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Shah Rukh Khan’s appearance in Delhi last week was a mega event for the star-starved Capital, with more fans than journalists turning up for his press conference to formally announce his taking over as KBC’s new host. For once, the media played second fiddle as Khan loyalists took over and bombarded the actor with an outpouring of adolescent emotion. “I’m your dying fan,” swooned one. “I’m so-and-so’s sister. You were in school with him,’’ crooned another. Khan quickly realised that this was more than just a press meet and rose to the occasion with witty come-backs and funny punch lines. In a city which cannot even spell the word culture, this was great live theatre. Shahrukh Khan unplugged!

But Delhi being Delhi, the political dimension to Khan’s presence in the Capital was inescapable. There was the inevitable question. “Will you join politics?’’ However hotly Khan may deny any such ambition, politics is increasingly colouring the rivalry between Bachchan and his younger challenger. He’s already established himself in Bollywood as King Khan to Bachchan’s Big B. It’s time to add the other dimension to his brand. His handlers say the decision to launch Khan in his KBC avtaar from Delhi, instead of Mumbai, was part of a strategy to give him a leg-up in the country’s political capital.

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Bachchan once symbolised the Rajiv Gandhi era of neo-politicians when apolitical friends of the slain leader were encouraged to try their hand at politics. Some burnt their fingers and dropped out, like Arun Singh and Arun Nehru. Others, like P Chidambaram and Oscar Fernandes, have gone from strength to strength. Bachchan belongs to the former category but he’s willy-nilly been dragged back. When he fell out with India’s First Family in politics, he was quickly snapped up by Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh who has used the actor with great effect to play his favourite game — Gandhi- baiting. Political circles are watching with great interest to see whether Khan, as Bachchan’s emerging rival in Bollywood, becomes the Congress party’s answer to Singh’s tactics.

Khan’s friends in the Congress, notably Rajiv Shukla, are plugging aggressively for him. They’ve traced a Congress connection for the actor. Apparently, his father was a freedom fighter who crossed over from Pakistan and joined the party. His mother became politically active after her husband’s untimely death and used to hang around with Delhi leaders close to Indira Gandhi. Khan has revived the link. He makes sure he meets Priyanka and Robert Vadra when he’s in Delhi. When his film Don was released, he arranged a private showing for the Vadras and their friends at a five-star hotel in the Capital. The icing on the cake was the presence of Rahul Gandhi. It’s interesting that Khan chose to celebrate his birthday in Delhi this year. Naturally, Priyanka and her husband topped the list of invitees.

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Despite Amar Singh’s strenuous efforts, Bachchan’s unhappy earlier experience has kept him away from a more active role in politics. He’s assiduously sticking to the edges. He will campaign for the SP in the UP assembly polls but will not contest an election, state or parliamentary. Khan too is dancing on the margins. There is pressure for him to campaign for the Congress in UP, as a counter to Bachchan, but Khan is said to be reluctant. Bollywood’s much-talked about cold war seems to be hotting up.

Email: a_jerath@dnaindia.net