Twenty years ago, Shah Rukh Khan was a rising star in Bollywood still basking in the afterglow of Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (DDLJ) undoubtedly the biggest Bollywood hit of the 1990s. At the same time, Hyundai Motor was an unknown Korean brand trying to foray into India after the government had opened up the car market to newcomers in the mid-1990’s. It was a match made in heaven it seemed, but nobody, not Khan or Hyundai, expected that twenty years later as a new Santro takes to the streets that SRK and Hyundai would still be together. As Khan himself puts it, “This is my second-longest relationship after my marriage. Gauri (Khan) and I have been married 27 years. Hyundai and I have been together twenty.”
As it is, Khan is believed to be one of the most steadfastt Bollywood husbands.
Such a long-lasting association has paid dividends for both Khan and Hyundai. The Korean carmaker achieved a level of success that other carmakers who entered around the same time could never manage and Khan’s image as a family man, thanks to the Santro’s family car image was bolstered, as was his bank account obviously. In an era of quickie relationships, SRK and Santro will always be indelibly linked.