He’s not known as the Bollywood Badshah for nothing. That Shah Rukh Khan is a motivating force for all newbies to Bollywood is now history in the film industry. The latest entrant to this unabashed fab club of SRK’s is Veer Pahariya who makes his debut next week in ‘Sky Force’. The Abhishek Anil Kapur and Sandeep Kewlani directed film on the 1965 Indo-Pak war has the young actor playing Squadron Leader Ajjamada Bopayya Devayya, the real life fighter pilot who was the hero of that battle and got martyred in action.

Veer Pahariya reveals that watching interviews of Shah Rukh Khan inspired and motivated him with valuable acting and life lessons. He was struck by how confidently SRK spoke even from his very first film. Another actor who had much to offer Veer Pahariya was Varun Dhawan in whose 2022 horror comedy ‘Bhediya’ he worked as an assistant director. Varun was a talented and hungry actor, incredibly passionate, who loved what he does, and was very humble. “That’s something to really learn from him,” he added.

But Veer Pahariya’s greatest influence in ‘Sky Force’ which releases on Friday is Akshay Kumar who plays an Air Force officer out for revenge after the death of his fellow fighter pilots. He was nervous about meeting Akshay. “He was very sweet, welcoming, and incredibly supportive. He boosted my confidence and told me not to overthink or get distracted by others. He encouraged me to focus on my work and assured me that I was on the right path,” Veer Pahariya admitted in an interview.