‘Benjamin Button of Bollywood!’ Shashi Tharoor jokes about SRK’s age in viral birthday wish

In a humorous birthday post for Shah Rukh Khan, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor playfully claimed that the Bollywood superstar seems to be ageing backwards. Comparing him to the character in ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’, Tharoor joked that SRK is part of a “real-life, decades-long, global-scale Bollywood adaptation” of the Hollywood film.

Calling Khan the “ultimate King of Bollywood”, Tharoor said in a light-hearted tone that the claim about the actor turning 60 “cannot be factually confirmed”.

“Happy 60th Birthday to the ultimate King of Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan @iamsrk! I have to admit, I'm finding this '60' number deeply suspicious,” wrote the Thiruvananthapuram MP.

‘A cover-up’: The Benjamin Button theory

Continuing his witty message, Tharoor said a team of “fact-checkers and forensic detectives” had looked into the claim of SRK’s age.

He said, “A crack team of independent fact-checkers and forensic detectives investigated this '60' claim & concluded: 'In the complete and absolute absence of any discernible visual evidence – specifically, no non-photoshopped grey hair, no undeniable signs of slowing down, and a persistent appearance of someone significantly younger – the claim that Shah Rukh Khan is turning 60 cannot be factually confirmed.'”

“I suspect the official story is a cover-up & that SRK is actually starring in a real-life, decades-long, global-scale Bollywood adaptation of 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.' He's ageing in reverse,” Tharoor added.

Listing his “evidence”, Tharoor observed that SRK’s energy levels and appearance seem to defy age.

“Look at the evidence: 1. His energy levels today seem higher than they were 20 years ago. 2. His hairstyle has become progressively more youthful. 3. There are no wrinkles a decent lighting crew can't explain away,” he wrote on X.

Taking the humour a notch higher, Tharoor quipped that by the time Khan reaches his “70th” birthday, he might be auditioning for teenage roles.

“Mercifully, I don't expect to be around when he turns into a child star,” Tharoor added.

He concluded his message with a warm wish: “Congratulations on this unbelievable milestone, Shah Rukh! Please keep defying physics and biology, & confusing us all for many years to come.”

In The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, actor Brad Pitt plays a man who is born old but grows younger with time.