I'm just an ugly man with seductive lips
Suguna Sundaram
Yes Boss! He is back in the news for a hilarious yet superb performance in the film. And Pardes, while not a hit, has confirmed Shah Rukh's maturity as an actor. Moreover, he has also imprinted himself as a hot property by signing Mani Ratnam's latest film, which is currently being shot in Ladakh. Experimenting with a style so alien to him, underacting, Shah Rukh has, in his own words ("You can only get away with subtlety when you are a star"), reached for the stars. I corner Shah Rukh, energetic as usual, on the sets of Yash Chopra's Dil To Pagal Hai at Mehboob Studio, where he is the life and soul of what seems like a party.
Congratulations, Shah Rukh. I think you showed common sense by going for Mani Ratnam's film even if you had to sacrifice part of your price, unlike Kajol who declined clinging to her price.
Money has never been important to me. Working with a gentleman like Mani is more important. And whether I do a film with him again, whether I have a good experience or not, I can guarantee that he is a gentleman. He is one of the last few gentlemen left in this industry. Yashji, Ramesh Sippy, Rajeev Mehra are some others who belong to this dying breed. Mani would not make an offer to a decent actor that would hurt the man's self-respect. I do not want to comment on Kajol nor my price except to say that it is a great privilege to work with Mani who believes in professionalism. I have worked hard for both my money and Mani. I deserve them. We start our first shooting schedule in Ladakh tomorrow and I am very excited.
No Kajol! Despite the amazing success of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, your combination seems to be jinxed. She even walked out of Badshah. Why don't you both capitalise on the successful pairing?
Anyway, successful couples don't make successful films. Successful films make successful couples. The biggest problem with all of us - the media, you and me too - is that we oversimplify things by saying that a film did well because it had a family, a mother, a good dog. You say, 'Hit film thi kyonki maa thi picture mein', then what about the 180 other films that flopped despite having mothers in them?
Do you take it as a personal insult if an actress turns down a film with you?
Not at all. I love working with Madhuri, Juhi and Kajol. I feel very close to them. Among ourselves, we always talk about a lost film, say, 'Shit, I regret you didn't do such and such a film with me. It would have been a lot of fun.' So, I don't take it personally if a heroine turns down a film in which I am cast opposite her. There could be so many reasons behind their decision - dates, the plot, etc. I would rather they didn't do the film they weren't comfortable with with me than do it reluctantly. As a professional, I respect their decisions. There are so many films that I turn down without even finding out who the heroine is.
How do you feel about your rival heroes?
I am very friendly with everyone, I go beyond being just a costar. I wish them all the best. I wish all their films to do well and mine to do better (Laughs).
Do your professional decisions get in the way of your personal friendships - like when you stepped in for Josh after your buddy Salman got thrown out?
Salman, Ajju (Ajay), Anil, Jagguda... we wouldn't give our lives for each other, but we like each other a lot. We meet in private. When we have a test screening, the first thing we do is call each other. We are honest about each other's films and say, 'You were good but I didn't like the film' and things like that. We are very close.
It is good to hear a star say that he watches the films of his peers. But tell me, do you also express your opinions when you think the other star has done a bad job?
Oh yes. You tell me and I tell them too. I liked Anil's film Virasat a lot, I called him when he was in Madras and told him. He is a very honest actor. I like honest people. Whether his films are successful or not, he likes to work on his films and really believes that what he is doing is right and I respect that. There has never been any professional rivalry between us as such and anyway I think they are all better than me. How can I ever compete with Sanju or Jagguda? They have been here longer and in some ways they are all much better. They are all senior to me. And of course I watch the films, sometimes at trial screenings, sometimes long after the release. But I make it a point to watch most of our films.
Have you seen Gupt? What do you think of Kajol playing a madwoman?
No, I haven't seen Gupt yet. But I am sure Kajol will be good. She has worked with me (Laughs).
Another of your recently released films is Pardes and the buzz is that there were major differences between you and Subhash Ghai during the making?
I haven't seen the film. Working on Pardes was a little... aah... you know, Subhash Ghai shoots in a style different from what I am used to. I had to wait a lot while we were shooting the outdoor schedules, which is not normal for me as I am hyperactive. If I have to just sit around, I get a little bored. I get restless unless I am working 24 hours. I guess Subhash Ghai had problems because of shooting abroad. But in the end, it was a good experience. Whatever I saw of the film during dubbing looked wonderful.
Mansoor Khan is known as a difficult director to get along with, he definitely has a mind of his own. Do you foresee any difficulties working with him a la Subhash Ghai?
Whenever I work with people, I either adapt to them or they adapt to me. We do whatever works best for the film. We work towards the same goal of making a beautiful film and I am sure Mansoor must feel the same way. I am a very flexible actor in terms of what the director asks me to do. I don't think there is any set right or wrong way to do a scene. If the director likes it one way, fine, I do it. My job as an actor is to be able to do scenes that I am not convinced about. It is no fun doing films where I am convinced all the time.
