Shah Rukh Khan, who grew up in the capital, on his undying love for the city and how it takes the cake when it comes to festivals
Niharika Lal (BOMBAY TIMES; October 27, 2019)

Even though he has a lot of Diwali parties to attend in Mumbai, Shah Rukh Khan wanted to make sure that he also absorbed Delhi’s Diwali vibe on his recent visit to the city. With his youngest son AbRam accompanying him, SRK said he was there for some “love and friendship”. Speaking about his love for the city, the actor also recalled how every time he is in Delhi, everyone treats him “like their own”. He said that showing AbRam how Delhi celebrates Diwali was one of his priorities while in the city, adding that when it comes to festivals, nobody can beat the way Delhi celebrates.

On Thursday, Shah Rukh Khan attended an event in Saket (Delhi), where he was two hours late. The actor apologised, saying, “Sorry, I’m late. It’s because of the traffic, but I’m not complaining. It’s our city, jaisi bhi hai achchi hai... I come here for friendship and love.”

Revealing his Diwali plans, SRK added, “I would love to celebrate Diwali in Delhi. Par humare Mumbai mein Diwali ki badi-badi parties hoti hain. Toh wahan jana lazmi hai. Woh ek culture sa bann chuka hai. I have to rush back, but I’m here till Diwali. I’ve got my little son (AbRam) here with me. So, I’ll be taking him around the city, showing him Dilli ki Diwali. Mujhe aisa lagta hai Diwali, Dussehra aur Holi jaise Dilli mein hota hai, kahin aur nahi hota. Ya phir mera yeh apna lagaav hai ki mujhe aisa lagta hai.”

‘EVERYONE TREATS ME LIKE THEIR OWN HERE’
Shah Rukh said, “I remember, initially, one of the big things for me was ki main Dilli wala hoon, aur main dil wala hoon. A few days back, I was in Delhi, and my team was walking with me, sadak par jo bhi milta hai, woh aise hi baat karta hai ‘Oh ji... twade naal’. My team asks if I know them and I say, ‘I don’t, but 100% I am related to him somehow because everyone treats me like their own in Delhi.”

Whenever SRK is in Delhi, he hopes to take out some time to visit his parents’ grave. He said, “As much as I can’t leave Delhi, Delhi can’t leave me. My parents are here. For me, my biggest memory is here. Kabhi kabhi main lazy ho jata hoon, nahi jata hoon wahan par (parents’ grave), dur se hi dua maang leta hoon, because parents will understand. I understand that when my kids don’t meet me very often now. But honestly, when I land in Delhi, and I am roaming around, the only thing I get really nostalgic about is going and seeing them.”

Meena Iyer (DNA; February 5, 2019)

Speak to most of the younger generation of actors like Ayushmann Khurrana, Vicky Kaushal, Rajkummar Rao or Kartik Aaryan and they will mention how they would like to work at having multiple film releases a year, a la Bollywood’s original superhero Akshay Kumar. Akki is perhaps the most disciplined actor on the scene currently and if he can deliver five films a year, he will do it.

Of course, not everyone can emulate him because the Hindi film industry’s Khiladi has the best time-management skills. He completes most of his projects in 40-45 days and is so punctual on set, you can adjust your watch according to his arrival. Everyone is envious of the Gold actor. However, only a few can follow in his footsteps.

Shah Rukh Khan, who has a great sense of humour, was recently asked if he would ‘manage’ to do three films or more a year. Or even better whether he would end up doing a movie with Akshay. Displaying his trademark dimples, SRK smiled and replied, “What do I say to this? I don’t wake up as early as him.” Laughing, he added, “I go to sleep when Akshay is waking up. His day starts early. By the time I start working, he is packing up and going home. So he can put in more hours of work. I’m a nocturnal person. Not many people are fond of shooting at night like me.”

SRK also visualised a scenario if he and the Bollywood superstar ended up in a film. He said, “It will be fun to act with Akshay. Dono set pe hi nahin milenge. Woh jaa raha hoga aur main aa raha hounga (laughs). He’ll  be leaving the set and I’ll be coming in. I would like to work like Akshay and with him, but our timings won’t match.”

Meena Iyer (DNA; January 22, 2019)

Over the last three decades, Shah Rukh Khan has become a household name across the globe. While his interests cover film and sports, one can’t help but notice that despite having such deep knowledge about cinema, the Bollywood superstar has never evinced interest in direction.

When an opportunity posed itself, we asked him why he hadn’t ventured into filmmaking. To which SRK replied candidly, “Not yet yaar. It’s difficult for me to get into direction. I can imagine what the story is going to be like. However, I don’t ‘really know’ it. I believe that if you are going to helm a film then you should be aware of the plot. You’ve to be able to say confidently ‘this is what my story is’. My thing is I’m assuming the possibilities. But sometimes, I haven’t tied up all the loose ends.”

Contemplating a bit more, he added, “Direction is a lonely job. That’s why I’m so in love with my directors when I work with them, so that they don’t feel alone. For me, it’s not important to act well for them as much as it is to let them know that in the final stretch of the film’s release, the last man standing with him or her, will be me.”

He also said that he loved having his youngest son, AbRam, around. Referring to him, he stated, “I’ve a little one right now. So, if I became a director, I would be locked in a room for two years, which is not a good thing to do at present. Sitting with AbRam and trying to write a story will be impossible. I don’t want to miss out on his growing up years.” Guess, direction will have to wait!

DNA (January 15, 2019)

Given that children often follow in their parents’ footsteps when it comes to choosing a career, it’s no wonder that star kids, too, are expected to do the same. So considering that Shah Rukh Khan’s children have a following of their own, it wouldn’t be wrong to assume that the superstar’s son Aryan and daughter Suhana will be soon gearing up for their respective Bollywood debuts.

Quiz the Zero actor about it and he replies, “Aryan doesn’t want to act, he wants to make films. He’s writing, directing and learning stuff for four years. It’s one of the highest levels of studies at the University of Southern California to become a filmmaker. My daughter wants to act. She also has to attend a four-year course in theatre. I think both of them should study.”

When pointed out that Suhana made a lovely debut on a magazine cover last year, SRK maintained, “But she still has to work for four-five years. Everybody has to do that. I was telling someone if a doctor’s child cannot become a doctor without learning how to be one, how do you expect an actor’s child to do that? They have to learn to be actors. Aryan and Suhana are studying in institutions that will teach them acting, which will help them to hone their craft. Post that, if they have the desire and the madness to be involved with films, as a writer, director, filmmaker, actor, then they should choose to be a part of it.”

Meena Iyer (DNA; December 24, 2018)

Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan and Salman Khan have been the centre of the B-Town universe for three decades now. Their superstar power may be dented on occasion, but, undoubtedly, the trio has dominated the Hindi cinema box office for more than 10 years now. On a personal level, they have a unique equation. When we met the Zero actor recently, we asked him about the bond he shares with the two Khans, and here’s what he had to say...

Two others who have been around for as long as you are Aamir Khan and Salman Khan. Do you see yourselves as a triumvirate? 
The other day, the three of us were together from 9 pm to 8 am. When we meet, we know we are friends. We just keep talking, laughing and pulling each other’s legs. Strangely, while doing that, we’re also extremely sensitive about each other’s losses, sadness and happiness.

Having said that, I have a certain respect for Aamir and Salman, which is beyond the fact that I’m their friend. And they hold that, too. So, on public platforms, we’re not like that. I think it was Aamir who said, that if people saw us together, they would say, ‘Arrey, teeno toh bilkul star type nahin lagte.’ As a matter of fact, in Zero, I’ve removed myself from them and you see that in the trailer, too. There is a dialogue that Bauua says, ‘Le aa apne teenon Khan, yahin khada hoon, meri jaan.’

Go on...
We don’t ever chat about work, we just have fun. I’ve known them for 25-26 years now. Whenever I’ve met them, from the time I started to last night, I don’t consider us as a triumvirate, people see it that way. The achievements of Aamir and Salman are outstanding, the ease with which they do it, and the love they have. People don’t see that.

