Shah Rukh Khan, a student of history, recently got a chance to go back in time to 12th century Delhi and the reign of Qutub-Ud-Din Aibak. Razia Sultan, which will launch & TV, will open with 'sutradhaar' SRK introducing the only woman ruler of the Mughal period and the Delhi Sultanate, who reigned from 1236 to 1240.

The actor was in the middle of a shoot for his game show, India Poochega Sabse Shaana Kaun, which also premieres on March 2, when he was approached to do the commentary for the historical drama. It was around 7 pm on February 16 and after a couple of takes he requested the creative team to let him wrap up his earlier shoot first. He finished around midnight and then quizzed the team about the characters, the look and feel of the show, the historical timelines and even asked to see some of the visuals.

The reason for this in-depth discussion was clear when SRK adopted the dialect and diction of the time. He sprung another surprise when he narrated the tale of politics and intrigue in a neutral, third person tone, with voice modulations.

"It was 1 am but SRK's energy was high. While the channel representatives were happy with the first take, he insisted on doing it again with more variation. He then wanted to try something different and got under the skin of the characters, acting them out through dialogue," says a source from the sets.

"Dilli, Hindustan ka Dil...Dilli... aur is dil ki ek nabz hai Qutub Minar... Jisne sadiyon se dhadaktey is dil ko dekha hai... Dekha hai jisne kai takht-o-taj aabaad hotey... aur kitni saltanaton ko barbaad hotey," he intoned impressing everyone. "His is a recognisable voice with an immediate connect with audiences worldwide. The emotion he brought into the narrative has enhanced its impact many times over," adds the source.