Reel life, real life
Meera Joshi
"You know," he begins, "people think I'm a lucky charm. On every set I've visited in the last two days, the director has insisted that I do a take."
Shah Rukh Khan has been delivering hits in a row. Deewana, Chamatkar and Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman have all been successful and his latest release Dil Aashna Hai opened to good audiences. So naturally he is busy. He has two film mahurats (ceremony on the first day of shooting) in one day and there is always a constant stream of producers waiting to meet him. In between takes he answers questions. He lights a cigarette. He notices me, eyes me suspiciously and confesses shyly that he has already broken his New Year's resolution. "I know I said I would give up smoking completely but after five days of sheer agony I have decided that life is too short to prolong it with such agony."
The four films he has going on at the moment are Ramesh Sippy's tentatively titled Pyaarana, Venus' Baazigar, Prem Lalwani's Guddu and Yash Chopra's Darr. He was supposed to play the negative role in Darr from the start. Though he liked the script, he had no dates available. The role went to an elated Aamir, who simply walked out of the film after some differences with Yash Chopra. Since Shah Rukh is now in a position to accept Darr, he did so. Before doing so, however, he checked with Aamir to clarify why he had dropped out.
"This year, I will be working in different films than I did last year. I will be playing a whole spectrum of roles, character roles, comedic, negative and action roles. And the mood of each film will be different. Baazigar is based on Kiss Before Dying. It is a hard-hitting commercial film and we are yet to decide on the ending. We have worked out four or five options, all of which could be justified.”
Shah Rukh does not believe that a role is negative or positive:
“There are shades to all the roles I play. Some are dark grey too, but none of them are what you might call that of a conventional villain, say, the type of roles Gulshan Grover does.” And he also does not believe that playing a negative role will brand him as a villain for life. “Even though my role is a strongly negative one, I am the hero of the film.”
Nor does he think that because he is the hero of the film, he has to play a role in every shot. For example, in Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman, when the gorillas almost beat him to a pulp, he hardly takes revenge. “In the film, I am an ambitious guy, there is a certain confidence in me, but deep down I am a softie. If I had suddenly started throwing punches, it would have been completely out of character.”
Working with Aziz Mirza's crew was an exhilarating experience for this actor. "We clicked well together, there was a lot of give and take and we worked as one big happy family." About Kundan Shah's Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa, he says, "Even though I'm not showing off, I would like to state that I really did a good job in the film. I don't think I would ever be able to play that role again, I would have to grow as an actor before I could repeat it."
He has also been signed by Manmohan Desai for Pyar Beshumar and by Rakesh Roshan for Karan Arjun, in which Ajay Devgan plays the co-lead. If a producer wants Shah Rukh in his film, he has to have a bound script ready. And no changes are allowed at a later stage. He points out, "If the script is yet to be finalised, I sit in the meetings. If it is a subject with two heroes, I insist on a joint narrative so that everyone is clear about everything right from the start."
One role Shah Rukh is excited about is Ketan Mehta's Oh My Darling Yeh Hai India. "It revolves around incidents that happen to a starving actor in one night. There are fifteen songs in the film, not all of them full length of course, some of them are just thirty seconds. The boy takes on the role of whomever he meets and goes through 18 different characters in one night." The shooting will be completed in 30 nights and will be shot primarily at locations between Marine Drive and Churchgate.”
Since hits have become a rarity, an actor tries to cash in on success as soon as possible. He immediately jacks up his price. Does Shah Rukh think he gets what he is worth? Answer. “For my first film Deewana, I got Rs 51,000. Now, so many would like to believe that I am squeezing the industry. Joking aside, I certainly don't get as much as some magazines like to quote, nor is it as little as what I got for my first few films.
“How can I judge my own commercial standing?” he asks. “The filmmaker who comes to sign me obviously knows what I am worth. He must have already worked out the economics of his film before coming to me, so let him decide what he should pay me. I quote a price, but if what he offers is less, I don't haggle. It is not the money that counts, but the role.”
Shah Rukh believes that someone who makes a really good film will not act wrong. But that doesn't always happen. There have been cases where a producer has made money and suffered bouts of amnesia: "Well, OK, by not paying me my fee, he's a little richer. But let me tell you, I've never been cheated. Someday, somehow, I'll get what's due me. In the future, the same guy may come and sign me for ten times what he owes me."
One thing Shah Rukh hates is signing up for the same type of role. "It's so boring," he says. "My presence in a film should be like a seal of approval. They will come to see the film because they know I only work in good films and can guarantee them the unexpected."