Apart from being modest about your own achievements, your roles are beyond the romantic.
I think I still have a lot to achieve. I can speak for Salman and Aamir, too, because I know they also feel that. All three of us believe that this is not what we set out to make, there’s still more to go.

We have it in our nature to get over our last film, whether it’s a hit or a flop, and move on to the next one. And that’s what keeps us going. The desire to keep on working for the ultimate goal, which we also don’t know. It doesn’t stop. I  personally don’t feel I’ve achieved anything.

Shah Rukh Khan on how he changed body language to perfect vertically challenged man act in Zero movie
Sonia Lulla (MID-DAY; December 21, 2018)

"What if I were born as a grasshopper in my next life? There's so much that I'd miss about this life," says Shah Rukh Khan, admitting that it's something he thinks about. Evidently trying to make a case for his latest offering, Zero — which hits screens today — he talks about how director Aanand L Rai wanted the film to celebrate life, despite limitations.

"The idea was to see if a vertically challenged person could make you feel shorter than him. So, [when prepping for the part] I didn't want to learn from the experience of a vertically challenged man, since it could be [peppered with] cynicism," he says.

Although one can count on Khan to pull off the part convincingly, courtesy his acting prowess, the superstar reveals bringing Bauua Singh to life required him to change his body language. "I had to take smaller strides. Also, if I moved at my regular pace, it would appear that I'm moving too fast, when matched with Bauua. For the dance sequences, like in the song with Salman [Khan], I had to dance slower to match his steps."

As is the risk attached to trying something novel, Khan admits they would notice certain discrepancies when his scenes were worked upon by the VFX team. "Sometimes, we'd do a scene and think we've got it right. But, when we'd see it on a smaller stature, it would invoke another emotion. So, we would be divided — should we change it, or let it be as disorganised as the character, and not re-shoot it. I believe this concept of character consistency is crap. You are who you are. Our character would do what we wanted it to. That is an arrogance I have in character-play. So, we retained those discrepancies."

Madhureeta Mukherjee (BOMBAY TIMES; December 18, 2018)

Shah Rukh Khan is self-admittedly ‘flawed’. Reminds us of the hand-made fabulous Persian carpet. One where the artisans deliberately leave a flaw, because they believe that perfection only belongs to the ‘Almighty’. The actor says that he’s far from perfect and emphasises, “My flaws make me the star that I am.” Rightly so. He is indeed our ‘flawsome’ superstar (awesome with all his flaws). He’s enjoyed tremendous success, but it’s not like his career graph has been devoid of faults and failure. Yet, he still remains the die-hard romantic on screen, and a bonafide mega star. And a ‘Zero’ only multiplies his power. With his next coming up for release this Friday, he engages us in a chat where he talks about stardom — the conflict, complexity and simplicity of it all, how his fans repeatedly expect an SRK type act from him, and the story about how a simple gesture turned iconic on celluloid. Over to the mighty Khan...

Most directors who have worked with you are always asked about how they look beyond the superstar, your larger-than-life persona and see you from the lens of their character. For Aanand L Rai, it must have been a bigger challenge, as he was working with a version of you that was visually many inches shorter...
I have not worked with any director in any different way than I have worked with the last one, or I will with the next one. Earlier, there must have been some directors who were probably wary of me, thinking that they would have to follow my diktat owing to my stardom. But that feeling was curtailed in the first few days of shoot and later on, I heard them say things like… ‘He’s very sweet and he doesn’t bring the star persona on set’. Why would I do that? I have never done that.

I don’t say this with any modesty, but I truly believe that I am an employee of the film. I do a lot of jobs as an employee and try to do them well. Also, I have never told anyone that let me be who I am. I say, ‘You tell me who you want me to be, and I will do that to the best of my ability’. Sometimes, I am different than me, sometimes I am not. But if the director is okay with it, I am assuming that he is happy. Unless, the director believes that I can’t do anything else and so, he leaves it at that. People keep on saying, ‘He is Shah Rukh Khan!’ Yes, I am and when you cast me you know that (laughs!). The director, writer and the actor create a character who is not bound by any limitations of the character. I am the character, so why do we say that he will not do this or that? The character will do what you tell him to do.

Aanand L Rai told me that there was never any conflict between him and you; it was between you (the character) and Shah Rukh Khan. He said that you have this amazing quality, where you can sit and look at Shah Rukh Khan (as a third person) and talk about him like he is someone else. That sounds extremely interesting and complex, could you elaborate?
People have a different expectation of me, and they have that expectation of me as a star who they believe I am. When I go to a public place, people know that I will come on stage and crack a joke, do a song for them or give a hug. This is what I feel like as a star, and this is what I do as a star, but I am not that star. I am not that person at all. It would be difficult for my wife and children to be living with this persona and it would be difficult for me, too. A few days ago, I was sitting with my team and I asked my stylist, can I just wear this (it was a simple shirt). They started pulling my leg saying, ‘No, no, you are a movie star! Dude, you gotta be like this’. Of course, when I am supposed to perform somewhere, or be in public view, then I leave it to my team. I don’t know how he (star persona) dresses up, they know that. It’s like in movies, generally songs are characterless (it is done more to play to the gallery), but I know that people like seeing me do a song, so then, there is a conflict. I also know that we have commercial parameters to adhere to and songs and dances are part of big movies. Fortunately or unfortunately, there is an SRK type song that needs to be done, and I understand that. If we are doing Jab tak jahaan mein mera naam hai (Zero), I know it is an SRK song. You can try and do it differently, but there are some tropes always. So often, my directors have turned around and said, ‘Sir ek Shah Rukh Khan wala kar do’.

So, there is no conflict between SRK the star, and SRK the real person?
There is no conflict between me and my star persona. As soon as I’m playing the star and being the star, I’m in a zone and I do all that’s expected of the star. I don’t even have to think about it. It’s not a lie or a hypocritical act, there are certain things you expect of me in public — good, bad, sweet, funny, larger-than-life and I do all that. The other day in Dubai, my team told me that I have to go and promote my film at some place. I went dressed casually in a T-shirt and when I reached there, I saw there were about a lakh people. I know that they expected a song and some dialogues from me and I did it. After that, I came back to my room and had a cup of coffee in my zone. Basically, what I am saying is that, I can slip back into my zone just like that, it’s not something that I even have to think about.

You play a vertically challenged character in Zero, but what remains unchanged is that we will see you falling in love and romancing on screen here, too. While talking to Aanand about this, he said, ‘SRK is not the King of Romance, he is romance. I told him that I am going to take away two feet from your height; now the arms that you spread out will be shorter, so let me see how you romance on screen’. Your response to that…
I never put my arms out to romance the heroine; I just did it and then it became a romantic gesture. I never walked in a certain way towards a girl, because I thought it was romantic. I never did romantic films in the beginning, as I didn’t think I was good-looking or sweet enough. I have always told people that it was a gesture to simply avoid dancing. Whenever I couldn’t do any step, I would tell Saroj ji (Saroj Khan), ‘Main aise haath kar loon, mere se yeh step ho nahin raha hai’. She would say, ‘Haan beta kar lo, koi baat nahin’. I could not do a lot of steps, even now I can’t. Sometimes, in these semi-romantic songs like Iss jahaan ki nahin hai tumhari aankhen (King Uncle), or Chaand taare tod laoon (Yes Boss), I found it odd to do steps, so I said, ‘Chalke bol deta hoon, haath aise kar doonga’, and it worked. Even my children tease me about it and I tell them that I didn’t do it for this kind of effect and I didn’t know it would become this thing; suddenly they have silhouettes of me in that pose. It’s happened to me on set, that I am shooting as directed and someone comes to me and says, ‘Sir aap woh ek kar do’. I don’t feel awkward doing it, as I’m aware that I’m doing it as someone else.

