Ibrahim Qadri, a former signboard painter from Junagadh, Gujarat, struggled financially as digital printing reduced demand for his work. His life changed in 2017 when spectators at an IPL match in Rajkot mistook him for Shah Rukh Khan because of his resemblance to the actor.
He eventually embraced the resemblance and became a professional Shah Rukh Khan lookalike. After initially facing stage fear and unpaid or delayed work, Ibrahim spent a year studying SRK’s dialogues, body language, walking and dancing. He now reportedly earns Rs1.5 lakh to Rs5 lakh per event and works in India and abroad.
His financial situation has improved significantly, allowing him to afford three meals a day compared with the difficulty of affording even two meals during his earlier years. He has also built a large social media following, with around 3.2 million YouTube subscribers and 2.6 million Instagram followers.
Despite his career being based on imitation, Ibrahim says the profession requires considerable effort and responsibility because he does not want to damage Shah Rukh Khan’s image. He does not actively seek to meet SRK, fearing it could affect his motivation, although he would accept an invitation from the actor.
Outside his lookalike work, Ibrahim has returned to painting, now creating landscapes and portraits on canvas. If he could spend a day as Shah Rukh Khan, he says he would simply like to have coffee on the terrace of SRK’s home, Mannat.
