Shaitaan Fame Janki Bodiwala Recalls Receiving Award From ‘King’ Shah Rukh Khan: His Aura Is Phenomenal | Exclusive
Vash, which was later remade into the Hindi thriller Shaitaan, has won two major awards at the National Film Awards, which were announced in Delhi on August 1. The feature was named Best Gujarati Film and Janki Bodiwala was named Best Supporting Actress for her performance alongside Malayalam actress Leelamma. Written and directed by Krishnadev Yagnik, the cast also included Hitu Kanodia, Niilam Paanchal, Aaryab Sanghvi, and Hiten Kumar. In an exclusive interview with Zoom, Janki Bodiwala shared how she completely froze when Shah Rukh Khan announced her name for her very first award.
Janki Bodiwala’s Exclusive Interview
Calling it the an ‘unforgettable moment’ of her life, Janki shared how she actually froze as her name was announced for the very first award for Shaitaan and it was given to her by none other than Shah Rukh Khan. She said, “You know what you should do? I should be tied to a wooden tree, for sure. Because, as soon as I heard that I won an award, a Hindi Film Award, and from whose hands, I mean, when that moment happened, I wasn’t expecting anything. I was there to have a gala time, to enjoy, and when the moment arrived, and my name was announced by KING Shah Rukh Khan… you can see that my soul had already flown out of my body. It was visible on my face that I wouldn’t know what to say on stage, how to act, what to say, whom to thank and whom not to.”
Further, she added, “I wasn’t prepared for this, I was just there to have some fun, that’s all. And that moment, I mean, when he gently tapped me and said, ‘I’m more nervous…’ He is so gracious, so gentle, his aura is phenomenal. He has a very good, comforting aura, I must say. And the way he made me feel on stage was, oh my god, so comfortable. Moments that I might cherish after sixty, I guess forever, it was such a lovely moment.”
Professional Front
Janki shares the Best Supporting Actress honour along with veteran actress Leelamma for the Malayalam film Ulluzhukku. She becomes the first actress from Gujarati cinema to win in this category.
The Gujarati film Vash was turned into the Hindi hit Shaitaan in 2024. Directed by Vikas Bahl, the remake was led by Ajay Devgn, R Madhavan, and Jyothika. Janki Bodiwala reprised her role in the remake, while Anngad Raaj played the role of the son. Shaitaan was based on the same story as filmmaker Krishnadev Yagnik.
On the other hand, Shah Rukh Khan recently made a major revelation about his upcoming project. He confirmed that he has officially started work on King, a high-octane action thriller directed by Siddharth Anand, the mastermind behind Pathaan. This film will mark a special milestone as SRK shares screen space with his daughter, Suhana Khan, for the first time. The cast also includes Abhishek Bachchan and Munjya star Abhay Verma. King is slated for a 2026 release.