HELLO! India Exclusive: The power of two

THE ’KING’ KHANS: SHAH RUKH AND SUHANA KHAN

As Shah Rukh Khan geared up to celebrate his 60th birthday on November 2, 2025, we reckon he must have turned deeply introspective. Looking back, he’d see 33 years of talent, heart, soul and business instincts invested in the entertainment industry. He’d see a global fan following that has outdone the Tom Cruises and George Clooneys of Hollywood. But more than that, he’d see an extended family within the celebrity circus who adore their “Shah bhai.” The actor was a first-generation, self-created phenomenon, and children Aryan and Suhana are inheriting the glitz and fanfare. What will they choose to do with it? While Aryan has chosen to create content for OTT shows, and has already aced his debut with The Ba****ds of Bollywood, Suhana is walking much closer to her father’s métier — acting. To be on camera, with an audience that will either embrace her, or de-pedestalise her. It’s a scary place to be…

Was she always fascinated with cinema to understand the craft, like brother Aryan, who always wanted to make films and watched movies and scenes on repeat? The answer seems to be “not really.” During an interview with SRK, one had learned about his highly diminished time around his kids, when he was busy building his brand in the industry in his 20s and 30s. Back then, he had confessed, “Aryan and Suhana were busy with school. They never hung out on the set. I didn’t insist on them visiting me either. But AbRam is a different story. He’s my lucky little mascot and hangs out on set, at IPL matches… He’s with me a lot more than my other two kids ever were.”

Suhana, to her credit, didn’t debut with a Red Chillies production. Her OTT debut in The Archies was directed by Zoya Akhtar for Netflix. Even though she was part of an ensemble cast, she did do the family proud with her mastery of dancing on an ice rink and convincingly portraying a campus prima donna. And knowing Zoya’s persistence and vision, acting in The Archies must have been quite a learning curve for Suhana.

For her acting career, Suhana has both emotional and fiscal love from her superstar dad. In recent times, SRK’s exchanges with fans on X — his popular #AskSRK live interactions — has given strong personal glimpses into his bond with them. He once wrote, “On the set, I respect them like my colleagues, and appreciate their inputs and hard work. Off the set, I just wish and pray their hard work pays off.” When another fan asked him about working with Suhana in King, SRK simply wrote, “Apna, apna sa lagta hai [It feels personal].”

King, as a title, would suggest a male-dominated script. It’s a multi-starrer featuring not just SRK and Suhana — he’s training her for action scenes — but a host of other mega stars, including Deepika Padukone, Rani Mukerji, Anil Kapoor and Abhishek Bachchan. Directed by Siddharth Anand under Red Chillies Entertainment and Marflix Pictures, King is slated for a December 2026 release.

Will it be a watershed and really launch Suhana, giving her an independent presence as an actor, beyond her Instaself title “The King’s Princess?” We wait and watch…

THE SEAMLESS SISTERS: SONAM AND RHEA KAPOOR

It was a slow start — from being an awkward college graduate assisting Sanjay Leela Bhansali, behind the scenes, to the present Sonam Kapoor, crowned the only South Asian face for Dior in history. And yes, Rhea Kapoor, her dear sister, was a silent partner on this duckling-to-swan journey. Born in a household of women known for their flair for artful interiors, with mom Sunita Kapoor and aunt Kavita Singh, the girls were born aesthetes, and adapted quickly to cinema — Sonam as an actor, and Rhea growing into a producer and fashion stylist, although she’s armed with a degree in the performing arts from New York University. 

Together, they played with a fun new genre — the Indie-chick flick — with Rhea producing a number of movies Sonam is known for, including Aisha, Khoobsurat and Veere Di Wedding. In each of these capers, Sonam’s characters spoke a lingua franca of style, all orchestrated by Rhea. The two even created a high-street (now defunct) brand together, Rheson, which they insisted was affordable and experimental. Neither of them had learned fashion technically, so it was a bold statement of their passion.

A true fashion consumer since her wonder years, Sonam grew into a popular sighting at fashion weeks in Milan, Paris and London, and has attended individual showcases by Armani, Burberry, Chanel, Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Elie Saab, Erdem, Louis Vuitton, Ralph & Russo, and AK|OK Anamika Khanna. She’s been a brand ambassador for L’Oreal Paris and Zoya from the House of Tata, and been associated with Salvatore Ferragamo and Mont Blanc, as well. However, from the masses to the classes, Sonam’s personal brand continues to be in a healthy place even as she declares her second pregnancy, has turned 40, and unapologetically captions her maternity portraits “All Woman.” The needle has shifted, even in the hype-oriented world of beauty and glamour.

