Sh. Sh. Sh… it’s Shah Rukh Khan
Roshmila Mukherjee
He enters the photo studio pursued by a pack of giggling teenagers, rolling their eyes and blushing... He scribbles his signature in their autograph books; their oohs, aahs and oh my gods can be heard all the way down the stairs. Shah Rukh Khan keeps his cool. A few hours later, he leaves the studio. The high school kids have disappeared, but a gaggle of boys wait patiently for their baazigar. A smile, a wave and he disappears to the chorus of Kaali kaali aankhen.
Next stop: Film City. More fans wait, including a mother carrying a newborn baby who gurgles in her sleep. Another admirer longs for five minutes with the star. "I know all of Darr's dialogue, just like Shah Rukhbhai does. Do you think he will be impressed?" he asks me hopefully.
Another visitor: Mehmood, who wants Shah Rukh to make a cameo in his film under production. Maybe as Jeetendra's friend. "But don't you think I'm a little too young to be Jeetuji's friend?" asks Shah Rukh wryly.
For the first shot of the day, he slips into a brand new suit. "Look, the producers still give me expensive clothes... even after Anjaam," he laughs. And so you ask:
Six months ago, you were being hyped as the next superstar, but now they're saying you're finished. Does that bother you?
Oh! This is the first time I've been told good news! I didn't realise my time was over. When I got into films, I was told Salman was No 1. Then after Phool Aur Kaante, Ajay Devgan was the superstar. Suddenly, I had usurped Ajay's title and he was finished. And who is it now? Sunil Shetty or Akshay Kumar... since Anth and Mohra have been so successful. I hear they are charging a pretty hefty fee.
I was never a superstar. If there was a superstar after Amitabh Bachchan, it was Salman Khan.
Salman Khan?
Yes, I have seen him in concerts abroad. He creates mass hysteria just by standing on stage... feet apart... head down... slowly unbuttoning his shirt to the beat of tap... tap... tap... tapori. When he takes off his shirt and throws it to the audience, there is almost a commotion. The crowd takes five minutes to sit down again. Now that is charisma... that is superstardom.
Did you change your mind about doing Karan Arjun because of Salman? Ajay Devgan insists that you talked him out of Rakesh Roshan's film, only to come back straight away. How could you do that?
Well, I wasn't too happy with the film at first. Actually, Ajay and I wanted to swap roles. When Rakeshji didn't agree, we both decided to drop out. Salman took over Ajay's role. I went to Delhi, planning to return a few days before the mahurat to tell Rakeshji that I wasn't doing the film. Before that could happen, I came to know that my remark about not working with bodybuilders had been misunderstood.
Salman thought that I wasn't doing the film because of him... which was just not true. His family was very nice to me when I was brand new in Bombay. How could I hurt Salman? I drove straight from the airport to the Holiday Inn gym where Rakeshji was training. I told him that I was doing the film. By then, they had already started negotiations with Govinda for my role, but Rakeshji was kind enough to take me back. So there is no regret.
What do you do as Karan (wasn't he Arjun?) that other film heroes haven't done before?
Other film heroes may have done all that before. But this is the first time I have shot a gun, ridden a horse and shouted 'Kutte, kamine, main tujhe maar daloonga.' This is the first time I have pranced around a tree with a girl without hatching a diabolical plan. I never asked a villain not to shoot my mehbooba, I always shot her myself.
I started from the other extreme. I was an anti-hero before I became a hero. Even my first film Deewana broke the conventions. The girl chose me over her first husband, who was still alive and well. Amazing! Anyway, I have set a trend or two... I think I will go back to the typical now.
But will your fans accept you as the boy next door?
That could be a problem, they see me as an Aaj Ka Arjun, someone who will take over the world single-handedly. Sometimes my fans send me scripts, but they are all revenge-related stories like Baazigar or Darr.
Today, most of the roles that I am offered are of the kind that made Amitabh Bachchan immortal... "Yeh chaabi main apni jeb mein rakh raha hoon, jisme josh hai who taala khole aur nikaal le." I grew up with such dialogues, lines that always got Mr Bachchan's taliyans. It has been my ambition all my life to play such roles, but I know that I am not quite ready for it yet. Vijay, the guy he played in film after film, has become part of Hindi film history. I have presented a poor copy, it would be a detraction from the greatness of Vijay. But I will play Vijay one day.