The film is about people who are challenged, flawed and they still find beauty in life and the strength to make the most of what they have. Do you acknowledge your flaws and try to work around and with them?
I am completely flawed. To me, that was the appeal of this film. I am no fluke… but I am an extremely flawed star. I think that the reason a lot of people like me to the extent they do is because they see my flaws and accept it. They think… ‘Here is a person who is not the best-looking guy, he doesn’t dance the best, he doesn’t even perhaps act the best, but overall, somewhere, he is celebrating that and he is trying to express a feeling. As long as he is celebrating, let’s celebrate along with him’. I am surrounded by beautiful people, physically and otherwise, and they all look like stars, I hardly look like one. Of course, I am smart, intelligent, educated, I speak well at times, but these are not the qualities that you normally associate with a star. I believe that I am an extremely flawed star and my flaws make me the star that I am. If I wasn’t flawed, I’d probably just be a perfect actor.

Have you ever wanted to or tried fixing you flaws?
No, maybe I should get a nose job done (laughs!). At the age of 42, I was sitting at home and casually chatting with my friends when I told them that I will work towards building the best body this country has ever seen. They turned around and told me, ‘No one likes you with muscles, don’t be silly. You don’t have to do what others do’. I said that I will do it, as it’s a thing in my head. I have never got tough roles to play and the general belief is that, you are tough when your body is tough. Unfortunately, even with my muscles, I looked lean, but I didn’t know it back then. All this body shaming is rubbish; I don’t think you have to be body perfect to express anything or to be the best person. And that’s why when I danced to Dard-E-Disco (Om Shanti Om in 2007) I made a joke out of it. I took off my shirt, flaunted a greased body, posed as a fireman in the song, and did all those things that you expect sexy men to do. And it was funny because my character was so non-macho that I wanted to spoof it. It was important that people don’t take it seriously. I have never tried to correct a flaw. I believe my flaws are me, my incompleteness is me. This is the only me I have got and I have to make the best of life with me. I am not being overconfident, but this is the best I have and there is no changing this. If you think it is less, I will still make the best of the less that I have. This is it. If the correction happens naturally, it’s okay. People tell me that I have started speaking very well now. Good then, it must have happened, but I didn’t sit down and learn to speak better with marbles in my mouth.

There has been a lot of talk about your daughter Suhana stepping into the movies, and someday, probably, Aryan will too. As a father, actor and filmmaker, what are your thoughts and concerns?
My son wants to learn how to make films and he is still doing that, he has two more years to go. I think that this expectation of a movie star’s son becoming a movie star is a little awkward. If an engineer’s son wants to be an engineer, he can’t just become one. He has to study for it, right? So, why do we assume that an actor’s son/daughter does not have to study to become an actor? I may be completely wrong about this and most of my actor and director friends tell me that I am wrong. They tell me that Suhana should be acting right now and that she will learn with me around. I reason with them saying that she hasn’t educated herself totally yet. I did theatre for nine years and I did Mass Communication, which was theatre and film-oriented. Then I got opportunities with shows on television (Fauji and Circus) at a time when the stakes were not so high. TV pe kuch bhi aaye toh logon ko accha lagta tha. Maybe, if my shows were running on TV today, they wouldn’t get as much appreciation. My first film was when I was 26 and soon after, I got a chance to work with some great actors that helped me even further. Of course, I truly appreciate some of the young people working today. My kids took this upon themselves. My daughter told me that she wanted to study to be an actor; similarly, when my son was in the tenth grade, he told me that he wanted to learn how to write and make films. I believe that you should not get into a profession to only ask what this profession will do for you. You have to get into a profession thinking that you can lend something to it. Aryan does not have any intention of being an actor now; I don’t know… it can change. My daughter has all intentions of being an actor, but that could also change. They have three-four years of education to complete and fortunately, genetically our family looks young even when they are older, so they have time on their hands.

Meena Iyer (DNA; December 17, 2018)

It’s 10.45 pm. I’m at Mehboob Studios in Bandra, Mumbai. It’s way past twilight hour, but it is the hour when the Badshah of Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan, is most awake. He loves the night and follows a clock that is set differently. Animated about his next release Zero, which hits the theatres this Friday, the superstar is game to go on with the promotional interviews all night long. Charming, articulate, candid and funny, he gives us a ringside view of the vertically-challenged character, Bauua Singh, which he plays in his new drama, with the eagerness of a child. That then is SRK; 30 years on, movies continue to make his world go round. And when you’re with him, he beguiles you with answers and anecdotes that make you long for more. Excerpts from our conversation...

You’ve seen the world from a superstar’s perspective. Tell us about a dwarf’s perspective.
Actually, I’ve not seen the world from a superstar’s perspective. I usually see it from the character’s perspective. A couple of weeks ago, I was explaining to my co-stars — Katrina (Kaif) and Anushka (Sharma) — how people perceive someone successful from the outside. But on the inside, the reason we get along — at least I get along with the actors I work with — is because without having to express it, all of us are aware of insecurities, the incompleteness and the consciousness about certain things. In this job, it finally takes a toll when you’ve to express so much of yourself. You defy yourself to the world and it’s difficult. Sometimes, when people such as non-actors are trying to act, it looks weird. Not because they are trying to act, but because they can’t express as openly as actors tend to do.

You are shy, aren’t you?
When you keep on giving so much, obviously all of us have some amount of weirdness and shyness. Like I’m really shy; I don’t wear shorts in public because I’m conscious. Not because I’m conscious of my legs or something, it’s just that I’m a shy person. But then you act in a film and play a character in a kachha-banian. You come on the set and you’re dancing and doing everything. It’s dichotomous, you are living out of yourself.

Similarly, when it came to a character like Bauua, it was his incompleteness, aplomb and coolness that appealed to me. He’s a superstar, a rock star. I remember director Aanand L Rai telling me that Bauua will not be cynical or angry with the world for who he is. He’s going to wear it on his sleeve. His attitude is going to be — if something is wrong with me, it’s wrong with you also. Maybe you are too tall. So, Aanand kept on saying that somewhere at the back of Bauua’s mind, he’s aware that people do take a second look at him.

Go on...
Whether people believe it or not, I’m shy in my personal life. In a public place, I’m like, are people looking at me? Is my hair alright? Not as a star, but as people, we all are. Sometimes, while we’re just sitting, I notice that if someone is feeling a bit conscious of their weight, they will pick up a pillow and keep it to distract themselves from the weight. Someone who is not comfortable with the clothes will keep pulling the shirt down. All the time we believe that someone is looking at us and finding something less in us.

If I’m sitting in a crowded place, I know people are looking at me. So, there is a certain thing, ‘Oh, my God, I hope they don’t realise I’m not as tall as they think I am.’ Of course, I try not to run away with my thought because it doesn’t matter now. I’ve been around too long. To play that character and still have the confidence while retaining the insecurity, I think that’s why it’s exciting for me to play Bauua.

It’s not about the height. It’s not about me alone, but for Anushka, too. Her character (Aafia Bhinder) has cerebral palsy, then there is an emotional issue that Katrina’s character (Babita Kumari) has. So, it’s very interesting that Aanand has touched about incompleteness. And still, all of them are confident. Aafia is one of the most intelligent scientists in the country, perhaps in the world. Babita is beautiful, Bauua is the most confident and cocky person in the world. And all three of them are suffering from a certain kind of complex, which they don’t ask sympathy or empathy for. I think that’s quite interesting.

If I were to tell people that, ‘Yaar, mujhe yeh problem hai,’ they are like, ‘Abey yaar, tere ko kya problem hai! Tu toh Shah Rukh Khan hai.’ That’s how people look at it. But you have your own issues. Sometimes, it’s something that makes you feel cynical and angry, too. But we’ve made a film that is not cynical or angry. We’re just telling people, listen, it’s alright to be less. Actually, less is unique, because we all are less in the film, in different ways.

