Shah Rukh Khan maintains a stoic silence in the face of gossip linking him to Priyanka Chopra. “Ask the next question,” he says, when asked about the alleged affair. Then, making it clear that the topic is non-negotiable, he adds, “You asked if I would clarify (the rumour). I said no.”

But the actor makes no bones about his great admiration for his Don 2 co-star. As Priyanka readies to make her singing debut, Khan admits there’s no one he thinks is better placed to give the Indian pop industry a much-needed shot in the arm. “I am tone deaf and don’t understand music, but I’ve heard Priyanka and a part of what she’s done. She has a great voice and I believe she can be a huge international crossover,” he says, before adding, “And she should do films as well. I hope it leads to other girls and boys wanting to do the same thing.”

According to SRK, Priyanka has no competition in being the perfect Indian pop icon. He gushes, “I think she is talented she can act well, dance well and speak well. She is also a wonderful-looking multifaceted performer. I will be shocked if it (Priyanka’s cross-over success) doesn’t happen. However, she has to do it with ease and happiness.”

And if the heavy praise from her “good friend” wasn’t enough, Priyanka might be the first actor/singer to have SRK hamming for her music video. “I hope to (be in the video). I want to be paid well and don’t make me dance,” he says with a grin, before insisting, “I would like to shoot in places where you have good five-star hotels. I’ll come for a short while, and have all the girls around me dance while I just do two or three steps,” he explains.

His one request before singing the dotted line? “Please sing in English that I can understand. And don’t say motherf****r and all that,” he pleads. To which Priyanka promptly agrees, before revealing, “Nothing on the music front is ready. We are still working on it. Whenever the team, label and I are happy, that’s when the single will come out.”