Perhaps it was this desire to pounce on surprises that made Shah Rukh play Idiot in Mani Kaul's film. He recalls, "Wow, that was an experience working with Mani. He carefully explained what he wanted from me and most of his instructions were beyond my comprehension. Then I would tell him what I would do, what I understood and we would see if we were both on the same wavelength. But I guess what I did on camera was what he wanted as he genuinely said he liked what I had done. I would like to think I left my mark on the film. I didn't shine in the whole film."
He adds shyly, "I never understood some of Mani's films. Maybe I have a low IQ. The character in Uski Roti moved so slowly (he imitates the pace by taking a full 30 seconds to move his head at a 45° angle). Isn't that a total contrast to what I do? It's the total opposite of who I am. I walk and talk at the pace of a jet plane. Yet I think I'm fast in Idiot. My six years in theatre helped me when I was making this film. Working on it was like taking an extended workshop. I once told Mani that he and Manmohan Desai should join forces to make a film. The result would be stunning."
Shah Rukh's rise to success has often been attributed to his mannerisms. But audiences may eventually get fed up with him. The actor reacts with surprise, claiming that the constant use of his hands is not a cultivated character trait. "Admittedly, I have my style and will admit that I am not a method actor. But let's be clear about one thing, first and foremost I am Shah Rukh Khan and then the role I play on screen. That's just the way I am. Hands are the weakest link of an actor and since I practically always wear jeans without pockets, I have to use them somehow. Mostly I use them for emphasis, to make a point. In King Uncle, Raakesh told me to avoid using my hands and I gave in to his wishes. I am restless, I have this excessive energy in me which makes me move fast."
His dialogue delivery is said to be another weak point. He speaks either too fast or too haltingly. He blames the hesitant tone on his habit of thinking in English and speaking in Hindi. Some of the lines he is given irritate him and he just wants to get them over with. "They make me say words that I would never dream of saying in real life," he complains.
There is this cockiness in Shah Rukh. But it seems that what you see is just a facade. Beneath all the boasting is a nervous young guy whose hands shake when he is about to give a take. He believes that once confidence gets the better of you, you are finished. That is the end of your growth as an actor. "I am confident in myself when I work, but there is always this nagging doubt whether the take was OK, just OK or perfect."
The credit for the success of his already released films has gone to his co-actors or the film music. His critics say that Shah Rukh is incapable of delivering hits as a solo hero. Eyes twinkling, he replies, "I don't have to prove anything to anyone. I am my own best critic. I was not happy with my performance in Deewana and I said so, yet I was praised for it. The critics don't matter, public opinion is what counts. I have always done my work diligently and if you ask me, no hero is able to attract people on his own. I try hard in my performance and am always there to help my co-actors. I make it a point to go through our scenes together. And when the work is appreciated, I don't expect any credit for it. It is the man who calls the shots who deserves it. Or the critics. After all, he put the whole film together. I respect the director and his word is final. My first three films have done excellent business. Praising or criticising an actor is like saying a film was successful because they used Fuji Colour or Kodak Colour. I am just the raw material.”
Why has he accepted only a handful of films? “Remember, I am not capable of a solo hero hit!” he grins. “Fewer films mean fewer mistakes. I am in a good position today. With limited commitments, I can concentrate on my roles and complete a project in six months. I am very meticulous about my work and can be really annoying at times. Since I follow every aspect, the clothes, the sets, the whole film, it completely consumes me. I cannot deal with more than five or six films a year.”
For such a dedicated actor, he seems to take it easy. He has time for other hobbies too. "Films are just a part of life; I can't sacrifice everything for them. I turn down a lot of films because most of them want me to do what I did in Deewana or Chamatkar. I'm not interested in repeating myself. Some of them present such horrific stories," he says, gripped with horror.
Hoping for better roles, he remarks, "At the end of my career, people will respect me as an actor."
Shah Rukh has also made headlines for his behaviour towards journalists. He is accused of threatening some and beating up others. There is a war going on. He interrupts, "Hey, take it easy, war is the wrong word. When I first came here, five big companies wanted to sign me. That was enough to get magazines interested in meeting me. But I decided to keep a low profile. I wanted to let my work speak for itself. That's why they started attacking my personal life. I want to make it very clear that if people get personal, I will stop dealing with them professionally. Why write about me when I haven't done anything sensational? I could have failed and disappeared without a trace. And when I opened my mouth, they used selected quotes to make it fit what they want to say. I will not tolerate this. The invasion of my privacy makes me angry and I will kill for it. Leave me alone, there are enough problems as it is. I don't want to know how film journalism works."
Overcoming his irritation, he grins, "I have tasted a year of success and am satisfied that I managed on my own terms. And I am proud of my achievements. I am God's own child." When you remind him that he previously said that he does not believe in God, he corrects himself, "There is a God in me and he is as good or bad as I am."