MUMBAI: In a heartfelt appeal, yesteryear's veteran actor and singer Vijayta Pandit, the widow of late music composer Aadesh Shrivastava, recently spoke about Shah Rukh Khan SRK in the context of a promise he made to her husband. She emphasized that Khan had assured Aadesh he would look after their son, Avitesh, as he pursued a career in Bollywood. However, she added that she had not been able to reach Khan, claiming that the phone number she had for him was unreachable. “The number that was given to us is not working,” she said during an interview.

Speaking to the Lehren Retro Hindi channel, Vijayta said her son Avitesh was trying to get a foothold in Bollywood and working very hard, but unfortunately, he was not getting the support or direction he needed in the film industry. "People from the industry know that Aadesh is no longer here. They should help my son. You won’t believe it, but when Aadesh was in the hospital, Shah Rukh Khan used to come and meet him. One day before he died, Aadesh held Shah Rukh's hand, when he could not even talk, and gestured, pointing towards our son, indicating that he should look after him."

Vijayta went on to urge Shah Rukh Khan to fulfil the promise he made to Aadesh and help her son in his struggles in the industry. She specifically wished for Khan to consider producing a film for Avitesh under his production banner, Red Chillies Entertainment. Emphasizing her request for his support, she said, "He must help my son at this stage when he is working hard but needs a little push."

Singer and music director Aadesh, who had composed music for over 100 Hindi films, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a type of bone marrow cancer, in December 2010. He underwent chemotherapy and passed away in August 2015, just a day after he turned 51, in Mumbai.

During the interview, she also highlighted the significant contributions her family, particularly her brothers Jatin and Lalit, made to Shah Rukh’s early career with hit songs in musical romantic comedy films like 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge' and 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai'. The soundtracks of both films became the best-selling Bollywood soundtracks, with 'Dilwale Dulhania's' sales reaching over 100 million. It was judged the top Hindi soundtrack of all time by voters on the BBC Asian Network website.