Ratan Tata’s death was a collective loss for the entire nation. The industrialist breathed his last on Wednesday at the Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai. He was 86. Several celebrities took to their social media handles to mourn the business tycoon’s passing. Tata had touched many lives with his kindness, and counted Shah Rukh Khan as one of his admirers. In 2013, the “King of Bollywood” spoke about the respect that he has for Tata.

In an interview with Forbes India, Shah Rukh Khan said, “Whenever I get a chance, I go and spend time with RK Krishnakumar of Tata Sons. I like how these people talk. How they think. Just look at what they’ve built. I go and sit down with Mr Kamath [KV Kamath] and talk of ICICI. I see good, simple, normal people. But the vision is so outstanding and the business acumen in brilliant. They think it out. I get very inspired by that.”

He added, “They [Ambanis, Birlas, Tatas] understand that I have an interest in business that is beyond profits. When I met them, they were also at a stage in life when they were looking at business like that. My father was a businessman; my mother was a business lady, and they were losing at their businesses. But I remember the gusto with which they did it. The reason was not to buy a big house. And I realized that if the essence of earning money is right, business is great.”

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Talking about what it takes to run a business, the actor shared, “You’ve got to have passion. You got to be like Walt Disney as a businessman. I think Azim Premji is like that. Ratan Tata is like that. They are fantastic people. I am too small to comment on their business acumen. But I know the reason why they are doing business. I know that Nano was brought out with a very good thought. Will it work, will it not work, I don’t know. But the reason it was created for, was very clear. The reason you are creating business is not business, but passion and it is personal.”

Shah Rukh Khan shared how he incorporates all these learnings into his own ventures. He shared, “Every business I have started is because I wanted to take things to what I am not getting at this point in time.” He added, “I have taken high-end risks and succeeded in them. Like everyone told me my career was over when Baazigar released. My best well wishers told me my career is over, you can’t be a hero again after you’ve killed a woman. But it paid off. In the long run, everything is sustainable, if you stick to it.”

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