Ibrahim Qadri was once just another resident of Junagadh, Gujarat, earning his livelihood as a painter. He painted signboards for a living, and his income depended entirely on the work he managed to find. On days when he got a gig, he could comfortably afford two meals. On days without work, making ends meet became a struggle. Then came digitalisation. As digitally printed hoardings and signboards became increasingly common, Ibrahim’s traditional source of income began to disappear.

Around the same time, an unexpected incident changed the course of his life. Ibrahim had gone to Rajkot to watch an IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Gujarat Lions. As soon as he entered the stadium, the crowd went berserk. People began hooting, shouting and approaching him with their phones, eager to take selfies. It was then that Ibrahim realised why he was attracting so much attention — people had mistaken him for Shah Rukh Khan.

At 40, Ibrahim initially enjoyed the attention. But what began as an amusing resemblance eventually became his profession. Today, his likeness to Shah Rukh Khan takes him across the world, where he charges up to Rs 5 lakh for a show. His resemblance has also helped him feature in Vogue.

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‘I changed my look because I was tired of being compared to SRK’

Ibrahim’s resemblance to Shah Rukh Khan was noticed long before he became a professional doppelganger. When he was 14-15, his friends and family would often tell him that he looked like the actor. But Ibrahim never took the comparisons seriously.

Speaking to Vogue, he said, “But I never took it seriously because family members always say things like that, don’t they?”

Ibrahim Qadri as SRK.

In fact, Ibrahim grew tired of the comparisons and deliberately changed his appearance. Speaking to Lallantop, he recalled, “I changed my look, gained weight. I started to keep a beard, because SRK would always stay clean shaved until then.”

Interestingly, Ibrahim’s transformation later coincided with Shah Rukh Khan sporting a beard himself.

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“In 2017, when his film Raees released, he kept beard in that and since then people went crazy, calling me SRK,” Ibrahim said.

The IPL match that changed his life

The turning point came during that IPL match in Rajkot.

“This one time, I went to watch an IPL match in Rajkot. It was between the KKR and Gujarat Lions. As soon as I entered, the crowd went crazy. I enjoyed the attention for a while because I was surprised that even strangers think I look like the actor,” he recalled.

However, the situation soon became overwhelming.

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“Later, when it created a stampede-like situation, I got scared. I went to a policeman for protection, but he too pulled his phone to take a selfie,” he said.

It was after this incident that Ibrahim decided to embrace the resemblance instead of running away from it.

“I decided to look like SRK in every way,” he recalled.

Ibrahim continued working as a painter while also beginning to attend events as Shah Rukh Khan’s lookalike. But it was at one of these events that he realised that simply looking like the superstar would not be enough.

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‘Just looking like him is not enough’

Ibrahim recalled being extremely nervous during his first public appearance as an SRK lookalike.

“It was a friend’s wedding when a few of my reels had gone viral. Another friend of mine pulled me and asked me to do the iconic SRK arm stretch for the guests there. I didn’t know all this by then. I was so nervous that my legs started to shake. I faced stage fear. Yet, I did it somehow and people clapped for me. I finally sighed in relief,” he said.

But his first paid event came with a reality check.

Ibrahim Qadri as SRK.

A woman in the audience told him, “Just looking like him is not enough. You need to dance like him.”

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The comment hurt his ego, but it also pushed him to work harder.

“I realised that people expect you to talk, dance, and walk like him. I hadn’t worked on these aspects as much. But post that, I dedicated an entire year to learn his dialogues and body language. I started to work out, became fit. The hard work to look like him continues,” Ibrahim said.

Over time, the transformation became so immersive that Ibrahim says he completely slips into the persona while performing.

“I lose myself completely and start to see the world through the eyes of SRK,” he said.

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“When I am home, I stay grounded but when I go to events as Shah Rukh Khan, I expect all special treatments that he would get. I don’t even look back to see people when in events,” he added.

From struggling to afford two meals to charging Rs 5 lakh a show

Today, Ibrahim reportedly charges between Rs 1.5 lakh and Rs 5 lakh per show, with his work taking him beyond India as well.

But his journey was far from easy when he first began professionally working as Shah Rukh Khan’s doppelganger in 2017.

“Initially, people didn’t even pay me. They simply played me by delaying payments. Now, I charge up to Rs 5 lakh per event. The minimum charge is Rs 1.5 lakh. The price varies depending on a lot of things,” he said.

 

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“I think I am one of the highest-paid doppelgangers. And because of me, many other lookalikes have found lots of work and get paid well. The more work I leave, the more work the other lookalikes get. Not everyone who approaches me can afford me. So they go to others,” he added.

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The recognition, however, has also changed how people perceive his financial status.

“Now, when I go out for shopping, people quote me a high price, assuming I earn a lot. They pose me double the price,” he said.

For Ibrahim, though, the biggest change has been much more basic — financial security.

‘Now, I can afford all three meals’

“Before I professionally became a doppelganger of Shah Rukh Khan, my daily life wasn’t very easy. I was a daily wager. If I went without having a job even for a single day, it would create a difficult situation. I had financial difficulties,” he recalled.

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“Nevertheless, I was happy and content with whatever I had. Now, things have become better. The enjoyment of life, however, remains just the same as before. Now, I can afford all three meals, back then it was difficult to afford even two meals a day,” he added.

Ibrahim admits that before becoming an SRK lookalike, he had also been critical of people who copied celebrities.

“Earlier, I too used to look down upon people who would copy others. For the longest time I thought it is difficult to be original and not copy. But when I got into the whole business of copying SRK, I understood how difficult task it is. To read and understand someone’s behaviour, body language. It is not at all an easy job,” he said.

He now sees the profession as one that comes with its own responsibility.

“My work is very hard. I am copying a man, who is not just famous in our country but also the world. I have to be extra careful about the things I do in public, so that I don’t end up damaging his image in any way,” Ibrahim said.

3.2 million YouTube subscribers, 2.6 million Instagram followers

Ibrahim has built a significant social media following while impersonating the superstar. He currently has around 3.2 million subscribers on YouTube and 2.6 million followers on Instagram.

Speaking to Zoom, he said, “There are over 300 doppelgangers of Shah Rukh Khan in India. They often approach me to take tips to behave like Shah Rukh Khan. It makes me happy.”

“When I started to copy him, I never imagined that I will become so famous. I think I only resemble about 10-20%. Many came after me, and some of them are more talented than I am but fame chose me with many of my videos going viral,” he added.

Despite building his entire career around his resemblance to the superstar, Ibrahim does not actively want to meet Shah Rukh Khan.

Why Ibrahim doesn’t want to meet Shah Rukh Khan

“I don’t want to meet Shah Rukh Khan because if I meet him I might lose the passion to become more like him. I don’t want to risk that. If SRK will ever invite me, I will definitely go meet him. But, I am personally not putting any effort,” he said.

Today, social media, events and shows have become Ibrahim’s primary sources of income. But whenever he is not pretending to be Shah Rukh Khan, he returns to another part of his old life — painting.

The man who once painted signboards to make ends meet now paints on canvas. “I make landscape, portrait paintings,” he said.

And if he ever got the chance to actually become Shah Rukh Khan for a day, Ibrahim already knows exactly what he would do. “I will want to have coffee standing on Mannat’s terrace,” he said.