Shah Rukh’s plea, private jet offer: Mukul Rohatgi recalls Aryan Khan case

Mumbai: Former Attorney General and senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi has revealed how Shah Rukh Khan personally persuaded him to take up the high-profile Aryan Khan drugs case in 2021. Speaking on The Legal Side of Things for Republic TV, Rohatgi described the unusual circumstances that led him to argue Aryan’s bail plea, calling it “a regular bail matter” that turned extraordinary because of the personalities involved.

Rohatgi recalled being on holiday in the UK during the COVID period when he was first contacted to appear in the Bombay High Court. Initially, he declined, not wanting to cut short his vacation. However, Shah Rukh Khan reached out directly, appealing with unusual candour: “I am not asking you as a star, I am asking you as a father.” The actor even spoke to Rohatgi’s wife, who convinced him to take up the matter.

Demonstrating the urgency of the situation, Shah Rukh offered to send a private jet to bring Rohatgi to India. The lawyer politely declined, preferring commercial travel, but acknowledged the gesture as a mark of the actor’s sincerity and desperation.

Once in Mumbai, Rohatgi stayed at his regular hotel, Trident Nariman Point, where Shah Rukh also checked in to remain close to his legal team. The senior advocate noted how involved the superstar was in preparations. “He had made notes, points, and suggestions apart from what the lawyers had prepared. He was intelligent, focused, and very keen,” Rohatgi said.

Their collaboration helped secure Aryan Khan’s bail after more than three weeks in custody. Rohatgi returned to the UK soon after, resuming his holiday.

Aryan had been arrested in October 2021 after the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) raided a cruise ship party off the Mumbai coast. In 2022, he was given a clean chit, with investigators finding no evidence against him.

Today, Aryan Khan has shifted focus to filmmaking. He made his directorial debut with The Ba**ds of Bollywood*, streaming on Netflix, featuring Lakshya, Sahher Bambba, Bobby Deol, Mona Singh, and others. Choosing direction over acting, Aryan has marked a confident entry into the industry as a writer-director, charting his own creative path.