Filmmaker Ashima Chibber, who began her journey in the Hindi film industry by assisting directors Shimit Amin and Imtiaz Ali on Chak De! India and Rockstar went on to direct her own film, Mere Dad Ki Maruti, in 2013. She is currently receiving praise for her latest directorial, Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway, starring Rani Mukerji, for which the actress won the National Award for Best Actress at the 71st National Film Awards. Meanwhile, the Best Actor honour was shared by Shah Rukh Khan (Jawan) and Vikrant Massey (12th Fail). In an interview, Ashima recalled her fondest memory of SRK—when they went out for dinner after the release of Don 2. ‘The Ba***ds of Bollywood’ Preview: Salman Khan, Ranveer Singh and Possible Shah Rukh Khan Sighting – All Star Cameos We Spotted in Teaser of Aryan Khan’s Debut Series!.

Ashima Chibber Praises Shah Rukh Khan’s Gentlemanly Gesture

During a conversation on Zoom, Ashima Chibber recalled an incident from 2011 after Shah Rukh Khan’s Don 2 was released. She shared that the entire team, along with SRK, went to watch the film and later had dinner together. Since it was a large group, the bill turned out to be quite hefty. Unsure how to handle the situation, Ashima passed the bill to a colleague, but that colleague was also broke. What happened next, however, will truly melt your heart.

Ashima Chibber’s Latest Instagram Post

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Ashima Chibber (@ashimachibber)

The filmmaker said, "It was a big group of people. Just the girls were 32, so you can imagine how many people there were. So everybody had dinner, and I was organising everything, so I was like, 'Bill, please. 'When I saw the bill, I was like, 'OK, it's a big bill. 'I gave the bill to another colleague, but the person was like, 'Mujhse dur rakho, mere account me itne paise nahi hai'."

Just SRK Things!

Ashima Chibber then shared how Shah Rukh Khan came and simply asked her to give him the bill. She said, "Shah Rukh sir said, 'Give it to me.' He took it from me and I was like, 'Sir, we are going to go dutch.' He looked at me like I dont think anyone has ever said that to him and he was like 'No, I am paying the bill' and I said 'Ok sir."

The director shared that now, when she thinks about the whole experience of asking to split the bill with Shah Rukh Khan, it feels quite embarrassing. She said, "Film unki release hui hai, bill humko dena chaie unko." She ended the topic by calling him "Superstar for a reason." National Film Awards 2025: Rani Mukerji Wins Best Actress for Her Powerful Performance in ‘Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway’.

Watch Ashima Chibber’s Full Interview Below:

Rani Mukerji’s Reaction to Her National Award Win for ‘Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway’

Rani Mukerji reacted to her National Award win for her role in Mrs Chatterjee vs. Norway and said, "I'm overwhelmed to have won the National Award for my performance in Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway. Incidentally, this is the first National Award in my 30-year career. As an actor, I have been fortunate to have some incredible  films in my body ofwork and have got so much love for them. I thank the National Award jury for honouring my work in Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway."

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 20, 2025 09:04 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).