You usually play the romantic lead in all your films (even when you play a psychopath). In Mansoor Khan's Josh, you have been cast as Aishwarya's brother.
Yes. I play a romantic brother. But I have a heroine - Smriti Mishra.
Have you seen West Side Story, which Josh is said to be inspired by?
Yes. I have a large collection of laserdiscs of English, European and Czech films. I try to absorb from those films, although as an actor I can't use what I learn because we don't do those films. But yes, there are moments I recreate from those films.
In Yash Chopra's Dil To Pagal Hai, the attention is inevitably focused on the rivalry between Madhuri and Karisma. What do you do in this film?
They both love me (he laughs boisterously). They both fall for me! It's a love triangle, a confused mess of shades of love that run from A to B to Z. I am the object of desire - everyone's desire.
Are you doing a film with Priyadarshan and Jaya Bhaduri?
The producer and the director have asked me to do it but I don't think I will have the dates to do it. I have a small but very nice role. However, I won't be able to fit the film into my schedule as I have already lost 60 days due to my injuries. I had a surgery, then I broke my leg and I was trying to make up for that. And I have taken over the film from Mani, so I am a little pressed for time.
Why did you have to have surgery?
I had to wear a corset for Duplicate and some of my veins were compressed, so I had to have surgery on them.
Mukul Anand says he is very upset because you left his Dus.
I did not leave Dus just like that. The only thing was that we were trying to have a child and it did not happen when we thought it would. And then suddenly it happened. When I came to know that Gauri was pregnant, I did not want to do any outdoor shooting. And Mukul Anand had planned a 45-day outdoor schedule around the time she was due! So I dropped out. I am sure he must be very upset. He has every right to be upset because we made a commitment to do a film together - not specifically this film, but I had signed with them and taken the initial fee, although my final okay was always dependent on my liking the subject of the film. Dus sounded fantastic - Salman, me and Mukul doing it. Now Sanjay has taken my place.
Are you happy with your development as an actor?
At one point, I thought Kabhi Haan Kabhi Na was a significant achievement. I believed that I would need some time to develop as an actor. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge proved me wrong. I believed that I really grew with that film, but a lot of credit for that goes to Aditya Chopra and Karan Johar. They had the confidence that I could play my role quietly. I always said that when I became a big star, maybe I would start getting into the subtleties. As of now, I am not that big a star, but big enough to be a little more subtle. As an actor, I am more confident and I can allow myself to be brief in my expression. Rather, my new circle of directors want me to underact. They say, 'Okay, you don't need to be so angry now' or 'You don't need to be so funny now.'
I am looking forward to working in Duplicate, another completely crazy comedy. I play a dual role as a crazy freak and the villain. I've never played a freak before. It's a great pleasure. I don't know how the film will turn out, it's more of a slapstick comedy along the lines of Jim Carrey and Jerry Lewis comedies. It will be out early next year. We've been holding it back because I have four releases this year.
Did the enthusiastic reviews for your film Yes Boss offset the negative impact of Koyla, which didn't go down so well with the audience?
I was very good in Koyla, very different in this film. I don't go by reviews in magazines and newspapers. What interests me is when I watch a film with people I care about and they say, 'Hey man, this is different.' As for Yes Boss, if you loved Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman, you will love Yes Boss too. It is definitely a better film than Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman.
Do you ever take your work home with you?
I don't take my work home with me. Instead, I bring a lot of what I learn at home to work.
How do you see acting - a lot of hard work or pure fun?
I love acting. I love being someone else because I hate myself so much at times. There is a lot of pain in just being yourself. I'm not complaining about my life, it's a fantastic life. But you get sad - pondering things... Where am I? Where am I going? There is a lot of sorrow, a lot of complexes, a lot of problems that I have seen, see and will see. You need someone else to make you forget all that, someone who can make you laugh and cry. Your role can make you forget a lot of things. You can also do so much as an actor that you can't do in real life. I enjoy acting. I'm a brilliant ugly actor.
How did you cultivate the rare ability to be completely uninhibited in front of the camera? You don't seem to worry at all about your looks.
There are many actors and actresses who are horrified when they look ugly in a shot. Not me, perhaps because I've never considered myself very good-looking, and so do my wife and others. However, there was this Australian lady Toni Laird who liked the way I looked. She was travelling here. She had never seen Hindi films before. She wrote this big article in this art magazine in Australia, it was very flattering. She sent me the magazine. I was turned on by the review because no one has ever come up to me and said I'm just the 7 millionth attractive man in the world. Not that it bothers me. I'm already content to have the sexiest lips here. I've been called Lush Lips by teenagers in passing cars. It makes me very embarrassed. The rest of me is all so unattractive that these lips stand out alone. That seems to be the message (Laughs). I think an actor should not worry about how he looks. You see men like Anupam Kher, Johnny Lever, Dilip Kumar, even Mr Bachchan, these actors don't worry at all about how they look. I can't change how I look and even if I do, there's not much that can be done. I'm just an ugly man with seductive lips.