Right now, I am happy playing an English babu, a Karan, a cancer-stricken Guddu... maybe even a goon. My fans expect variety from me, right? Well, Guddu is very different from Pyaarana and O Darling Yeh Hai India is the complete opposite of Karan Arjun. I will shock everyone by playing a typical hero.
Are you confident of making a comeback?
Why is everyone in such a hurry to write my obituary? As far as I am concerned, nothing has changed. After Anjaam failed, I felt the same way I did when Baazigar became a hit. I am still as frisky, pompous and arrogant. I still work hard, maybe harder. I still think I am the best. There is no sense of loss... defeat.
But can you deny that the euphoria has worn off? Your rivals are beginning to breathe a sigh of relief.
Yes, suddenly I am Mr Nice... and everyone is talking about a comeback. If my next film is successful, then they can say that they knew all along that I would come back with a bang.
Just the other day, one of my producers, Prem Lalwani, who treats me like his own son, patted me on the back and said, "Don't worry Shah Rukh, our film Guddu has done very well. Even though you may have fallen in the popularity charts after Anjaam, you will come back. I will make you a Rs 62 lakh star."
Believe me, till that day I had not realised that I was no longer a superstar. So all I could do was smile bravely and say to Premji, "I hope you are right."
Your instant success must have made a lot of people jealous.
That's what my wife says to me. Instant success breeds instant hatred. Of course, I don't know who really hates me because no one has come to me and said, "Hey man, I can't stand you." They hide it behind closed doors... curtains... even magazines. I find that envy, hatred, and meanness are all effeminate emotions. I'm not a chauvinist, but it's not exactly manly to be jealous. I can never hate someone with the same intensity that I love. I prefer to ignore the jealous guys.
Is that what you do with your critics? Forget them?
I don't like anyone criticising my performance. Nobody likes that. If anyone dares to say to me, "Shah Rukh bhai, Anjaam kuchh jama Nahin," my first reaction would be, "What does this guy know about acting?" But after about five minutes... maybe less... I could respect him for speaking his mind... even if it's not exactly clever the way he does it. I may not want to meet him again, but I will respect him.
You don't like it when someone criticises you, but that doesn't stop you from slamming a colleague. Govinda got very upset when you attacked his dancing style.
What! Are you kidding me? I have never attacked Govinda. He is an amazing dancer. I enjoy watching him. Sometimes I just drop by his sets so I can see him in action and learn from him. I would even buy a ticket for Rs 40 to watch his film in a theatre.
And yet in Aap Ki Adalate you said you would never do his kind of dancing.
See, all I said was that, 'Main kar Nahin sakta, not main karoonga Nahin.' There is a big difference between can't and won't. Who am I to criticise Sarkaiylo khatiya or Mera dadoo pehnen diaper? I can be said to have bloodshed in my films that is abhorrent. Right? Instead of criticising Govinda, I said he is a better actor than I am. And that says a lot because I still feel that I am one of the best actors on the scene. Perhaps my remarks in Aap Ki Adalat have been misunderstood.
Tomorrow I can say I will never do a Mughal-e-Azam. That doesn't mean I think Dilip Kumar, Madhubala or Prithviraj Kapoor did anything wrong. It's just that I would never be able to pull off a costume drama convincingly. What one person considers cheap, another may consider erotic. The bottom line is the film's performance at the box office. And Raja Babu was a hit. End of discussion.
Govinda was also asked to appear on Aap Ki Adalat but he insists that only a mujrim (criminal) can be dragged to court. Did you feel like a criminal when you appeared on the show?
Ha! If I am a mujrim, then I am a very popular one. Rajat Sharma, the producer of the programme, told me that they were getting bags of letters asking me to come on the show. He had been pestering me for months. When I was in Delhi, Subhash Ghai invited me for lunch and I was introduced to Rajat. By pure coincidence, he was flying to Bombay the next day and he changed his flight so that we could fly together. We spoke about the show and he came across as a nice, educated man. He was shooting with Sharad Pawar and GR Khairnar over the weekend. On Sunday, I went down to Famous Studios for the shoot. It was meant to be fun, it was not too serious.
Why did you leave Ketan Desai's Deewana Mastana? Was it because of Anil Kapoor?
