Mrunal Thakur: SRK Set My Romantic Bar Too High

Mrunal Thakur has made peace with one impossible standard in her romantic life: Shah Rukh Khan. In a conversation with India Today, she laughed that the superstar’s absence from her real life ‘just breaks my heart.’ It is a fan confession, but it also opens a larger conversation about what Bollywood romance taught a generation—and what her latest film, Pooja Meri Jaan, is trying to say differently.

An SRK benchmark, for better or worse

Thakur said she is ‘madly in love’ with the characters Shah Rukh Khan has played, and she has not yet met a man as romantic as him. That is a familiar feeling for many Hindi film fans who grew up on the many SRK love stories. The joke lands because the benchmark is so high—and so specifically cinematic.

At the same time, she pushed back on the idea that every old favourite ages well. Re-watching iconic films, she said, sometimes makes her ask ‘what, why?’ Thakur was careful to add that films once existed mostly for entertainment, without social media as a counterweight. Today, she said, she is happy to be in an era where women have choices about the films and genres they take on.

What Pooja Meri Jaan changes

Her new film is streaming on ZEE5, and Thakur is glad its message can travel beyond cities. The line she wants audiences to remember is blunt: when it is a no, it is a no; it does not mean try harder. That is a direct counter to the old romantic-pursuit trope, and Thakur says it matters for both girls and boys.

Healthy love, by Mrunal’s rules

Playing Pooja also sharpened her own definition of a healthy relationship. The foundation, she argued, is communication—especially when two people process conflict differently.

• Calm down after an argument, then return to each other.
• Recognise that one partner may need space while the other needs reassurance.
• Agree on a timeline so the anxious partner is not left overthinking.
• Speak your own thoughts instead of assuming what the other person feels.

Thakur gave a practical example: if her partner needs two days, she will ask him to take two days, but then come and talk to her. Without that agreement, she said, one partner is left assuming and overthinking.

Communication begins at home

The actor applies the same rule to family. She said she talks to her parents more than she talks to her friends, and that most problems begin when parents and children stop communicating. Listening, she said, is the key—even when it is hard. She admitted she still gets offended during disagreements, but she tries to stay calm and hear the other person.

For fans, the takeaway is not to abandon the fantasy of an SRK romance. It is to pair that fantasy with the clearer, calmer habit of asking, listening, and agreeing on how to love well.

Source: India Today