Shah Rukh Khan reveals his loves, hates and passion Shah Rukh Khan, Bollywood’s megastar, believes he is blessed to be enjoying the wonderful life he has. In an exclusive interview with Friday’s Anand Raj OK he says making his fans happy is what he enjoys Ballroom C at Atlantis The Palm in Dubai was full to capacity – largely with women of all ages. More than 200 special guests were waiting impatiently for their dream to come true. “He’ll be here at 8pm,’’ said an organiser of the event, attempting to pacify a crowd that was appearing to get a tad restless. Restless not because they had been waiting for over two hours to see their hero up close, but because they couldn’t believe their luck that the man of their dreams was about to make an appearance. “I won an invitation in a contest run by a radio station. I’ve been waiting since 1pm just to see my dream hero,’’ said Prianka, a starry-eyed 30-something who couldn’t stop smiling. Another woman had come all the way from Morocco to see the star who is “famous in Africa as well’’. Then at 8.10pm, the piped music came to a crescendo and even as the crowd was screaming and whistling, through an entrance close to the stage, in walked a 6ft-plus, broad-shouldered man with closely cropped hair wearing an ill-fitting suit that appeared to exaggerate his muscular body. The audience stopped clapping, suddenly realising it was a member of the security team and not the man they had been waiting for. The spotlights spun crazily for a few seconds before zeroing in, this time on the man people had been waiting for – the king of Bollywood Shah Rukh Khan. Hardly able to contain their joy, the crowd erupted and surged forward with their smartphones and cameras clicking away furiously. Dressed in an off-grey suit with an open-necked white shirt and sporting a little ponytail, Shah Rukh smiled a tad shyly as though overwhelmed by the response he was receiving before waving and blowing kisses to the crowd who would not stop applauding. As soon as King Khan, a title fans bestowed upon him several years ago, took his seat, a woman from the far end of the hall shouted: “Hello Shah Rukh. I am Sunita and I love you.’’ The star smiled and blew a kiss her way. That triggered an avalanche of catcalls and whistles, and scores of other women followed suit proclaiming their love for “the biggest star in the world”. Organised by the money transfer company Western Union, which tied up with Shah Rukh to promote his latest blockbuster Chennai Express, the event offered a select group of guests the chance to meet and greet the hero of the film. “Ask me any question you have, funny or serious; tell me to do anything you want and I will,’’ said 47-year-old Shah Rukh. Although he was nursing a bruised shoulder and a bad back, he was not willing to allow anything to stop him entertaining “my lovely people”. “Can you give me a hug,’’ asked a 20-something, taking up his offer, smiling broadly. “Come along,’’ said the showman, stepping down from the stage to give her a warm hug. “Oh gosh, I can die now. My legs have already become jelly,’’ the woman blabbered before stumbling back to her seat. Another woman in the crowd screamed, “Oh my gosh. I can’t believe I’m in the same room with you. I am going to faint.’’ “Go ahead,’’ whispered the star into the microphone. “I’ll carry you in my arms out of the hall.’’ More catcalls, more whistles. The crowd was just loving the master showman. One pretty young woman grabbed the microphone that was being passed around. “I’ve something to tell you, Shah Rukh,” she said. “Last year at an event in Dubai, you shook my hand, and later half of Karachi, where I’m from, wanted to shake my hand. Can I shake your hand today as well?’’ she implored. “Sure,’’ said the King, stepping down from the stage. He gave her a quick peck on her cheek as well. “Now half of Karachi will want to kiss you too,’’ he laughed, as the girl nearly swooned. “Not fair,’’ yelled the crowd. “We want one too.’’ In a whimsical world of transient fame and illusionary glamour, where it takes more than a dollop of magic, talent and luck to make a movie a box-office hit, Shah Rukh Khan had his finger clearly on the pulse of the people. He had taken time off from filming Happy New Year to spend time with some of his fans. And clearly he was having as much fun as they were. Guessing that pandemonium would ensue if the crowd was not controlled, the MC suggested guests should first ask the star some questions instead of all rushing to the stage for hugs. The first one from a local reporter was pretty straightforward: would Shah Rukh be willing to work for film companies based outside India? King Khan did not pause for even a moment. “Sure,’’ said the star, who reportedly charges around Rs250 million (Dh14,639,697) including a share in profits for acting in a movie. “I’m ready to act if the banner [production company] can afford me. And if they have a good story to tell. “I also feel it should be an Indian film because that’s where the market lies.’’ The businessman in him did not hesitate to make things very clear. More questions, requests for hugs and an extended photo session where the star uncomplainingly posed for pictures with around 100 guests later, the man who continues to rule the imagination of millions across the world, sat down for an exclusive chat with Friday: How does it feel to have created history now your movie Chennai Express has been adjudged the most commercially successful Indian movie, especially since you haven’t enjoyed much success at the box office recently? I’ve never measured success by money. But yes, it’s a huge monkey off my back. For people who do measure success by money, Chennai Express is my answer. Now I can move on and do my creative stuff. I am not going to allow that to overshadow my next work. I know I have to move on, continue doing my thing. It’s already done a couple of billion dollars worldwide and it’s nice to know people are appreciating movies from the subcontinent and such movies are doing well. I’m hoping I will be around to watch movies from the subcontinent doing as well as, say, Chinese or French movies that are watched around the world. How do you manage your fame and your money? I really have no idea how to handle money or fame. But one thing I do know is that I got a lot more of both than I deserve and the only way I can show my gratitude is to do what my audience asks me to do. I love making people happy – when they are watching my movie, or being at an event like this. As for money, I really have no understanding of it. I’ve never claimed [that I have] business acumen. I feel blessed that I have so much money now. I wear expensive shoes, expensive suits, drive fancy cars… but if I didn’t have all of them I would still be happy if I could perform and make people smile. What’s your take on life? I keep my life very simple. I have still not been able to comprehend why good things happen to people. I haven’t worked in any particular way towards that. Just like everybody else, I wake up in the morning, go to work… some days I do well, some days I don’t. But I give my best to everything I do. And once I return home, like most people, I watch TV, read a book, play with my children… The only difference is that unlike most men, I go to work in a lot of make-up! What keeps you motivated? It’s simple. I just can’t let people down. I have to keep them smiling and happy. A lot of people have told me to relax and take it easy, particularly after I had an accident and severely bruised my shoulder recently. But I just cannot stop. I look forward to every day, living life and meeting people. Actually if I don’t work, I feel extremely low. I even get headaches. I really love my work. It’s what gives me energy. Again, I suppose it’s because I do not consider the things I do as work. It’s not a job. What makes you happy? Acting. Happy people. My children having fun. My family’s happiness… I am happy that I’m in a job where I get to meet different kinds of people every day and that makes me happy. And the fact that I get paid for it. What makes you sad? Nothing. (Long pause) Nothing makes me sad. After all, I am Shah Rukh Khan. What makes you angry? Ill-mannered people. I am very well mannered, well brought up, I take great pride in that. My children are like that; my family is like that. Discourtesy for no reason upsets me. You are known for being honest to a fault, generous and open-minded. Has that ever landed you in any trouble? You know, people will always have an opinion about a person who is a public figure. I have come to accept that. Sometimes I feel like telling my critics, “See this opinion you have is wrong”. But I don’t have the time for that. I need to work, I need to make people happy. Sometimes while chatting with people something said in good humour is misconstrued, which can get you into trouble. But I’ve come to accept that because I know I am a public figure – Shah Rukh Khan. It’s said that you sleep only four hours a day. Is that true? In fact I sleep for five hours a day. I spend a lot of time reading just about anything – history, fiction, comics… When I’ve run out of books, I go online and read something there. Right now I am reading a book called Return of the Aryans [by Bhagwan S Gidwani]. You were an outsider in the industry. Was it easy gaining a foothold in Bollywood? I’ve been blessed. I was doing well in TV, people loved me there as well. Did I have a gestation period before I became a star? Did I have to wait for a while before I got the tag of a star? No, it hasn’t been like that. I was fortunate. So would you encourage your children to enter this profession? I would encourage anybody – including my children – to enter Bollywood. Filmmaking is a great profession. You can get to do creative stuff, you can get to do the things you like… particularly for me in the past few years. I’ve been able to do different kinds of cinema. So yes, if any of my children want to be actors, I would be very happy. How do you approach acting? Are you a director’s actor or a method actor? The more terminology you give to acting the more boring it gets. You’ve got to think of yourself as an actor who tries to deliver the best, who tries to emote, and hope that the emotion you deliver is universally acceptable. I believe that acting is all about observation – of absorbing what you observe and doling it out when you are called to do so. I’d say as an actor, there are different strokes for different folks. You