Both, Anushka and Katrina, say the nice thing about you is that you let the female characters in your film shine.
I find that strange because, for me, it’s a natural progression of a co-actor who is working with me. I’m nobody to give anyone any kind of an upper hand in the film. I just want, as an actor, to be able to give my co-actor space where he/she also shines. And only then together we will shine.

I think it’s also my experience. When I joined the industry, I worked with Sridevi, Madhuri Dixit, Juhi Chawla. These three were the biggest stars this country has ever seen. I remember, the first time I acted with Juhi, after a scene, she turned around and said, ‘I love working with you, it’s exciting and fun.’ For a big star like her to say that to me, who was not even half as good as she was in the films, was a huge thing. One day when Madhuri and I were shooting, her hairdresser came and said, ‘Madhuri ek minute aana chahti hai’. I was like, ‘Haan haan, tell her to come.’ Then she said, ‘Nahin nahin, woh batana nahin chahti. Woh aapko dance karte hue dekhna chahti hai. She loves the way you dance.’ Sridevi used to give me a hug after finishing her shoot. So, all of them have been nice to me and I’ve worked with some of the best actors. Rishi Kapoor saab, Naseeruddin Shah saab, Amrish Puriji... the biggest of stars were so kind to me. They never pointed out any of my weaknesses in a negative way. They helped me out with the scenes in their own way. They didn’t sit me down ki ‘aisa karna hai’, ya ‘waisa karna hai’. And then, I became a star because of how they were to me. So, for me, that learning curve goes to everyone who is new to me now.

Katrina and Anushka are new to me, in terms of I’ve worked many more years. So, it’s not about them being girls only, it’s about them being my co-actors. And if I don’t give it to them, perhaps they will not be able to give it back to me. And also, I’ve a soft corner for women, because I do believe, most of my films which have done well, whether it’s Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) because of Kajol, Himani Shivpuri, Faridaji (Jalal), Sushmaji (Seth) and all the lovely ladies in the movie, or Chak De! India (2007), in which there are 15 new girls with me, I think they all made me look better than I am. I genuinely believe that. I think I’m nice to my heroines only because they make me look good. It’s as simple as that.

Is there anything at all remotely similar between Bauua Singh and Kamal Haasan’s Appu Raja?
Not at all. This film is not about a vertically-challenged person. It’s about incompleteness. Another thing is that Appu Raja was fantastic. Full marks to Kamal sir to even attempt it. Only he, with his weird, intelligent way of thinking, can do it. One of the other things that we didn’t want to have is that it’s a given, that if you’re vertically challenged, you would be in a circus. We didn’t want that in the film.

Some time ago, after a prominent filmmaker saw the first promo, she sent me a letter stating, ‘You don’t know how people lead their lives in circus’. I wanted to call her up and say, ‘How can you assume?’ and ‘How wrong you are to assume that just because a person is vertically challenged means that he should be in a circus.’ But I didn’t. I don’t think she will still like the film. So, it’s alright. We wanted to break the myth that any kind of incompleteness leads to cynicism and anger. You can celebrate life inspite of being incomplete. So, it’s not about the height.

With Zero you seemed to have fully inhabited the world that Aanand and writer Himanshu Sharma have created. When you say the dialogue — ‘Teer lena hai mujhe’, it appears as if either Aanand or Himanshu was coaching you to say it in a particular manner. Is this correct?
Oh, it’s different. I’m not from this world and I keep joking with them. I call Kandivali as ‘Candivali’. I keep joking with them saying, I’ve never been beyond Switzerland and Zurich and you’ve taken me to Meerut.

But having said that, 90 per cent of how I speak in the film is based on how Himanshu narrates it to me. I don’t think I’ve done a good enough job. And the other person who helped me was Zeeshan Ayyub. Himanshu sat me down with Zeeshan, who is a lovely actor, and said, ‘Sir, yeh jaisa bolega na, waisa bolna hai’. So, the scenes I’m with him, I speak better because I take the cue from him and he helps me out. But on my own, I think I’ve not been able to get the right flavour. I try my best while dubbing, too. But Himanshu is Himanshu. The way he puts it across is very different. And he is kind. The other day, I finished the dubbing and told him, ‘Yaar, waisa nahin ho raha hai’. But he said, ‘Nahin sir, yehi bada achha lag raha hai. Mera wala achha nahin hai.’ But I did copy his ‘Wheelchair toh photo mein dikhi nahin.’

Were you toying with the idea of calling the film Harami?
You know what we thought.. the character we were trying to build is badmaash. So you see all the titles that came in the teaser first.. there’s haram khor, baazigar, aflatoon, kameena.. I think he’s a mixture of all that. Then we thought what is the one thing that can apply to both. When I was growing up, I would often hear harami being used as a term of endearment like ‘tu bada harami hai’. We thought, can we have a term which can say, he’s fun and he’s an idiot, like he’s a complete zero. Yeh bilkul zero hai yaar.

For us, Zero is also a very Buddhist whole. It can be a complete circle or be nothing. We wanted to have a title that signifies both things. It’s not about a zero becoming a hero. It’s about a zero being zero but you seeing it from a different perspective. There’s no underlying meaning and that’s what I love about Aanand and Himanshu.

Was this your most challenging role to date?
It’s a very exciting part. And maybe one of the few roles that I want people to like a lot. I’ve never played a character hoping that people will like it. And I hope I never do that; ki main hero type ka role karunga toh chalega. I’ve just played characters within the parameters of commercial cinema. Maybe that’s also why I’m blamed for not essaying different roles because I don’t do the other kind of cinema, it’s not affordable time-wise and sometimes, filmmaker-wise.

You hear so many people turn around and say, ‘Yeh alag film honi chahiye, content hona chahiye’. I think Zero is such a movie. If it’s liked, it’s nice, if it’s not, then it’s back to the drawing board. I hope people like it. It’s a different movie. A lot of people ask me, do you get nervous or anxious about your film? I don’t think if you’ve been an actor for 30 years and done well, you should make a film that makes you anxious, in a good way. You should not make a movie like, ‘Yeh toh chalega yaar’. My anxiety is like ‘Yaar, yeh kaisa bana hai?’ I still have that excitement.

I asked Aniruddh, the Chief AD who saw some portions, ‘Kaisi lag rahi hai’. And he replied, ‘Bahut achhi lag rahi hai’. When I asked him, ‘Bahut mazaa aaya?’, and he’s like ‘I don’t know about that, but achhi lag rahi hai’. It’s nice to have a set of 300 people working on a film and you don’t know how it’s gone. It’s good art because it’s too much craft if you know exactly where it is going.

You’ve been around for about 30 years, but still no one romances like you. Do you take that as a compliment? Your arms outstretched pose is enough to tell people what romance is all about. There are people who are doing that even on social media.
I don’t know. I think people tend to simplify things. I’m happy to have been simplified to a romantic hero. I don’t take it personally because I know the layers that I bring into my characters. I’m not the best of actors, but I try my best to bring something personal and some public experience and utilise it. I’ve done this in a lot of films.

I don’t have a tendency to describe acting seriously to people. Maybe if I did, they will take me more seriously. But I don’t think you need to take me seriously because if you eat good food, it’s boring to be told how it was made. You taste it, you like the chef, you say he’s got magical fingers. So, I would like to be known as that person. If they think I’m a romantic hero, I fulfill that part of an emotion, I think it’s one of the most beautiful emotions we have. Having said that, personally, I’m weird with romance. Actually, I don’t even like romantic films. It’s strange, jaisa log bolte hain na, if you have plans, God has a way of laughing at you. That’s the only kind of hero I didn’t want to be when I came in. My first five-seven films were anti-hero and different because I was awkward. I said I don’t look good enough and I can’t romance a girl. I remember Yash Chopra ji telling me, ‘If you want to be a legend, you have to be a romantic hero.’ And I was like, ‘Yash ji, yeh kya bol rahe ho?  Mujhe action karne do.’ He’s made films like Deewaar (1975) and Trishul (1978), so he was my go-to action hero. All the tough directors I worked with, they all turned patsy and romantic with me, including Rohit Shetty, with Chennai Express (2013). I think it’s not me, it’s them.