She and Rhea continue to be collaborators where her styling goes. The world is their oyster as brands still reach out to Sonam for endorsements, from fragrances to skincare, fashion to maternity products. It certainly helps to have a fan following of 34.2 million on Instagram, and a world where cultural diversity is the new calling card. Because with the ‘Dior Capture’ campaign, Sonam joined a diverse line of celebrity endorsers. As for Rhea and Sonam collabs? That’s an ongoing saga, as the younger sibling continues to style the elder one for red-carpet and high-profile moments, also curating her looks for brand endorsements. When styling Sonam, Rhea mostly blends international couture with Indian craftsmanship. A case in point: the Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla Banarasi saree Sonam wore at a recent event.

In 2025, Rhea curated Sonam’s all-white embroidered Elie Saab look for Paris Haute Couture Week. This ensemble was notable for its understated styling and global glamour, a signature Rhea has created for her sister. Other standout looks she recently curated include one by emerging designers East by Easternlight Zimik — a Manipuri Phanek and Innaphi ensemble — and Namza Couture, highlighting regional Indian handlooms. When you love fashion, it usually loves you back. And when you look at a sisters-in-arms team like Sonam and Rhea, it’s a game of tandem. Double the love going out, quadruple the perks coming back!

FLAVOURS OF A SHARED PASSION: MALAIKA ARORA AND ARHAAN KHAN

She’s a TV hostess, fashion, beauty-wellness influencer, model and always a lucky mascot to have in your movies. He’s a music enthusiast, who plays the guitar, adores soft rock and the music of the ’80s, more than the ditties of his day. In fact, an insider shares that Arhaan always listened to such music with his late grandpa, Anil Arora. Now, he loves to hang with mom Malaika and maasi Amrita, jam to his retro playlist and match the vocals!

Little wonder that the mother and son made great collaborators with their passion project, Scarlett House. It was his vision to have a mindful fine-dining restaurant, given that healthy options are ruling the world of travel, and both are highly inspired by their travel discoveries, with Malaika actually keeping records of recipes from her journeys! Where you have that kind of passion, you have a recipe for success! A recipe that serves up “heritage, heart with good health,” like Malaika says. 

There’s a legacy angle, as well. Malaika grew up with two culinary cultures. Her mother, Joyce Polycarp, is a Malayali Christian, and her late father, Anil Arora, was a Punjabi Hindu from the border town of Fazilka, who worked in the Merchant Navy. Common friends share an interesting backstory: Malaika learned how to cook for Arhaan. She took some formal courses at a catering college and made sure her son ate like a prince. From the Khans’ side, too, Arhaan was well-versed with fine flavours.

Launched in November 2024, this passion project also involved Arhaan’s bestie, Malaya Nagpal, and restaurateur Dhawal Udeshi. A year after the first Scarlett House opened in a Spanish bungalow in Bandra — with senior tenants on the ground floor — the team has since opened another franchise in Juhu, featuring a special “hydration bar” — again, a very Malaika idea. She’s seen assuring people on Instagram that sure, you can have your alcoholic drinks, but you also could prep your body for that indulgence by sipping on vegetable and fruit extracted water that’s targeted at different concerns.

Arhaan is wise beyond his years and peers. Together, the two have looked into a plethora of healthy eating combinations, ensuring that they hit home with the US$100 million strong wellness industry in India. Everybody wants that celebrity glow up; if it means feasting on cold-pressed juices and millet noodles, why not? Clean energy, clean eating, clean convos. Malaika and Arhaan’s approach sees them glamourising all that preoccupies both her generation and his. The only difference would be her role as the face of the venture, while Arhaan bring inputs on what millennials, and the Gen Z and Y folks are looking for: soulful, sexy indulgence.

If Malaika is ambitious and focussed, Arhaan tells her to slow down and simply “be.” In short, they make the “mother of all duos,” whether it’s bonding over wellness, food, music or business!

This story was featured in the Vol 1. Issue 7 of HELLO! India. For more exclusive stories, subscribe to the magazine here.