When bank officials seized SRK's car...

There's something about Shah Rukh Khan. We just can't seem to get enough of the man. Not that we are the only ones. SRK is a big hit in his personal life too. And his friends almost always stick up for him, be it Farah Khan, Karan Johar, or even Ravi Indulkar.

Ravi who, did you say? Well, he's the guy who's known SRK much longer than you and I have. He's been his makeup man ever since his Chamatkar days, when King Khan hadn't learnt the fine art of casting a spell on his fans.

Ravi is currently in hospital for health reasons and SRK, who is not is town, is taking care of Indulkar by providing the necessary assistance needed. Indulkar is too happy with it, but does not want to talk about it.

Ravi's association with SRK has spanned 18 years - nearly two decades of hits and misses, trials and tribulations, slumps and successes. It was 1991 when Ravi ran into Shah Rukh. "I was working with Rekha then. Shah Rukh asked me if I would do his makeup for Chamatkar. I agreed to and since then, we have been working together," recalls Ravi.

Of course, the Shah Rukh Ravi knew then isn't the Shah Rukh we know now. In fact, the makeup artist tells you how SRK had to do his fair share of struggling in the industry.

"He did have some bad times. He would travel between Mumbai and his home city Delhi. Sometimes, Shah Rukh would be too broke to be able to go to Delhi. Then it was his secretary Anwar and I who would help him," Ravi says.

It's hard to imagine that Shah Rukh, who now has a fleet of cars at his disposal, didn't even have a two-wheeler to his name. "He used to take the rickshaw, ferries and local trains," remembers his longtime associate.

When he did manage to buy a car, SRK faced some problems with it. It so happened that a decade ago, a shooting was in progress and Shah Rukh's car was seized by some bank officials.

"All his fan mail was in the car and his friend had taken a loan against the car and not repaid it," says Ravi. SRK was pretty cut-up about the incident but he finally managed to get his car and his fan mail back.

Despite the change in Shah Rukh's fortunes, what hasn't changed is the way he deals with his old buddies. "At heart, he's still a simple guy with no pretensions. His behaviour with me hasn't changed over the years," smiles Ravi.

Till date, the makeup artist goes places with SRK and is one of the few people in his inner circle.

Ravi is close to Shah Rukh's family too. SRK's daughter Suhana is especially very fond of the makeup artist and his makeup kit too. "She loves to try my cosmetics. But she hates to see her father wear kurtas. All she likes him wearing is shirts and trousers."

SRK's son Aryan, however, prefers it when his dad goes topless. He's crazy about papa's six-pack abs, you see. "He's planning to develop some himself," laughs Ravi. Daddy's little boy seems to be in a hurry to grow up.

Back to Shah Rukh, is he a metrosexual? "Not at all! Many actors take care of their skin but all he does is wash his face regularly. That's all his beauty regime is about."

Wonder how King Khan manages to glow so much on screen. But then, it's probably the inner beauty that SRK possesses by the kilos that shows up on camera. With a little help from his close buddy. Labour of brotherly love and friendship? Oh yes!