Nothing and nobody is more important to me than the role. I had signed Ketan's film soon after Deewana. Manhohan Desai had distributed Deewana, that's when we got to know each other well. I was told the story of another film... Pyar Beshumar... it was a breathtaking role. But then Manji was busy with Anmol. Today the entire setup has changed, the actors have changed. There is a new director, even a different distributor. Still, I had no problem with it, my only condition was that I would start Deewana Mastana after completing my pending commitments.
I did not lie or dilly-dally. I do the same with other producers including Venus. Badshah, to be directed by Abbas-Mustaan, was supposed to go on production on September 19. But then I left to perform concerts abroad. When I returned, I realised that we needed seven more nights to wrap up O Darling Yeh Hai India. After that, I was supposed to leave for Jaipur for a long outdoor shoot for Karan Arjun. The people at Venus understood my dilemma. Now we will launch Badshah on December 21, the same day we launched Baazigar.
Maybe Ketan Desai could have delayed the release.
Ketan had to hurry up with his project. Anmol had not been successful. Production expenses were increasing, then Manji died... Rather than keep Ketan waiting indefinitely, I backed out. I even met Govinda and sold him the film. I know he will do better than me. He is a better dancer, fighter and he is more experienced.
As for Desai, I still have to make a film for him in the future.
According to Anil Kapoor, the film fetched Rs 1 crore as soon as Govinda joined.
Well, good for Ketan, David Dhawan, Anil Kapoor and Govinda! My exit seems to have benefited a lot of people. So you can imagine how much more they would have gained if I was in the film!
Anil knows what he is talking about. Boney Kapoor has produced some big films, they know a lot more about distribution than I do. All I can say is that I have always ensured that my films are sold at a moderate price. I don't think too many of my films have sold for more than Rs 20 lakhs. Perhaps that doesn't show good business sense... the Kapoors could shed more light on the matter.
After claiming that you wouldn't be back for another concert in the next two years, why did you rush to the UK and the US after a few months?
The organiser of the London show is a friend, and he thought my presence was essential. He was so insistent that I just couldn't say no. At first I was only supposed to go to London and New York, but there was a five-day break between the two shows. Rather than hang around, I thought I might as well do four more shows in other cities.
Apparently the shows were a flop.
Who says? In Vancouver there was a festival in the area next door and yet our concert was sold out. In London and New York the shows were such a success that we had to organize an extra show due to public demand. Akshay Kumar wowed the crowd with Mast Mast and Saif got them on their feet with Ole Ole.
Based on the reports in certain magazines after the last shows, I thought I would be stoned in New York. Instead I was put up at the Waldorf Astoria, one of the best hotels in the world. I was treated like royalty.
Then what is your response to Anil Kapoor's challenge that after this show, doodh ka doodh aur paani ka paani ho jaayega?
I think that doodh ka doodh... is just good Hindi film dialogue. I don't waste my time worrying about such trivial things. I know our show was a success... as was theirs. I didn't count people to find out which show had a larger audience.
You say you don't take up new projects. Yet you shot for Aditya Chopra's Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge. Did you make an exception because he is Yash Chopra's son ?
I shot for just half an hour. They had put up an expensive set, they needed me just for a quick shot. I had to come in and look through the window. I did it after throwing a tantrum about my clothes (Laughs).
I play a kind of bindaas guy. He resembles me... Adi wants me to play myself. He even wants me to dress the way I usually do... jeans, shirt hanging out, hair tousled... Actually, if the colour scheme of my clothes is right, I can just walk in from the street and start shooting without worrying about my look and hair. But since I don't want to reveal my real self to everyone so soon, I have worked on some details in my look. I wear matching shoes with my clothes. Green, red, blue, brown, even mustard… I got shoes in various colors from London.
Does Aditya have his father's touch?
He has a lot of passion. And he is experimental. He assisted Yashji in Darr, so whenever I wanted to try something different, I would discuss it with Adi. I would work everything out with Adi before the scenes and then when I was on camera, I would pretend I had just had an inspiration and play the scene differently for Yashji. After that, both Adi and I would look at him expectantly, hoping that he would say 'Haan achcha hai'.
Aren't you doing Yash Chopra's next film?
Yes, it's called Tevar... that means affection. He is trying to get two top actresses on board, maybe Madhuri Dixit and Juhi Chawla. I have a great role... it's very intense. I may be too young for it but I know I can pull it off.