Shah Rukh Khan on his idea of romance, giving undivided attention to his next, the connection between stardom and innate goodness, and why his younger son AbRam makes for the best travel companion
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 12, 2018)

He is expected to arrive around 9.30 pm. I’m on my way to Mehboob Studio a little before 9 pm, when I get a frantic call informing me that Shah Rukh Khan is already there. Later, he jokes that he took everyone by surprise by arriving on time. The interactions are expected to continue till around 2 am after which he plans to meet his Zero director Aanand L Rai who has been, for days, working all nights on the film’s post-production. It’s going to be a long night’s work but that’s routine for SRK, who settles down on the sofa in his vanity van and turns expectantly. Excerpts from an interview:

In our first conversation about Zero, Aanand L Rai had confided that he wanted to take the biggest superstar and cut his height by a couple of feet. How did he present the idea to you?
Aanand with Himanshu (writer Himanshu Sharma) came to meet me late one night with a one-page story idea. He narrated the opening sequence which had the dialogue, “Gutka khate ho gapagap, sperm chhota padh gaya tumhara, aur kya!” and I was instantly hooked. It wasn’t important that the character was vertically challenged because when I was acting, I wasn’t four foot tall. On screen, I often don’t recognise myself because Bauua is so different from me but it makes me happy as an actor. What I liked was that here’s a person who’s aware that maybe he is not the most complete of them all, yet he doesn’t give a damn what the world thinks of him. (Smiles) That’s the best way to be, particularly in today’s world where everybody is telling you how you should be or shouldn’t be.

My mom wanted me to become an actor but three-four people from Mumbai whom we knew well told her I’d never become one because I wasn’t good-looking enough. She was hurt but it didn’t bother me because all I wanted to do was act and I assured her “main kaam karta rahunga”. At that point I wasn’t interested in films, I was doing well on stage. Then, TV happened and, 30 years later, I’m a poster boy!

You just have to believe in what you want to do despite what others may think of you or even if you yourself feel the lack of something, material or otherwise. Through Bauua, Anushka’s (Sharma) Aafiya and even Katrina’s (Kaif) Babita, who is emotionally incomplete in this flight of fantasy, we want to convey the message that this is how God made us and since we have just one life, let’s live it to the fullest.

You’ve always come across as a confident person. Is there something that makes you feel incomplete as a person?
Everything! But I don’t think of weakness or fallibility as a shortcoming. I have never been confident but at the same time, I’ve never felt bereft of something. This is who I am and my best quality is that I can tell people I don’t know certain things. Even now I tell all my heroines, even the younger girls, that I can’t dance and that they should either stand in front of me or hold my hand. When Aanand would ask me how I wanted to do a certain scene, I’d admit I had no idea and asked him to share if he had one.

I’m very emotional and sensitive to people unless I am angry, then I don’t give a damn. And if people are insensitive to me, I grow very quiet and go away. My wife and children know my weaknesses so even if they know something is crap, they will tell me so gently because I get a little taken aback by directness. When the kids were young, Gauri would tell them, “Don’t talk like this, papa gets disturbed.”

What disturbs you?
When it’s family, I’m not offended by anything. But sometimes I get hurt if they refuse a simple thing. I don’t ask for much.

Has your sensitivity ever been misread?
Sometimes because of it, I may come across as a little formal as a younger actor pointed out when I called to ask his permission to use a shot taken at the Filmfare Awards. Since he wasn’t aware that he was being filmed, I thought it was only decent and dignified to ask him. He was very sweet.

Stardom comes with a lot of responsibility. How difficult is it to be good to people all the time?
I’ve never thought of stardom and goodness as being mutually exclusive. You are either good, or you’re not. I’m always nice to people. When I’m with people, I love them, and when I’m alone, I love myself. If you’re my friend, you are always in my heart and I’ll be there just in case, though I hope it never happens that you need me. But I don’t have any social etiquette.

I can’t be ‘in touch’, chat and text. I don’t take phone calls, I don’t answer messages properly and I’m okay if you don’t either. My family and best friends understand that I love them and that when I’m on my own time, I’m gone. But it can offend some people who take it as lack of love.

Being a star has never influenced who I am and how I behave. I’m awkward doing and saying a lot of things in real life, but I’ll do it in a movie if the character demands it. The only thing I still can’t do is address someone as “Tu.” I request the director to change it to “Tum.”

Ever since Aryan entered his teens there’s been a lot of talk about him being groomed for stardom. And now Suhana is catching the eye with her performances on stage. What is it like to have two growing actors in the family?
Neither my son nor my daughter have been groomed to be actors. Suhana has an inclination towards wanting to be an actor. She finishes school in six months after which she will go to an educational institute for three-four years to train in acting. Aryan doesn’t want to be an actor, he wants to make films, become a director, and is training for it in the US. AbRam I don’t know, he’s good-looking enough to be a rock star.

Gauri and I never told our kids that they have to grow up to be actors. People around would say handsome hai, tall hai, body achcha hai, but if looks were a criterion, I’d never have been an actor. Genetics too has nothing to do with capability. If I can be of help as someone with 30 years of experience in the field, I will, but I don’t think I should because acting is not just a job, it has to be a turn-on every second. It is about how happily, longingly, desperately and crazily you want to act. Don’t do it if you only want to wear good clothes, look nice and drive flashy cars. Get into banking then, it’s much safer!

You’ve got into the habit of going off on little vacations with AbRam…
My other two kids were not so social but AbRam enjoys spending time with my friends and me. Once Gauri dropped him off at Mehboob Studio for an hour. Now, he’s happy to come here, watch movies, play football, play with the cat and hens… He doesn’t need you to be with him. He goes to sleep at 9 pm, wakes up early and if we’re in London, wants to go to Hyde Park to play. If I can accompany him, great. If not, he’s okay!

He’s an easy and happy traveller and since I get lonely on long outdoors, I enjoy his company. During the shoot of Jab Harry Met Sejal, Gauri dropped him off for four days. He stayed on for 32 days, going with me to the Netherlands, Portugal and Hungary. In Hungary, we had a party one night, and since the production guys had always seen him with me, they cordoned off a portion of the nightclub we were visiting as a no-drinking kid zone and invited him along. He was happy to play there and dance with Anushka. He’s a cool kid!

You’ve been a romantic hero since Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. What’s your personal take on love?
I believe it’s a fuller, more complete word for respect. If I respect your space and still encroach it, if you can respect my individuality and can still be a couple with me, then that’s love. And the beauty of love is that you don’t need to ask for it, demand it or beg for it, it flows naturally. If you are in a relationship where respect even when unasked is given, it’s love. Otherwise it’s liking, which is also nice, or companionship which is brilliant.

There’s been speculation that you have given the nod to the Rakesh Sharma biopic, Saare Jahan Se Achcha, and Sanjay Leela Bhansali too is planning a film with Salman and you…
I talk about my film when I’m making one, if I haven’t made it yet, there is no point in speaking about it as it only misleads. Apart from these two you mentioned, there are six other films that I have heard, some really exciting stuff. But it’s only after I’ve finished Zero, that I can take a call on my next as only then can dates and casting can be locked. For the moment I just want to stay with this film and have requested everyone else to give me some time.

Saare Jahan Se Achcha I’ve heard, it’s beautiful, I’d love to do it and I will, eventually. But the timing has not been decided and it is nice to announce a film with the whole cast and crew. Sanjay and I have been talking about a film for the last two years but not specifically about this one. I’d love to work with him again but since nothing is specified yet, it obviously means Sanjay is not ready yet and it will take us some more time.

I’ve spoken to Aanand about another film, but he’s not even done with Zero yet, how will he start a new film. There is another idea that I’ve really liked which someone narrated to me. Some friends wanted to announce a film eight-nine months ago, but I convinced them to hang on as I wanted to give Zero all my time for now. So, at this point I don’t have another film to talk about.

