Shah Rukh Khan: I had no money after buying Mannat, turned to Gauri for refurbishing

Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan recently launched the latter’s coffee-table book My Life In Design in Mumbai. While speaking to the media on the sidelines of the event, Shah Rukh spoke about how he was practically broke when he bought his bungalow Mannat and didn't have any money to get it refurbished and furnished, so his wife Gauri turned designer for the house.

"When we bought Mannat, it was way beyond our means, and once we were done buying the house, we didn't have money to decorate it. We hired a designer, only to realise we couldn't afford him,” said SRK.

"So, I turned to Gauri, as she had artistic talent, and asked her to be the designer for our house. Mannat started like that, and over time, we earned and kept buying little stuff for the house. We even once went to South Africa to buy leather for the sofas, and I think that training ground got her into designing,” he added.

Gauri’s book charts her journey as a designer with exclusive pictures of her and her family. Unseen images of Mannat and the design thought processes that went into turning around the heritage property, and other key projects as well, are a part of the book.

Gauri also spoke about her husband being the hardest to please. Her most challenging project has been designing the Red Chillies Entertainment office.

She said: "Every project is dear to a designer, whether you're working on something big or small, each project has challenges, and we have to give it our best. I have been working for so many years, but I think Shah Rukh's project, the Red Chillies office, was a tough one to crack. Our team was always struggling to get his approval because he would come up with a better design, at all times."