Yesterday, the Academy chose the perfect day to pay tribute to Shah Rukh Khan’s iconic entry scene in Karan Johar’s 2001 blockbuster ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham’. They thought it would be the perfect gift on the eve of the beloved superstar’s 59th birthday to add a memorable touch to the celebration.

The Academy’s official Instagram account shared the unforgettable Diwali scene at the Raichand mansion from the film. At this point, Shah Rukh’s character Rahul Raichand arrives in a black helicopter and steps into the courtyard, while his mother, Nandini Raichand (played by Jaya Bachchan), instinctively senses his presence nearby.

Dressed in a beautiful white sari by Manish Malhotra, she turns her attention from welcoming her husband Yash Raichand (Amitabh Bachchan) with an aarti ki thali (a plate with a lamp for worship). He then starts to walk towards the entrance as Shah Rukh, dressed entirely in black, eagerly runs towards his house.

However, as Jaya begins to doubt her intuition, she turns back, disheartened – until she spots Shah Rukh walking in out of the corner of her eye. He smiles and points knowingly at her, asking in Hindi, “Hey mom, how do you always feel when I’m about to arrive?” Jaya smiles warmly, her eyes filled with tears, applies tilak on his forehead and tenderly touches his face.

The academy aptly captioned the post, “A mother’s gut is always right.” In a comment, they added, “Is this SRK’s best entry scene yet?”

Karan Johar, who wrote, directed and produced ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham’ under his banner Dharma Productions, re-shared the Academy’s post on his Instagram Story, commenting, “This post made me smile big.”

The film also featured Kajol, Hrithik Roshan, Kareena Kapoor and Rani Mukerji among others. Karan is next directing a Netflix India web series, while Shah Rukh will star in the crime drama ‘King’, which is slated for an Eid 2026 theatrical release.