Did you watch Rakesh Sharma on TV when he responded to then-PM, Indira Gandhi’s question about how India looked from space with the unforgettable words, “Sare jahan se achcha Hindustan hamara”?
I did, growing up, he was one of my biggest heroes, along with Milkha Singh and Sunil Gavaskar. It was an amazing moment which gave us a sense of what an Indian could achieve at a time when our space programme wasn’t as strong as it is now. In fact, a lot of people still think he went to the moon rather than into space.

It was endearing to see you shake a leg with Gauri to the tunes of “Dilliwali Girlfriend” at the Ambani pre-wedding celebrations. But someone changed the song to “Paisa Pheko Tamasha Dekho” online and trolls got into action.
I do what I feel like doing and it’s made me the person I am. I have never worked for an image. If someone does something mischievous and others are stupid enough to believe this is the asli song, God bless them. We’re in the nascent stage of social media and there are many who don’t know that such things can be done. There’s a need for video literacy not just in India but in the US too.

How do you react to such mischief?
You can feel bad about it, but you have to accept that social media is a virtual social reality. What I don’t get is people trying to be socially relevant by saying you shouldn’t say this or that. You have to retain your sense of humour and not take such criticism too seriously. In the end, it’s each to their own. If someone gets a kick out of doing this, you have to live with it. I’m not going to reply to a message on it or clarify because I know which song I danced to. And my knowledge is more important than someone else’s take. I have a system in place. If I go to a party and there are three groups, one gossiping, a second abusing people and a third discussing films, I’ll join the third group. On social media too, I alienate myself from the gossips and gaalis, block trolls, and express myself the way I wish.

You said earlier that you can’t dance but you were in sync with your wife.
My wife trained with Shaimak Davar and his young dancers were with us that evening too. She was dancing on stage after 10-20 years, it was very sweet of her. I don’t rehearse with my heroines, but this time I practised my steps backstage. (Laughs) With the wife you have to, especially if she is a trained dancer.

Priyanka Roy (THE TELEGRAPH; November 12, 2018)

Wry wit. Fun lines. Deadpan humour. Life lessons packed into every answer.

Shah Rukh Khan is always a delight to talk to. On Saturday, King Khan was in Calcutta for the inauguration of the 24th Kolkata International Film Festival, at which he’s been a regular for some years now. His work commitments wrapped up, the 53-year-old superstar — dressed cool in black cargo pants and olive green jacket — made time for a chat with t2 in the presidential suite at The Oberoi Grand. On the chat agenda — his December biggie Zero, son AbRam’s priceless reaction to the film’s trailer and why the actor doesn’t have a low day. Accompanying SRK during the half-hour chat was his Zero director Aanand L. Rai.

Congratulations for the Zero trailer, which has more than 100 million views in a little more than a week. Did you think it would become so big so soon?
Aanand L Rai: Sir (Shah Rukh) ko toh aadat hai of big numbers, for me it’s a big thing. I’ve always told everyone that mujhe numbers se matlab nahi hai, mujhe sirf pyaar samajh mein aata hai. But now after being with sir, numbers bhi samajh mein aa rahe hain. Now I am understanding what 100 million means (smiles). It feels very nice.

Every time I watch the trailer and the film, I feel ki meri aukaat se bahut badi hai yeh film. Not in terms of mounting, but in terms of emotion. The thought that I wanted to tell this story gave me strength. It’s been a very tough process of making the film, but it’s been rewarding because I’ve made it with the people I’ve wanted. When people ask me now that how was the process of making this film, I tell them, ‘Bas Ludo khelte khelte bana li film’.

What’s the most enduring feedback that you’ve got for the trailer?
Shah Rukh Khan: The film stems from what the director feels in his heart; then we all think it through. We are the thought process for it, the heart always comes from the director and that’s how it should be. If that happens, then the film more or less gets made the way you want it to… how well or not well, that of course, comes from the audience reactions later.

He had made the trailer a long time back… he showed it to me about two months ago. The first reaction — which I think Amit ji (Amitabh Bachchan) also had as did a lot of people — was ‘Arre yaar, kuch emotional sa ho jaata hai’. That’s nice to hear because the trailer is not cut like that and the character (SRK’s Bauua Singh) is definitely not like that. We were very clear that while portraying this character, who is specially abled, we will not ask for sympathy. We only wanted to celebrate and tell people that it’s all right to be incomplete, in whichever way it is. That people are finding it emotionally touching is a very nice thing.

When I saw the trailer, I found it funny. And because I am a bit of a materialistic man, I found it big (smiles), which is what I like in cinema…
Aanand: Achha, yeh aise hain nahi… he just likes saying these things (looks at SRK and laughs).

Shah Rukh: I liked Katrina’s (Kaif) entry in the trailer… I liked how Anushka (Sharma) was subtly introduced… it’s a very major character and people didn’t know what she played before the trailer came out. But yes, I found it thrilling too, especially last mein when the rocket comes in… I told him ‘Yeh bahut solid lag raha hai’.

A big takeaway from the trailer has been the paisa-vasool dialogues…
Aanand: The full credit for that goes to Himanshu Sharma who’s written them and Khan saab who’s delivered the lines.
Shah Rukh: There are many nice scenes and lines in the film, but invariably there will be two-three things that an actor will develop an attachment to. I have an inherent sense of humour and an appreciation for irony, so there are some lines in the film that I find quite magical.

However, when we sat after the edit, I realised that my three favourite lines from the film are no longer there (looks at Aanand L. Rai and laughs). So I keep threatening Aanand sir that if you don’t put them back in in some form — even if it’s in a voiceover — I will tell the whole world! (Laughs)

At the trailer launch in Mumbai on your birthday, you had said the line, “Le aa apne teen Khan, yahin khada hoon meri jaan” was your favourite…
Shah Rukh: Arre, woh bhi nikaal diya hai, yaar. But don’t worry, it will make its way into the film (smiles and winks).
Aanand: For all the films I’ve made, I have had a couple of lines in each where I’ve thought, ‘Agar Shah Rukh Khan yeh line bolta toh uska impact kuch aur hota’. And now that I have made him say so many lines in my film, it’s honestly been a dream come true.

What’s been a hit is also that line where Bauua underlines the side effects of chewing gutkha…
Aanand: I knew that line (where Bauua says that his father’s habit of chewing gutkha had affected his sperm count and therefore, Bauua was born a dwarf) would stick. I think they should run this instead of those disclaimer ads before films. Male ego bahut hurt ho raha hai! (Laughs)
Shah Rukh: For me, it’s the funniest line of the film.
Aanand: Sir was always doubtful whether everyone would understand the line.
Shah Rukh: I even told him that I would emphasise it more in the dubbing so that people understand it. I told him that if people don’t understand this line then mujhe bahut dukh hoga.





Bauua Singh seems to be a unique character; he’s cocky and endearing, which isn’t an easy formula to crack. How would you describe him?
Shah Rukh: It’s nice when we can turn a character into adjectives like this (smiles). As an actor, I never figure out ‘how to do’, for me it’s always ‘how will I feel like doing this’…. I have said this about Bauua (takes out his phone and reads from it), ‘Main Saharanpur hoon, main Jaisalmer hoon, main Trichy hoon, Indore hoon, Amritsar hoon… main desh ka har chauraha hoon, kasba hoon, paan ki dukaan hoon… aapke saamne neele suit pehenkar baithi huyi ladki hoon aur laal shirt pehna hua ladka hoon. Aap sheher hai, main gaon hoon, aap badshah aur main fakir hoon’. All this and a little more sums up the character.

A character is a little difficult to define, yaar. I feel that once you define it, it becomes two-dimensional. What I want to tell everyone is, ‘Can you find yourself in the character?’ That will be my victory. Today, when people see the character, we get to know what they like and don’t like about him. It will just take an edit change for us to rectify what they don’t like; but every day we quietly agree with everyone, but we want him to be left undefined. Let people take what they want from the character. The actor Michael Caine had once said, ‘I never show myself. I walk on to the stage or a film set and then hold myself in so that the audience can see themselves in me’.