just go and do your stuff before the camera and hope it connects with the audience. Acting is about being able to attach yourself to the hearts of the people who’ve come to watch your performance. That’s what good acting is all about. Nothing more, nothing less. Normally I don’t talk about the art of acting because a lot of people who come to watch movies don’t want to know how they’re made. How do you perceive your fame? I am not special at all. A lot of people look at me with raised brows when I say this but that is it: I am not special. I just do my job. I am just an actor who is able to connect with people and invoke such passion around the world. For me this is more than my job. This realisation dawned on me some 15 years ago. I realised acting can’t be a job because when it’s a job you just feel like doing your bit and going home. I was making a little difference in the lives of some people – making people happy through my routines. It’s a very humbling and a very grateful feeling to be in this position. I’ve read you are involved in some charity initiatives. Tell me more. I don’t like to talk about it. In fact, I don’t like to call it charity – whatever I’m doing is because I want to. I’ve been blessed and I would like to share my blessings with people. There are various ways by which we can do it. In one way, through my acting I’m touching the lives of millions of people. People have come up to me and told me that they’ve changed their outlook on life for the better after seeing how I succeeded in life. I find it extremely fashionable for people to attach themselves to charities. I don’t think it is a fashion. It is a passion. The charity work I do is so my children can learn and absorb some lessons from it and carry it forward. They need to understand how blessed they are. And they should try to pass on those blessings to people who may not have had a chance to [enjoy as good a life as theirs]. Do I take my children to visit underprivileged children to see how they live? No. Never. I don’t use underprivileged people as a crutch to teach my children. But my kids are aware of the importance of giving. Both my children (the third is too small) – and I am proud to say this – are extremely charitable by nature. Actually, what I would really want my daughter Suhana to do is make helping people one of the main tenets of her life. She is very gentle and nice and I am sure she’ll do it well. Commercial or critical acclaim – which do you prefer? [After a long pause] I like the smiles of the people who watch my films. The commerce I don’t understand. Seriously, I don’t care about critical or commercial acclaim. Films are an art form. Do you think a painter when he draws the first line on a canvas thinks how much it is going to sell for? If you were to write a book, would you spend time worrying about what critics are going to say? Would you worry how much each line is going to earn you? No, you write it because it is an outpouring of what you feel. Filmmaking is like that. I respect critics but their critical evaluations don’t matter to me. Similarly, I respect businessmen. They can keep discussing how much I make. Incidentally, I was recently declared to be one of the richest people in the world. But that doesn’t take away from my creativity. As for criticism, it doesn’t worry me when I am told that my performance is not so fantastic. Recently some critics said, “Why is Shah Rukh acting like this in Chennai Express?” And I tell them, “Do you know why I am acting like this? Because I feel like acting like this. Go figure that out.” And if you can’t figure that out, well that’s your problem. I act because it is the way I feel. It is an outpouring of my emotions for that particular scene or at that time. If you have issues with it, well, you need to live with it. For me, the bottom line is how many people am I able to make smile? Can I measure that by the number of dollars I earn? Can I measure it by two people who have an intellectual take on my ability to make people smile? To me, neither commercial nor critical acclaim is important. I have been working for 22 years, 18 hours a day. What I do very few people can do. I know my craft, I know my art. I know my place in the scheme of things and I know the job that I am made to do. I always tell people that I’ve never worked for anybody but for the public who love me. And when during such a gathering a complete stranger stands up and says you know you have inspired me to scale greater heights, or that they love me, that is the greatest moment in my life. This is what I work for – for the kind words from the young girls, the mothers, the young men. And when you have the strength and backing of people like this, anybody can say negative things or criticise your work, it doesn’t affect you. Because the people who I work for – these young men and women – they have accepted me. They are like my family to me. Decades ago when I came into the industry, I was an orphan as my parents had passed away. But in the past 22 years I have a family of more than two billion people. It’s the love of these people that drives me. That’s all that matters.
Posted on: Fri, 27 Sep 2013 16:28:07 +0000
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