Magnificent Obsession
Nilufer Qureshi
He is the original thief of hearts, a romantic legend. Shah Rukh Khan was created from the finest heartthrob genes. His appeal lies in his wit, bubbling energy and an inimitable character. No wonder he is the envy of a generation of men who must be wondering what it feels like to be Shah Rukh Khan.
Bugles are sounding as Shah has now started exploring more of the world. The wonderful tensions of his romantic films Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham and Devdas wafted across Cannes during the recent festival. People there succumbed to his bewitching eyes that have mesmerized our nation for a decade.
Back home, Shah Rukh is pressed for time as usual. He is off to London where he will get checked out to see if his back requires surgery. There are interviews for Devdas to do, dubbing for Shakti to complete, meetings with producers, and he also has to check his production company's operations and income tax accounts. And yet, SRK finds time to do everything without fuss.
Including my interview. Balancing a cup of coffee, he stretches out on the couch, ready to answer my questions.
You are a household name at Cannes after Devdas and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham were screened there.
There was also an edition for Asoka. I don't know how to react to that. I didn't go to Cannes for self-promotion; I went because it meant a better reception for our commercial films. Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Karan Johar feel that their films speak an international language. Asoka was supposed to be screened at Cannes last year but we didn't want to make a commitment that we might not have been able to keep. It feels great when Cannes chooses a film in which I acted every year.
How important is the success of Devdas for you?
First let me make it clear that our aim was not to make a classic. Classic means one-off and the earlier Devdas starring Dilip Kumar is already a classic. The success of the film is more important for the producers who have invested their money. For me, the fate of every film is important as I leave a part of myself in every film I make, be it Asoka, K3G or Devdas. After all the problems Devdas was beset with, it would be nice if the saying 'all's well that ends well' applies here. I am not just referring to the critical acclaim, the film should be commercially successful.
Sanjay Bhansali deserves the success. If filmmakers like him are successful at the box office, they will make even better cinema. Otherwise, no producer will take the risk. They will only make B-films. Several future films depend on the success of Devdas. I hope it is successful.
Will you be disappointed if the film doesn't succeed?
I'm not running a race to be second. The stakes are high, for him it's important to be successful. Yes, I do every film to win. But I wouldn't kill anyone to come first. In fact, I almost killed myself trying to be first. You want to know how the fate of Devdas will affect my standing? Honestly, I don't know how powerful I am. Will I be more powerful if Devdas is a hit? Will I drop down some notches if it fails? For me personally, it's an important film and it should be successful.
Does lack of success scare you?
No film scares me. I don't make films out of fear. I see it like this. I have 10 bags of success, if one goes I'll have nine more, and if one comes I'll have eleven. It's not scary because I haven't reached the last bag yet. Nor have I reached 99 bags of success that I could say, 'Oh God, how much more?' I'm happy with more and yes, I will be sad if it doesn't succeed. I will cope whatever the fate of the film.
Why do you work only with certain directors like Aditya Chopra and Karan Johar?
For the simple reason that they think like me and make good films. I feel good about Adi, Karan, Aziz (Mirza) and now Sanjay. My director and I know exactly what the other wants. For both Adi and Karan, I was the least of their problems in their films. They knew Shah Rukh would take care of it, so they could concentrate on the rest. No, that doesn't make me feel neglected. Also, if the guys I worked with want to work with me again, I'm fine with it because we got on so well.
Will you be happy working with the same guys for the rest of your life?
Yes, I would be thrilled. Because I'm sure we'll make different kinds of films. We can also make a big difference to each other.
Are your directors intimidated by you?
They are just happy that I am making their film. I am very good with my directors, I understand what they want and I never question their shots. If they ask me to show five different ways of doing a scene, I will do it. I am not so stubborn as to insist on a right shot or a wrong one. I don't need explanations; I go along with whatever they say. Try some of my directors, I am very easy to work with.
Weren't you approached for Rajkumar Santoshi's The Legend of Bhagat Singh?
Yes, Ramesh Taurani came to me with the offer but they wanted the dates immediately. I was in the middle of Devdas and K3G. They wanted to shoot in one go. Rameshji said if I gave them the dates, they would start shooting. I couldn't. Bhagat Singh is an important period film. They needed an actor who could give them the time they needed.
Are you doing Farhan Akhtar's next film?
I am not signing any films at the moment. I listen to every filmmaker who comes to me. It is not fair for either of us to say that I am doing his film. I make it very clear that I am not doing any film at the moment. Whether it is made by Farhan, Farah Khan, Aziz Mirza, Karan Johar, Yash Chopra or Nikhil Advani. And I say this fully aware that the groundwork for some of the films is going on as I am producing some of them. Look, I don't know when I will do my next film. Once I meet my doctors and sort things out, I will know where I stand. Then I may do 17 films, but right now I am not doing any.
Why do you only do love stories?
These are not the only films I do, but they are the only ones where I get noticed. I also did Asoka and One 2 Ka 4, but nobody talked about them. I believe in every film I do, the character I portray, irrespective of whether it is a love story.
How much do you believe in the character of Devdas?
I believe in the character completely, but at a certain point I visualise him. I believe in him in today's context, not as he is sketched in Sarat Chandra's novel. Maybe if I had lived in the 1940s or 50s I would have been like him. Today I would be like Devdas if I was obsessed with a girl. There is a strange level of ego in Devdas' character that can make a man destroy himself. Ego can kill you. Devdas deals with the egos of two beautiful people, madly in love, who destroy each other's lives by choosing the wrong partners, she marries the wrong man and he reaches for the bottle. Both suffer till the end. I think 90 per cent of love stories in the world are tragic. Very few end in happy marriages, that's why they are called fairytales. Devdas is not a fairytale, it is a real story. I've seen friends of mine destroyed because their love stories didn't culminate in marriage. It's depressing, but real.