What I like about the character is not all commercial Hindi films allow you to be someone like that. In most of my films, I am ‘hero type’… that’s also nice because I feel it’s difficult to be ‘hero type’. This character is like a mirror in which you will see yourself or someone you know.

Would you say that taking on this character has been a risk?
Shah Rukh: Everything’s a risk. I treat every film as a start-up, it could go right or wrong. If it’s not a risk, then it’s not worth it. God has been kind to me. When I came in, a lot of what I did no one had done before and it became a success; and God is kind to me now also because I do a lot of things that no one has done before, and it fails (smiles).

Shah Rukh, you’ve said in the past that working with friends keeps you in your comfort zone. Aanand L. Rai wasn’t part of your circle. What clicked between the two of you?
Shah Rukh: I think who I mean as my ‘friends’ is a little misunderstood. It’s not true that I only work with the friends I have. Of the two very close friends I have, one is a pilot and the other is in the business of steel. They don’t make films at all, but they have actually acted in my films… you will find them in Farah’s (Khan) films….
Aanand: Oh, really?!
Shah Rukh: Jo director tha Om Shanti Om mein woh mera dost Vivek Khushalani hai, aur jo hero tha jo Deepika (Padukone) ko bolta hai, ‘Milenge raat ko, kya kar rahi ho aap?’ is my pilot friend Raman Sharma. They were also there in Main Hoon Na… peechhey ID card ya kuch bhar rahe thhe (smiles).

What I mean is that the people I work with, I hope they become my friends. It just makes the process of making a film nicer. I hardly remember the last time I was ‘professional’ when I made a film — I don’t mean I’m unprofessional — but it’s never been, ‘Hello sir, chalo… okay, bye bye’. I can’t function unemotionally.

This process of writing the film took five-six months from the time Aanand sir told me about it. In those six months, I decided that this is the only film I’m going to be doing. It’s a very simple idea and it’s simple ideas that attract you the most.

Pre-production took about three-four months and during that time, we got the opportunity to become friends even before we took the first shot. So much so that by the time we came on set for the first time, a lot of people would have got the impression that we had been working together for a long time.

What’s your son AbRam’s reaction to the trailer?
Aanand (to SRK): Maine aapko bola tha ki sabse bada acid test iss film ke liye AbRam hai…
Shah Rukh: Arre sir, maine AbRam ko poochha tha. Just pretend you are Shah Rukh and I am AbRam and now ask me how did I like the trailer…
Aanand: AbRam, kaisa laga trailer?
Shah Rukh (looks away pretending to be busy and waves his hand): ‘Too good… too good’ (laughs). He doesn’t have time for anything!



Is he normally so dismissive?
Shah Rukh: I don’t know! I assume that at age five, you become a little sensible and so this will be my first film that could probably appeal to him. (Jab) Harry Met Sejal was a little adult for a kid and Fan was probably scary for him… he was just three then. So maybe Zero will be the first film of mine that he will like or dislike. Someone asked me if AbRam thinks that Bauua is him, but I don’t think he thinks like that.
Aanand: He’s too smart for that.
Shah Rukh: Ya he must be thinking, ‘I’m much better-looking!’ (Laughs)

Is the pressure of being a Khan now more than ever?
Shah Rukh: In 27 years, I have performed as Kumar, Raj, Rahul… the only thing that I haven’t performed as is a Khan. I don’t think I will ever do it, and neither will the other Khans. Kya pressure, yaar? Bhagwan ne itna de diya. The one thing God hasn’t given us is pressure; what he’s given us is opportunities, a chance to work with someone like him (points to Aanand). Now he’s a friend, so it seems awkward to praise him.

But I am lucky that I get to do the films I wish to do. Every year, I am thankful that I get the opportunity of at least two films… ki yaar, yeh bhi kar sakte hain, woh bhi kar sakte hain. What more can an artiste ask for?

I remember, in my early days, I was working with Saroj ji (Khan, choreographer). In those days, I would work three shifts and would be like this (leans back on his chair and sticks his tongue out). I told her, ‘Saroj ji, itna kaam hai, thak gaya hoon’. She would be very motherly towards me and she slapped me on the cheek, pyaar se, and said, ‘Kabhi yeh mat kehna ki zyada kaam hai’. In this area of work, there is never too much work. I just feel fortunate that I have so much to choose from. So, no pressure.



What does love now mean to a 53-year-old who’s been the King of Romance for the last 25 years?
Shah Rukh: I told someone the other day that I am no longer the King of Romance; main khud hi romance hoon. Toh agli baar jab kisiko bolna hai ki ‘Mujhe tumse pyaar ho gaya hai’, then people should say, ‘Mujhe tumse Shah Rukh Khan ho gaya hai!’ I am love... main seriously bol raha hoon (laughs).

There’s been talk that Sanjay Leela Bhansali is signing you and Salman Khan for a film together...
Shah Rukh: Sanjay Leela Bhansali is a fantastic director and he always has lots of stories to tell. He loves both me and Salman. He comes and tells me all his stories, lekin yeh waali abhi tak bataya nahi hai usne (smiles). The only film that I have committed to doing right now is Mr Mahesh Mathai’s Rakesh Sharma biopic (tentatively titled Salute). If there is an opportunity to work with Salman or Aamir, why wouldn’t I jump at it? For me, it’s going to be a big deal. I have done a film with Salman (Karan Arjun), but not with Aamir….

Your recent selfie with Aamir that you captioned as ‘Hug from the Thug’ went viral…
Shah Rukh: Toh socho picture kitni hit hogi! (Laughs)



It’s been a unique year at the movies with seemingly small films like Stree and Badhaai Ho hitting Rs 100 crore and a star project like Thugs of Hindostan struggling to stay afloat. Do you always have a box-office target in mind with every film of yours?
Shah Rukh: Not in hundreds, but in thousands! (Laughs) Main dhai sau, teen sau crore mein believe nahi karta… ab toh seedha thousand crore!

Jokes apart, I would like to say something. It’s a little personal and I don’t know whether it’s right to say it or not. This is something that’s saddened me and so I want to share it. When it happened to me personally, I wasn’t so sad, but this time I am. There are people who have given excellence to cinema for years. A film can be good, a film can be bad; none of us can ever claim ki maine duniya ki sabsi achchi film banayi hain. Mr Bachchan and Aamir have been people who have constantly contributed to the excellence of cinema. The greatest contribution to Hindi cinema in the last 10 years has been from Aamir, and with Amit ji, it’s been even longer. Now if a film of theirs (Thugs of Hindostan) doesn’t reach the level that you expected it to, does it take away from what they have done for cinema?

I think some people have been a little too harsh. It’s heartbreaking. It doesn’t mean that their spirit is broken, they are all amazing artistes who will bounce back. But one needs to be a little less harsh. I think Stree was fabulous and we need to make 20,000 films like that. But I also think that Thugs of Hindostan is fantastic. Sometimes we do go wrong, but Aamir has never done a film in which he hasn’t put in his best… I’ve known him for 20 years. And if there’s anyone who can put in even more effort than Aamir — which Aamir will also agree — it’s Amit ji... and at this age! So they’ve come in with good hearts and great talent and tried to make a film which tries to open up a new genre.

I may be speaking out of turn, but just like we have embraced Stree, we need to give some leeway to films like Thugs… that attempt something different. An adventure film has not been made in India in decades… probably Parasmani (1963) in black and white was the last one. Thugs… has tried to introduce this genre and kabhi kabhi upar neeche ho sakta hai. But the fact remains that in our cinema, we haven’t made an Indiana Jones and screw the comparison yaar, humne Pirates of the Caribbean bhi nahin banayi. So props to them for the attempt.

I have faced this with Ra.One… woh galat bann gaya, but at least mera effort tha to introduce superheroes into our cinema. Effort can’t be derided like this. If it was my film, it would seem like I was taking it personally, but yes, I am taking this personally.