I am also in Subhash Ghai's next film Shikhar with Jackie Shroff. Vinod Chopra wanted me in his next film too but there was a problem with the dates. Aziz Mirza, Shashilaal Nair, Ketan Mehta, Abbas-Mustaan, all are patiently waiting for me to start their films. I am still doing only four-five films a year and I know I will keep them on board for the next five years. Even if I am at the end of my rope, I know some producers and directors will do anything to help me even if it means compromising with corporate ethics.
So no reason for sleepless nights?
Not at all. Just because I don't have 15 films in hand, I am not insecure. Ten films is five too many for me. I am not worried that I am not getting Rs 40 lakhs per film. Even after Anjaam, I am getting the rate I got after Baazigar. Nobody can take away the pride I feel in my work... and my confidence. I know I am on solid ground.
Among the 10 films I have done so far, there have been big hits - Deewana, Baazigar and Darr. As for Chamatkar, Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman, Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa and Maya, they were commission earners. Only Dil Aashna Hai, King Uncle and Anjaam were duds. Three failures out of 10 is not bad at all. I am liked by the critics and the masses. I am in an enviable position. I am in the top ten actors. I know that on a good day, like in tennis, any one of us can go out there and win. I am too good an actor to fade away after a failure. I will make a comeback as an actor... Just wait, in 1995 I will even go home with the Filmfare Award for Best Actor.
For Badshah?
Just wait and see.
Is it true that you wrote this film?
I had suggested the idea for the story. But now someone else is making this film. That's why Badshah is a totally different film. More fun... less intense.
You also claim that you were the one who first discovered the melody of Mast mast.
Hey, the original song has been around for years. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan is one of Pakistan's most respected qawwals. In London, his shows are booked six months in advance and it's a black tie occasion. There are no Asians at his shows...just gora sahibs who look like they're attending an opera.
I don't have the copyright on the song, yet the minute I heard Mast mast, I wanted to use it in one of my films. Aziz Mirza and I had even worked out the song situation. The boy is sad because his girl has left him...we just wanted to use an alaap where Nusrat Fated Ali Khan has Mast...mast...mast...mast...mast. Did I feel bad because Mohra beat me to it? Not at all. I just thought the rhythm might be suitable.
Recently there were posters all over town announcing that you would be the next star to be arrested. Do you have any connections to the underworld?
Are you crazy? I stay far away from crime and criminals. I have never bribed anyone for a phone connection. Yes, I do sometimes cheat... but I have never lied. No, I did once when I was very young. I came home very late and got a good slap in the face.
Recently you were seen in the city driving with Yusuf Lakdawala, who is said to have underworld connections. Supposedly you visited a certain Mr Zaka with him.
Zaka? Nice name, I will use it in one of my films. Yes, I went to the city with Yusufbhai to visit Mr Daroga. I wanted to buy a shop for Gauri and this 70-year-old Parisian gentleman was the owner's lawyer. As I did not know where Mr Daroga lived, I asked Yusufbhai to take me to him. Yusufbhai has a beautiful BMW and I am dying for a ride in his car.
As far as I know, he is a builder and film financier. I heard that he financed Yalgaar. He is a nice guy. If he has any underworld connections, I don't know about it. I didn't ask him, 'Yusufbhai underworld mein kya chal raha hai?' Nowadays, anyone who drives a foreign car - be it a builder, businessman or actor - is supposed to be a don or a dada. I am not worried. I have never been involved in any fraud... I am clean.
What about those reports about your imminent arrest?
I didn't see them but I read the article in question. It was about the case filed against my company - or rather my mother's company - in Delhi. A transporter was arrested for illegal business, unfortunately our company was one of four using his trucks. My mother has since passed away and the company has been closed down. I had lobbied for a partnership in their company but according to the last reply I got from Indian Oil, I was not suitable... one of the necessary affidavits was missing.
So you see, I have no connection with the company. I only went to court once so that I could get an exemption from the trial. Friends advised me to stay away, I was a star, it would make headlines but I believe in following rules. The whole issue has been blown out of proportion. If Bombay has a Sanjay Dutt, Delhi should have a Shah Rukh Khan, right?
The magazine may have sold a few extra copies by sensationalizing the story. A lot of research went into the article. They seemed to know a lot about the legal intricacies, I just wish they spelled my mother's name correctly. Her name was Fatima, not Khatima.