Suhana Khan Birthday: Ananya Panday pens a sweet note on her BFFs big day

Born on May 22, 2000, Suhana Khan, daughter of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan, is as famous as her star parents. While she has the genes courtesy her popular parents, what makes Suhana special is rare confidence and clarity. And that became very evident when her photoshoot pictures for Vogue magazine surfaced online in August 2018. Suhana Khan made her entry into the glamour world by becoming Vogue India's cover star for the August issue. (All photos/mid-day archives and Instagram)

She was 18 when Suhana Khan did her first photo shoot ever. Khan said in an interview, "I absolutely loved shooting this cover. Especially the dancing shots. I love dancing. It was so much fun. I was excited when my parents brought it up. I wanted to say yes straight away, but they wanted me to think about it - this is a very public thing. They wanted me to gain confidence from the experience, not lose it."

"There's so much to learn, and one way to do it is to start working early, but first I want to go to university and finish studies," said Suhana Khan. Shah Rukh Khan has time and again stressed on the fact that he wants his children to first complete their education and then embark upon their careers.

In 2018, along with her classmates, Suhana Khan appeared for the International Baccalaureate exam and graduated from school. Her next step was pursuing further education at a university.

Suhana Khan's elder brother Aryan Khan studied filmmaking in Los Angeles. Suhana, too, planned to join her brother to do a short course in acting.

Since a very young age, Suhana Khan planned to build a portfolio that was strong enough to get her into a good university. However, she's definitely planning to see herself as an actress.

In picture: Chunky Panday's daughter Ananya Panday and Sanjay Kapoor's daughter Shanaya Kapoor are Suhana Khan's close friends.

Suhana Khan said, "I don't think there was any one moment when I decided. Since I was young, I'd do all these accents and impressions. But my parents only realised I was serious about acting when they saw a performance of mine for the first time. I was playing Miranda in a school performance of The Tempest."

In picture: Suhana Khan with dad Shah Rukh Khan, Sanjay Kapoor, Jahaan Kapoor and Shanaya Kapoor.

Many times in the past, Shah Rukh Khan has spoken about Suhana's acting skills and her desire to become an actor. He had even told mid-day hitlist, "Suhana has expressed her desire to become an actor, but she needs to complete her education first. I have often told her that she will have to work five times harder than me, get paid 10 times lesser than I do and will require a lot of patience and perseverance to be successful."

In picture: Gauri Khan shared this stunning photo of daughter Suhana on her 17th birthday.

And it seems Suhana Khan is pursuing her dream, dedicatedly. In 2017, a video from Suhana's school drama went viral that gave a glimpse of her acting chops. The play was a modern twist on the fairy tale, Cinderella, with Suhana playing an ambitious, wannabe actress. It showed her range of expressions and it looked like she might very soon be launched in Bollywood too.

Time flies fast, and talking about the same Shah Rukh Khan had shared his thoughts on how the age of 16-18 makes kids want to be closer to their parents. "They (Suhana and Aryan Khan) are studying abroad, I miss them a lot but it gives me an opportunity to take some time off otherwise I am so embroiled in work. The age of 16-18 somehow makes the kids want to stick to the parents even more when they get these five-six days break," said SRK in 2018.

In picture: Suhana Khan with father Shah Rukh Khan and older brother Aryan Khan.

While Shah Rukh Khan's conversations with his daughter Suhana Khan have become interesting, the actor, like any other parent, still treats her like a child. "It's really nice, it's quality time. It's quite amazing the conversations I have with Suhana. I still treat her like she is two or three-years-old, but she is an adult," he said. When asked if she likes to be treated as 'a kid', the actor quipped, "No, but she has a lot of respect for me."

In 2017, when Suhana Khan's acting video did the rounds of social media, veteran actress Shabana Azmi tweeted, "Mark my words... Suhana Khan is going to be a seriously good actor. I've watched a short clip of her acting and it was terrific. Bless her."