Would you be affected if anyone called you a bad actor?
Not anymore. I wouldn't have been so successful for 10 years if I wasn't a good actor. After eight Filmfare Awards, nobody can say I'm a bad actor. I have all the prerequisites of a good actor - I'm focused, I can concentrate and I try to create magic. I may not be a good method actor but I'm a hardworking actor. Naseeruddin Shah is technically fantastic. Govinda, Paresh Rawal and Johnny Lever are amazing. Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan are very good. Technically I'm not a good actor but maybe that's what makes me different. It's easy to say I didn't want to be like Naseeruddin Shah but I think it's impossible to be like him. You either get a frivolous star or a serious actor. I'm somewhere in between. I'm a serious star. Nobody can tell me I'm a good actor because I'm a good guy. However, I personally believe that you can only be a good actor if you are a good person.
Have you ever been nervous with anyone you've worked with?
(Smiles) I've never worked with anyone more famous than me. Since I've never considered myself famous, how can I imagine anyone bigger? Nobody can make me nervous. The more famous the person I'm working with, the more relaxed I am. Because his or her stakes are higher, I have nothing to lose. I may be nervous for other reasons, but never because I'm doing a scene with X, Y or Z.
How do you respond to the constant comparisons with new heroes?
Every year I am compared with a new hero... every year someone displaces me... I have no idea what they are talking about. The comparisons are confusing. When I entered showbiz, Ajay Devgan and I were the newbies who were compared with Aamir and Salman Khan. It was said that I lost my grip when action heroes like Akshay Kumar and Suniel Shetty came along. What grip were they talking about? With the arrival of Bobby Deol or Akshay Khanna, it was said that I was out. With Devdas, I am compared with Dilip Kumar. Once it was Mr. Amitabh Bachchan. It is strange but the comparisons make me feel that I am the constant.
Most newbies want to be like Shah Rukh Khan.
It must be because they want to have some successful films like mine and work with some wonderful directors. That's why they want to be like Shah Rukh Khan, certainly not because they want to look like me. I take it as a compliment that they would like to do what I did. But they would also have to replace some discs and bones. Being Shah Rukh Khan comes at a price.
How would you describe yourself to someone who doesn't know you?
A few years ago I would have said that I am a nice guy who is very hardworking. Now I don't know what to say. There are two reasons for this: Firstly, and I say this with immense pride, I don't know how to describe myself, first and foremost as a businessman, entrepreneur, actor, father, brother and icon. I would like to believe that I am a normal guy who does a normal job; just not from 9 to 5. Secondly, today it will be very difficult to find someone who doesn't know me, unless of course he is an Eskimo. How would I describe myself to an Eskimo? He is happier not knowing me, and so am I.
What do you like most about yourself?
I like the fact that I can look at things with humor. That I enjoy the company of children and that I am childlike when it comes to my work. I also enjoy the fact that I am what I am. I am the most satisfied employee in the world. I am a happy guy and I pray to God that I always stay that way.
What annoys you?
If someone wants me to make a film without putting it on paper. Get your script ready and give it to me. Surely I deserve that, after more than 10 years here. There are very few people who do that and these are the people I continue to make films with. Filmmakers who give me ready scripts are the ones who create the biggest hits. You know, there have been producers and directors who come to me and say if I am ready to make their film, they will write it. Can I say that if they write it, I could do it? They should want to make the film so badly that they will put it on paper, irrespective of whether I do it or not. I remember Sanjay telling me that he would do Devdas only if I was ready to do it. I asked him for the script. Eight months later, he returned with a complete script from the first scene to the last. I am not a person who understands scripts. But I admired his belief in his project.
You're a fantastic actor and an amazing guy. Would you say you're perfect?
Hardly. I have one less disc in my spine and an ankle that's in constant pain.
If you could swap your body with anyone else's, who would it be?
(Grins) At this point, anyone who doesn't have a back problem. So Sunny Deol is out. The person shouldn't have a knee problem, a sore ankle or sinus problems either. Otherwise, it wouldn't be worth the swap.
How about your face?
I don't think I want to change that. I'm happy. I could change it, but think about the other guy. How can I do that to anyone?
A political magazine voted you the sexiest man in the country.
(Smiles) Lots of kids voted for me. It's not something you can make a living from.
If you could ask for more as an actor, what would it be?
In terms of films, all my wishes have been fulfilled. Now I have to fulfill the wishes of the people who have put me in this position. Since I have been given so much, I shouldn't ask for more. I do advertisements that say Yeh dil maange more (This heart asks for more), but I can't ask for more. I couldn't be greedy.
What attracts you to a person?
I like everyone. I enjoy all personalities. What I can't stand is presumptuous people. I don't like people invading my space, I squirm when I'm asked personal questions. I'm complex, I can't share my emotions. My feelings are mine. And yet everything I do is public knowledge. I thrive when millions of people see me. I would die if they didn't love me. I'm afraid of getting hurt. I'm sensitive. That's why I don't like being too dependent on people.
What is the hardest thing about being Shah Rukh Khan?
Delivering hit after hit. It squeezes the life out of me. I have had some of the biggest hits in the history of Indian cinema. It is problematic to expect every film of mine to be a huge blockbuster; it is difficult to live with success when you are expected to repeat it every Friday. I cannot complain and be ungrateful. I have basked in the glory of these successes. Inshallah, Devdas too will be a big hit.
With everything that has already happened to you, have you already lived your most interesting years?
Not at all. My life is just beginning. When I started, I said that I would have fun for the first 10 years here. Now I am seriously considering acting as a profession. I will now focus on my career. I don't think I am successful, famous or a good actor yet. I aspire to all three and am quite committed to that.