Every year, at around 10 PM on the 1st of November, fans of Shah Rukh Khan throng the gates of Mannat for his birthday. They bring cake, firecrackers, and dhedh saara pyaar, waiting for the moment when Khan will appear above the gate and fan his hands wide apart. His signature move and the sheer charisma he exudes sends fans and social media into a tizzy.

This year, however, due to the novel coronavirus and with Khan not being in Mannat currently, his fans have come with new ways to celebrate his 55th birthday and make it as grand as possible. “Iss baar ka pyaar thoda door se yaar (this time show your love from a distance),” Shah Rukh Khan told his fans, in regards to his birthday celebrations.

The Hindustan Times reports that a fan club hosted a virtual cake-cutting ceremony that was accessed across the world.“This year, we need to do everything virtually but ensure the celebrations are still grand, considering it’s a festival for us. Fans will have virtual experience of being at Mannat from Sunday midnight through live streaming,” Yash Paryani, a member of Shah Rukh’s fan club told Mumbai Mirror.

Paryani also said that charitable activities like distributing 5555 Covid kits with masks and sanitizers, 5555 meals to the needy, visiting orphanages and old-age homes have also been planned for Shah Rukh Khan’s birthday.

The actor was last seen in the 2018 film, Zero, which wasn’t his best work. But, then again, he’s set the bar so high for himself with astounding performances over the years. If rumours are to be believed, Khan will be seen next in a film in about a year and we cannot wait.

Khan recently held yet another one of his famous ‘Ask Me Anything’ sessions on Twitter where he took on questions and requests from fans and trolls alike. What’s fun about these sessions is that we get to witness Khan’s witty replies – a rarity amongst celebrities these days.

One of the trolls asked the actor if he was planning on selling his home, Mannat. “Bhai Mannat bechne wale ho kya,” they had asked.

“Bhai Mannat bikti nahi sar jhuka kar maangi jaati hai….yaad rakhoge toh life mein kuch paa sakogay (Brother, you cannot sell Mannat–Urdu word for a prayer– but asked for it with a bowed head. Remember this if you want to achieve anything in life),” Khan replied, sending netizens and media outlets (including this one) into a frenzy.