What are your expectations now, career-wise? As Ketan Mehta summed it up succinctly, you have travelled from Mani Kaul to Mani Ratnam…
And with a hell of a lot of money in between. I will take things as they come. Hopefully they will. If not…
Are you ready to quit?
No. I have about eight films in hand right now. I will be happy when they are finished. I have some other commitments - Karan Johar's Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Josh, Mani Ratnam's film, Badshah, a Rajkumar Santoshi film and a film with Shashilal Nair. These could be spread over the next two or three years. Maybe by the middle of next year, another film will come through. There are no career moves that I am planning as such. Right now, I am just looking forward to having a baby and changing as a person because of fatherhood.
What kind of father do you think you will be?
I will be wonderful. I have no parents left and I want my child to have everything that I didn't have. I was 15 when my father died and 25 when my mother died. They gave me enough love for a lifetime. I want to be with my child for a lifetime. I am very excited. The way Gauri is glowing, everyone says it will be a boy. I would love a girl too. But even the doctor hinted that it would be a boy. I want to name him Aryan, which is actually spelled Aryaan.
Many young fathers find it difficult when their wife's attention suddenly becomes totally focused on the new baby. Will you be jealous of your son?
It wouldn't be because of the child that I will play second fiddle in Gauri's life. I have always been second fiddle to Gauri. With us it will be the other way round. I have been telling Gauri for the last six months that now it will be my son first and then the wife.
Unlike most actors, you have not been romantically linked with anyone except your wife. How?
I don't know why. What do you expect? I am very intimate with my heroines. I sit in their makeup rooms. I visit them in their houses, they come to me. I spend a lot of time with them when I shoot with them. I always sit with them and chat with them. All actors complain that I am the only hero who can go into their makeup rooms and they don't get upset. But how do you get paired up, tell me? I don't know what I have to do to get hooked.
How does Gauri keep you completely infatuated with her?
I don't pursue her. I'm not possessive at all. I don't invade her space. When I was young, there was this little sign in my principal's office that said, 'When a child sees contempt, he learns to despise' and 'When a child sees security, he learns to trust' and so on. I believe, 'When you cherish a person, he learns to love.' And I really do cherish Gauri. Infatuated is the wrong word. Even love is the wrong word. I cherish Gauri a lot, I'm grateful to her for being there. I believe that because of this, she learns to love me. Maybe one day I won't play second fiddle.
How well do you deal with children outside the 'Shah Rukh Khan' image, that is, when you are not dealing with children in the studio or posing with them for a magazine cover?
I love children. Even when I was doing theatre, I was very popular with the children. I like children. As an actor, I mainly appeal to the audience of over 40 and under 14. I don't have girls or people between 15 and 40 among my fans. I am a child. That is why the children like me in the films and not because I do stunts or jump around, dance or make a fool of myself. When people ask me what makes me such a big star, I tell them it is because I appeal to children and children stay as audiences for a long time. They are a bigger investment. I can spend days with children. I play with them, speak their language, chat with the children. They understand what I am saying and vice versa.
What do you do in your free time, like when you had the accident?
Unfortunately, the accident was a stroke of luck because I got to spend a lot of time with Gauri, who was pregnant. Maybe otherwise I wouldn't have spent so much time with her. Maybe I had the accident subconsciously so I could spend time with her! It was really nice to be at home. I like my home. I like being alone. I like my space. I like being in my bedroom. I don't like big families because I grew up in a nuclear family. But I like going to Gauri's home on Sundays. And they are a big family.
What religion do you practice?
I believe in God and all religions but I would not force anyone to change their beliefs. I pray to God. I pray for everyone else except myself because I don't believe you should pray for yourself. And I believe my mother is a star. So every night I choose a star in the sky and pray to her. I don't know why but I could never connect my father with a star. But my mother is a very big star for me so every day I sit on my terrace and talk to her. When I am really lonely I cry to God. At such times my wife leaves me alone. I only talk to God in the language we normally use. The only prayer I say is an Urdu prayer which says 'Work hard and victory will be yours'. I apply that to everything in life. I believe in God so that one day I can be with my parents.
In a previous interview you said that what you feared most was losing your fame.
What I fear most is that someone will cut off my hands. I have this phobia that someone will cut off my arms. And I won't be able to raise my hands. I try to raise them, but... when I think about it, I get very depressed.
God, that's a terrible phobia!
I'm not afraid of losing fame, I said it would be pretty scary if I did lose it because I believe in my heart that I won't lose it in the long run. And the longer I have it, the scarier it will be if I lose it. Fame has given me a hell of a lot. It's a way of filling the void left by my mother's death.
What are your other fears in life?
I want to die before the others in my family. I don't want to lose any more family members.
Is it ultimately a good world or a bad world? Is it plus or minus on the scale for you?
It's balanced. I don't want to stop the world so I can get out. I'm 32 years old and it's been a very good life. My wife gets mad when I say I'm 32 now. She thinks it's unnecessary to announce my age.