Shah Rukh Khan ranks among the richest superstars in the country, but when he bought 'Mannat', his landmark house in the upscale Bandra Bandstand area of Mumbai, he says he was practically broke and didn't have any money to get it refurbished and furnished, so his wife Gauri Khan turned designer for the house.
The actor, who made a spectacular comeback earlier this year with 'Pathaan', was interacting with the media during the launch of Gauri Khan's coffee-table book, 'My Life In Design'.
Sharing an interesting story behind their house and how Gauri entered the world of designing, the actor said: "When we bought Mannat, it was way beyond our means, and once we were done buying the house, we didn't have money to decorate it. We hired a designer, only to realise we couldn't afford him.
"So, I turned to Gauri, as she had artistic talent, and asked her to be the designer for our house. 'Mannat' started like that, and over time, we earned and kept buying little stuff for the house. We even once went to South Africa to buy leather for the sofas, and I think that training ground got her into designing."
Gauri's book charts out her journey as a designer with exclusive pictures of her and her family. Unseen images of 'Mannat' and the design thought processes that went into turning around the heritage property, and other key projects as well, are a part of the book.
She also spoke about her husband being the hardest to please. Her most challenging project has been designing the Red Chillies Entertainment office.
She said: "Every project is dear to a designer, whether you're working on something big or small, each project has challenges, and we have to give it our best. I have been working for so many years, but I think Shah Rukh's project, the Red Chillies office, was a tough one to crack. Our team was always struggling to get his approval because he would come up with a better design, at all times."
