday in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

To celebrate his 57th birthday, production banner Yash Raj Films on Wednesday re-released his iconic 1995 romantic-drama "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge" across the country.

Shah Rukh, whose last full-fledged screen appearance was 2018's "Zero", has three film releases lined up for next year. There is the high-octane spy thriller "Pathaan" -- whose teaser will be unveiled virtually today -- followed by "Jawan", a pan-India movie helmed by Atlee, and Rajkumar Hirani's "Dunki".

 

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Hyderabad (PTI): Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Wednesday night and urged him to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state in view of its growing administrative and security needs.

The two leaders also discussed the recent surrender of several senior Maoist leaders before the Telangana Police and other issues.

"During the meeting, the two leaders discussed the issue of Maoist surrenders and their rehabilitation. The chief minister informed Shah that significant improvements in policing have taken place in Telangana over the past two years," an official release here said.

Highlighting that 591 Maoists have laid down their arms and joined the mainstream of society during this period, the chief minister said the state government was providing them compensation and rehabilitation assistance as per the rules.

He requested the Union home minister to extend financial support from the central government for development works in the backward regions of the state.

Reddy also urged Shah to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state from 83 to 105 in line with the state's growing administrative and security needs, the statement said.

The first cadre review after the formation of Telangana was conducted in 2016, while the next review, due in 2021, was delayed and finally carried out in 2025. Even then, only seven additional IPS officers were allocated to the state, the chief minister informed Shah and requested that the third cadre review be conducted in 2026 as per the schedule.

Reddy explained that Telangana, like the rest of the country, is facing several modern challenges, including cybercrime, drug trafficking, white-collar crimes, and other emerging security threats.

He highlighted the reorganisation of the Hyderabad, Cyberabad, and Malkajgiri Police Commissionerates, the proposed formation of the Future City Commissionerate and the rapidly growing population in Hyderabad to underline the increasing administrative requirements of the state.