I let people down with Jab Harry Met Sejal, which was an utter flop. But I didn’t want to let anyone down; I just liked the fact that koi story nahin thi, sirf ek ring ke chakkar mein the two people (SRK’s Harry and Anushka Sharma’s Sejal) kheechey chale jaate hain… it was very organic, slice-of-life thi. The other day I met a director who mentioned the term ‘slice-of-life’ and I said, ‘nahin, poora pumpkin do mujhe iss baar’ (laughs).

What I am saying is that we need to give everything a chance. If Zero works, it will give people encouragement to make films that are even bigger in scale and story. And if we keep doing it, then maybe one day we will be able to make a good Mahabharat too. Nahin toh sirf bahaar waale hi hamari stories banate rahenge. Aur hum dekh ke sochte rahenge ki humne Gandhi kyun nahin banayi?

You have the energy of a 16-year-old. But are there days when even SRK is low on energy and maybe just wants to curl up in bed and shut out the world?
Shah Rukh: Physically, I never have days when I am low. And when I am mentally down, ab toh mere paas bachche itne hain that I can play with them (smiles). I have days when I don’t want to meet anyone, but that will be an emotional down, not a physical one. When I am down, I teach my kids wrestling techniques aur saara gussa main unpe nikaal deta hoon! (Laughs)

Nayandeep Rakshit (DNA; March 15, 2018)

Shah Rukh Khan has broken several norms and proved that an outsider, too, can make it big in the film industry. Yet, early on in his life, the superstar faced the biggest hiccup of his life — the sudden loss of his parents. Rani Mukerji, whose next film Hichki talks about overcoming the obstacles in one’s life, has been asking prominent personalities to share their untold weaknesses with the public and explain how they transformed them into their strengths.

Shah Rukh, who is a good friend of the Chopras, reveals, “My greatest hichki moment is the death of my parents. I was 15 when my father died and 26 when my mother passed away. We were not financially well off, and I was pursuing my Masters degree then. The empty house without my parents used to come to bite us (my sister and me). The loneliness, pain, and sadness of the loss of both my parents, could have been overwhelming enough to take over my life wholly. I decided to overcome this moment by letting acting fill up my entire life.”

He adds, “I never let go of the pain, but I used it to focus completely on acting. People close to me will tell you that acting is my window of manifesting these overwhelming emotions. I always say this — one morning, when I wake up, I will realise that I have spent all these emotions and now have nothing more to give (as an actor). Otherwise, death is a hiccup from which there is no coming back. I realised that and therefore, overcame it by giving my work, my all. God might bring a hiccup to you in this life, but He will also give you multiple ways to deal with it. I could find my family (the love and sense of belonging) among my friends and colleagues in the film industry again.”

The superstar tells BT why he is not so keen on roasting celebs at award shows anymore...
Renuka Vyavahare (BOMBAY TIMES; December 29, 2017)

Known for his sharp wit and humour, if there’s anyone in India who has made the concept of celebrity roast mainstream, it’s Shah Rukh Khan. The Bollywood superstar has enthralled audiences with his wisecracks and has often taken digs at fellow celebs in a light-hearted manner during award shows as the compere.

All set to host the upcoming 63rd Jio Filmfare Awards 2018, we asked the badshah if he will continue the tradition, which works well with the audience. The actor told Bombay Times, “I come from theatre; I’ve worked on stage for seven to eight years and I have a sense of humour. I like things to be light-hearted. Even if you don’t have dimples, try to show them all the time. It’s a stressful evening for participants — there’s a lot of anxiety and excitement about who is going to win, agreements, disagreements… so, I like to keep it light. It’s nice to see people smiling but I have realised something over the years. In fact, it was better explained to me by my wife Gauri. She told me, ‘When you started off and did all this, you were kind of junior in terms of your status in the film industry. It looked nice then, but now you are a senior member of the industry and when you do this, it can hurt sentiments’.”

Adding to Gauri’s advice to him, the actor explained, “Earlier it was a little easy; it’s a bit more difficult now. When I joked about a young guy or a senior actor back then, they thought it was sweet. But today, it’s important that a senior member doesn’t seem callous about someone’s work, so that makes it sensitive. I think AND because of that and partly because of my sense of humour, I have to curtail myself. Normally, when I am going to do something extremely funny, I call the person in question and ask him if it’s okay to crack a joke like this. From the outside, I may not understand my status as a senior person but people from the industry, who have probably grown up watching me, may feel hurt ke ‘Shah Rukh ne humara mazak udaya’.”

SRK concluded with a modest confession. He revealed, “Now, I have also become gentler and realised that if I have a film that hasn’t done well, it’s not really funny if someone’s making fun of it. So, I should curtail myself too.”

Shah Rukh Khan sets the tone for his upcoming stint as the host of the upcoming 63rd Jio Filmfare Awards 2018 on January 20
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 28, 2017)

Even before the year wraps up, Shah Rukh Khan seems to have put a resolution in action. The 52-year-old actor recently confided that of late, everyone around him is surprised to have him show up to work commitments bang on time as opposed to the usual four-hour-late regime he’s famous for. Almost always the last one to arrive on red carpets and perennially late to film sets, SRK recently showed up on the dot on the sets of Aanand L Rai’s upcoming drama, in which he plays a dwarf. When he arrived at the call time of 12 pm, the crew was still setting up, so he parked himself in a corner. When Rai walked in at 1:30 pm, he was surprised to see his leading hero. SRK also joked that he’s partly doing it to see the shocked expression on everyone’s face. “I’m enjoying being on time,” he laughed.

On January 20, the actor is set to host the 63rd Jio Filmfare Awards 2018. At the launch of the event at a Bandra five-star on Tuesday, the actor cheekily explained why he most certainly is the best compere in showbiz. “See, I won’t lie. I host very well,” he began. “In fact, I should get an 'honesty award' at Filmfare. Someone should recommend this category to be included. I am impromptu, handsome, humorous. I speak English and Hindi well. I am not demeaning anyone but honestly yaar, aaaaah… there’s no better host than me!” he chuckled.

Shah Rukh went on to sing “Tum Jiyo Hazaaron Saal” for Salman Khan’s 52nd birthday, and said that he’s not going to the actor’s Panvel farmhouse for the night of celebrations because he’s eager to spend the holidays with his children — Aaryan and Suhana, both of whom are in town for the holidays.

Going on to speak about the long-standing history of the awards, SRK continued, “When I was growing up in Delhi, I used to watch Filmfare in bits and pieces on Doordarshan and I had this desire ever since — of being at a place where people would shower me with love. The feeling of watching the stars receive the Black Lady was overwhelming and enticing and I hoped to be there some day. As the years have gone by my desire has still remained the same and now, I’ve been at the awards for almost 25 years,” he smiled, adding that there was a moment in one of his recent releases, Fan, that was inspired by his loss in 1992, where he was expecting to win the Filmfare Debut Award for Deewana but lost out to Ajay Devgn for his performance in Phool Aur Kaante. But he went on to win 14 Filmfares including the Best Actor for Dilwale Dulhaniya Leh Jayenge, Dil Toh Pagal Hai, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Swades, Chak De India and My Name is Khan. “Every time I win an award I feel the essence — the love of my parents, who can see that moment from heaven. So when someone else wins, I believe it’s their parents who are watching and showering their blessings,” Shah Rukh reasoned.

The awards, which will take place at the NSCI Dome in Worli and air on Colors, will also see other hosts for certain segments, details of which are yet to be finalised.

Last year, the introduction of the Filmfare Short Film Awards segment was lauded with Tisca Chopra winning the Best Actress trophy for the delightfully dark Chutney and Manoj Bajpayee for Tandav in the Best Actors in the Short Film category.

Khamakha, Chutney and Matitali Kusti won Best Films in People’s Choice, Fiction and Non-Fiction categories respectively. Now, the awards show is scheduled to continue the special segment for short films this year.