Proud daddy Shah Rukh Khan replied to Shabana Azmi's tweet, "How sweet are you to say that. When you say it, that's a big encouragement for the little one. Thanks."

Suhana Khan is the best friend of her dad, Shah Rukh Khan. SRK had once said, "I won't say that I understand everything about my kids. But after shooting for 10-12 hours, I make it a point that I go back home and spend time with my kids... I know that I am their best friend, with whom they can share anything. I also behave like a friend with them. I love being with children."

Shah Rukh shared an incident when he flew to London to have a fun time with Aryan and Suhana, while they were studying there. "I went to London to spend an extended weekend with Aryan and Suhana as they had off. We hardly talk anything intelligent. We just lied down on our sofa, watched movies and ate chips. I think I was able to give them that confidence to come and share things with me and if they have done anything wrong they would get their share of punishment too," he said.

Suhana Khan, in a 2013 interview with mid-day, was quoted saying, "Dad is a self-made man and he wants us also to be like that. He has always been supportive of whatever my brother Aryan and me have done. I have spoken to him about what I want to be when I grow up. He wants me to study acting and dabble with both Indian and international cinema. After finishing school, I plan to go abroad, possibly America to learn acting and become like dad one day."

Suhana Khan added, "My father means a lot to me. I can talk to him on any subject like a friend and that's what I love about him the most."

When Suhana Khan was in Class VII (13-years-old), she used to play football for her school. In fact, Suhana was Dhirubhai Ambani International's U-14 football team's captain.

Suhana had then (in 2013) said, "I started learning taekwondo after watching my brother Aryan. Later, I started participating in inter-school athletic meets. I started playing football only three years. But it's football that I love the most."

"I don't watch football on television. I don't have any favourite players either. I just love playing the sport. When I first started playing football, I just took it up as a one-off thing. But later, I started enjoying the competition and took a keen interest in it. I would love to continue being associated with the sport even when I grow up to be an actor," added Suhana Khan.

In picture: Suhana Khan with mom Gauri Khan, brother AbRam and some family friends.

In a few years, Suhana will be on a film set of her own. But don't expect Shah Rukh to launch his own daughter. Yes, you read that right.

In picture: This one is a recent picture of Suhana Khan with her friend during her visit to the Taj Mahal.

"Suhana's not working towards a promise of being cast, she's working towards being an actor, and she knows that. I keep insisting that I don't want them designed as stars, I want them to be launched when they are good-enough actors," said Shah Rukh Khan.

Suhana seems to have a genuine interest in the same industry that her father rules over, but her fascination lies on the other end of the entertainment spectrum.

Suhana Khan, in Vogue interview (2018), said, "I just want to work hard and finish university first. I want to do things that aren't mainstream. I know it's not the best idea. What I love about acting is that I don't have to be myself, I can be completely different."

When Shah Rukh Khan's dear friend Karan Johar spoke about Suhana Khan, he was quoted, "Have seen her on stage and had my heart bursting with pride!! She is stunning, soulful and a bonafide talent! Welcome to the spotlight my darling! Even in its harshest moments it will envelop you with immense love....and thank you for never calling me UNCLE! Love you"

In picture: Suhana Khan with dad SRK, Varun Dhawan, Kriti Sanon and others.

The mother-daughter duo attended a party at the Cirque Le Soir club in Delhi in 2017. Being a celebrity interior designer, Gauri Khan designed the luxurious sets for the Cirque Le Soir club. Suhana Khan looked resplendent in her off-shoulder black trail dress paired with formal shorts. Gauri, too, looked chic in her jacket and pants, paired with white stilettos. Gauri Khan took to her Instagram account and shared a picture of Suhana. She captioned the picture, "All grown up .. young adults (sic)."

We can't wait for Suhana Khan to follow dad Shah Rukh's footsteps and step into Bollywood! Here's wishing a very happy birthday to Suhana Khan!