Shah Rukh Khan's words found him at a time when he needed them the most, which is why meeting the superstar in person at Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant's wedding felt like a "perfect end" to a wonderful trip to India, says former WWE champion and American actor John Cena.
The Bollywood superstar and India as a country hold a special place in Cena's heart. He described his July visit as an "unforgettable and overwhelming" experience.
Cena was one of the international guests invited for the high-profile wedding of Anant, youngest son of Asia's richest man Mukesh Ambani, with childhood sweetheart Radhika, daughter of pharma tycoons Viren and Shaila Merchant.
"Right at the end of my stay, I was able to meet Shah Rukh Khan on the way out. He's someone whose words -- I was able to tell him this in person -- found me at a time when I needed them (the most) in my life," he told PTI describing the moment that he had also shared with his X followers.
Cena, 47, said it was important to shake Shah Rukh's hand and share with him the positive impact the Indian actor has had on his life.
"And the great thing about it is he (SRK) couldn't have been nicer, empathetic, more sharing and interactive. It really was a wonderful moment. It's an unforgettable one for me and it was like the perfect end to a wonderful trip," he recalled.
The WWE wrestler-turned-actor will next be seen in Prime Video's film "Jackpot!" opposite Awkwafina and Simu Liu. The comedy drama, directed by Paul Feig of "Brides Maids" fame, is slated to premiere on the streamer from August 15.
Cena is looking forward to the film's response in India, a country he has travelled to in the past and where fans recognise him because WWE is very popular here despite it being "so far away" from the US.
"I came to India in 2006 and then I just recently performed there last year, which was very, very fun. That was the first time I'd ever performed (there). My constant awareness and recognition of India is simply a way of saying thank you for the support." Pictures and videos of Cena dancing to the 'dhol' beats ahead of the Ambani-Merchant wedding while doing his famous provocative gesture "You can't see me" from his wrestling heyday was one of the highlights on social media last month.
"I would not be where I am without the support of the fanbase we have in India because they're a driving force that centres around my relevancy and popularity. I don't ever want to slight that. I always want to try to give it the respect that it deserves. It's a way for me to repeatedly say thank you," he said.
Cena, a record 16-time world champion in WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) and one of the most successful professional wrestlers of all time, hopes he gets to travel to India again after his retirement from the sport. He will officially retire next year.
"In 2025, I'll begin a retirement tour that, crossing my fingers, hopefully, comes to India. My last WWE performance will be in December of 2025. So we'll start in January and go to December.
"I'll remain in the WWE family as an ambassador and I'm looking forward to those times because hopefully that gives me enough time to get boots on the ground in India and shake hands with some of the fans over there while the young performers give it all they got in the ring. I'm really excited for the future and certainly excited to close the chapter on my performance in WWE," he said.
Cena, over the years, has successfully branched out and build a career in Hollywood, starring in hits such as "Blockers", "Bumblebee", "F9", "The Suicide Squad", "Fast X" and "Ricky Stanicky".
In "Jackpot!", the actor gets to flex his comedic muscles as a protection agent who teams up with Awkwafina's character Katie, a struggling actor new in a near future California. After Katie wins a lottery, the public is after her life because of a rule that allows the person who kills her to claim all the winning money.
Cena said he boarded the movie as the script and the people attached to the story were great.
Would he love a sequel to "Jackpot!"? "I would love to work with this gang again. But first and foremost, I want fans to watch it and be entertained. I would love to always do a sequel. But unfortunately, that's not up to me. That's up to our audience. So, I hope the audience in India certainly loves 'Jackpot!" The film also stars Ayden Mayeri and Donald Elise Watkins.
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