Berlin, Germany (BBN)-Rene Lazar was nine-year-old when something interesting happened in his life — his mother brought home a DVD of 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai'.
They were instantly hooked, and afterwards, they procured as many movies of Shah Rukh Khan as they could find, reports The Times of India.
The Lazars live in Stuttgart, famous for being the headquarters for Porsche and Mercedes, where it's easier to get a car than a Bollywood film.
When he was eleven-year-old, Rene starred in his first fan video produced by his parents.
The grainy footage shows a plump-cheeked boy with curly hair wearing an oversized shirt, matching steps with Khan to Dard-e-Disco.
A year later, his mother passed away after a long battle with cancer. His father brought up Rene and his younger brother by himself.
"Wasn't it Shah Rukh who said, 'We live once, we die once, we get married once, and love, that also happens once in a lifetime,'" Branko, his father, was quoted as saying in Indian.Express.com.
Rene is now 19, and works as an industrial management assistant with Mercedes-Benz.
That is his life from Monday to Friday. Over the weekend, he immerses himself in Hindi movies and impersonating Shah Rukh Khan in fan videos.
He has made three videos since 2014, and is working on two more, and with each subsequent video, his fame has also grown.
He was featured in a publicity video for the release of Khan's latest movie, 'Fan'.
The story of Rene Lazar is the story of a family that filled up a loss by finding hope in the movies and specifically in one man.
"After my mother passed away, we grew closer watching Bollywood movies. Shah Rukh inspires me, makes me happy. I make these videos to show my love to him," says Rene.
However, though he loved watching 'Fan', Khan's latest film, he could not identify with the character of Gaurav.
"I could never be like that. Shah Rukh has his life, I have my own."
Meanwhile, father and son are quick to dispel the notion that they have taken their fandom too far.
"We have real jobs in our real lives. But this makes us forget the real world. It makes us feel good," Rene was quoted as saying in the report.
Rene and Branko have planned a trip to India at the end of the year. Rene wants to be an actor in Bollywood.
If he happens to meet Khan, what will he say to him?
"If I stand in front of him, I will be speechless. I will pinch myself and ask, is this real? But then I will say to him, thank you Mr Khan for all the good movies. Thank you for the inspiration," he says.
BBN/SK/AD