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Ibrahim Qadri, famously known as Shah Rukh Khan’s doppelganger, recently featured on the cover page of Vogue India magazine. This honour came to him after years of struggle to match the aura of the star. But this path is not something he chose for himself. It just happened. Ibrahim Qadri was an artiste in Gujarat’s Junagadh who painted hoarding boards for a living. While growing up, his family and friends often pointed out his resemblance to the actor, but he ignored it. However, it became real for him when he was in Rajkot during an IPL match and people took him for SRK, leading to a stampede-like situation. That day changed everything.
Ibrahim was struggling financially at the time as digital hoardings had wiped off painted hoardings, essentially ending his source of livelihood. “I could hardly manage two meals a day,” he recently said in an interview with Lallantop. However, his journey from ‘just looking like SRK’ to ‘really becoming him’ changed his life. Now, Ibrahim travels around the globe to attend events and charges upto Rs 5 lakh for each.
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“I was struggling financially before all the fame. It was hand-to-mouth situation. There were days without work. But now, things are completely changed. Now I can afford three meals a day, then even getting two meals was a problem. I mostly suffered then because digital boards took away our jobs”, told Ibrahim.
He added, “When I started doing events as SRK’s doppelganger, I knew nothing. I had not practiced to talk like him or dance like him. So many times, I was not paid for my appearance. Once, someone in the audience taunted me: ‘Sirf SRK jaisa dikhna kaafi nahi hai’. That hit me hard and then began my transformation journey. I learnt to behave like SRK. Now, I charge between Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 5 lakh. It depends on the event. I believe I am the highest-paid doppelganger. And due to me, other lookalikes of SRK are also bagging jobs. Because everything I reject, it goes to them.”
In the same interview, Ibrahim shared how he never wishes to meet the star. And to maintain the actor’s image, he often avoids invites from comedy shows. “They joke about us and also him, and I can’t let that happen,” said Ibrahim.
He also shared how looking like SRK sometimes backfires. “Whenever I go to malls for shopping, people charge me more money assuming I must be extremely rich. Mera kuch faayda nahi hai ulta nuksaan hai.”
