Kanan Divecha
"Constant optimism is a force multiplier" US Secretary of State Colin Powell's words of wisdom. Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan's mantra for survival.
How else can SRK's meteoric resurrection as the reigning superstar of the year be explained?
What else can be accepted as a convincing explanation of the fact that two (Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham and Devdas) of the year's four (Raaz and Ek Chhotisi Love Story) megahits starred Shah Rukh Khan?
Why else would mobile, cola and car manufacturers still be chasing SRK as the best bet to endorse their products?
There is a simple answer to all three questions. Shah Rukh Khan believes in himself and in the ads he endorses, this empowering truth magically transcends the screen. In fact, he really believes he is the best, as he gleefully sang in his debut film Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani. While a section of the media (and that includes Showtime) had a good laugh at his offensive temerity in gleefully proclaiming, I'm the best, today it is Shah Rukh who has the last laugh (for now anyway). Again, he has emerged victorious, just as he knew he would. There is
no denying the fact that trade pundits today believe that audiences get the most bang for their buck from an SRK film (except an Aamir Khan film, of course). In business parlance, the marginal satisfaction derived from an SRK film is much, much higher than that from, say, a Salman Khan film. Then again, Shah Rukh Khan is Shah Rukh Khan. He is not one to waste valuable time, energy and emotions on someone or something that does not meet his immediate need of the hour on a 24/7 basis - and that is, being number one on screen and in life.
The goal and achieving it is of utmost importance to King Khan. And he will use any means necessary to achieve it.
Interestingly, one of the worst phases of his career - starting in early 2000, when Hrithik Roshan invaded the screen and the audience's sensibilities with his fantastic performance in the absolute superhit Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai - turned out to be his best learning experience. He learnt an important lesson - never to get complacent with success. The fact is that SRK's triumph in the 90s had gone to his head. He thought himself invincible on screen.
The simultaneous release and miserable disaster of his Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani, along with Hrithik Roshan's superhit KNPH, were proof enough to SRK that the audience's loyalty to a star is much like the (non-existent) loyalty of a bon vivant to his mistress. Show him a younger, virginal, willing girl and he will change his love without "your permission".
It was his sudden, ignominious fall from grace that made SRK hastily rethink his entire professional philosophy. First, having understood the bitter truth about the immensely changeable loyalty of the audience, he made a paradigm shift in his incessant and obsessive need to be loved and wanted by the audience, as well as his need to please them. He had to learn to please himself as an actor first. Second, he had to get a grip on the right reasons to give his decisive consent to make a film. And third, there are no permanent friends and no permanent enemies in the industry.
The final pick-me-up was in Shah Rukh Khan's blood. He had lived with this philosophy his entire life. He had only lost focus on it in the intervening years. All he had to do now was to turn that crucial switch back on. And so he awoke from the complacent slumber mode he had slipped into, cleared the blinding haze of 'I am invincible' arrogance that had settled into his mental landscape and worked systematically to restore his lost professional glory and personal dignity.
Shah Rukh began to limit the damage. In doing so, he became proactive rather than reactive.
Take, for example, the previous professional bond and personal connection between Bharat Shah and Shah Rukh Khan. After Shah's alleged involvement with the underworld and months of detention, SRK dropped him like a hot potato. At the time when Bharat Shah was in hospital, his ailing son Rashesh even expressed his disappointment at SRK's willingness to distance himself from his father. "I don't know why he didn't come to the hospital. Why should I call him and even tell him about it? I know my father helped him. All I can say is that people forget quickly. At the end of the day, it's all about money."
So he not only distanced himself from Shah by not visiting him in prison and hospital (and thus not supporting him), but also stopped making films for him (Devdas was SRK's only engagement with Bharat Shah before he got caught up in the legal fiasco). How he fulfilled the obligation to go down in Hindi cinema history as a modern-day Devdas is another story. SRK also did not attend the wedding of Bharat Shah's nephew and niece in Antwerp recently. Last but not least, SRK has not turned to Bharat Shah to finance his next films (directed by Aziz Mirza and Farah Khan). Instead, he has negotiated a lucrative deal with Venus, the audio company that gave him his first big hit Baazigar.
Shah Rukh's desire to have only hits in his career is a well-known fact. But what is not known to everyone in the industry is that when a film flops, he is done with that producer professionally. That is why despite the super hit Baazigar from the Venus stable, when their Badshah starring him and Twinkle turned out to be a dud, he turned away every film offer they came to him with after that. No, he did not cut ties with them. He never does. He just did not have time for them; his schedule seemed to be constantly full. He left his doors open for them, maintained friendly relations with them, aware that he might need them in the future. SRK's diplomacy paid off. As mentioned, he has started a new chapter with them professionally.
So while he was cutting ties with Bharat Shah on one hand, he was mending bridges with Venus on the other. In other words, he was doing damage control with one (Bharat Shah) and consolidating his gains with another (Venus). Smart move!
Nothing wrong with that, some may say in his favour. After all, if SRK doesn't watch his back and look after his own safety and interests, no one else will. In a 'survival of the fittest' industry, why shouldn't SRK go with someone who comes with the 'hassle-free' tag, instead of holding on to someone who might not bode well in the near future?
The same reason why he let go of Aishwarya Rai, whom he had signed with such zeal and enthusiasm for his home production Chupke Chupke (Chalte Chalte). The infamous incident when Salman Khan barged in on his recently released film directed by Aziz Mirza (on a location shoot near Pune) to reclaim his ownership rights over ex-flame Aishwarya was a disaster alert for Shah Rukh. According to the bush telegraph, in the four and a half hours that Salman spent on location, he not only bare his chest and bullied Aishwarya, but also used his venom on Shah Rukh, insulting his good friend and accusing him of base and shameful motives towards Aishwarya.
Though hurt and humiliated, a seething Shah Rukh decided to keep his cool. At the time, he preferred to remain calm, not wanting to add fuel to the fire. He also decided to let Aishwarya drive away with Salman that night, calling it a day and suffering a huge loss on top of that.
"Of course Shah Rukh was upset," an aide revealed to Showtime in its October issue. "It costs money to go on location shoots and if such an incident occurs and the shoot is cancelled, it is a huge loss for the producer. Nobody wants to incur such unnecessary losses."
But by choosing to be rational, Shah Rukh is beyond reproach that replacing Aishwarya Rai with Rani Mukherjee was not an impulsive decision but a well-thought-out proactive move that would only work to his advantage.
By removing Aishwarya from his film, Shah Rukh is now rid of the looming fear of having to deal with a problematic Salman Khan storming onto his sets, ranting and raving against him and his heroine, disrupting his shooting schedule and causing him heavy losses.
Shah Rukh's move to choose a less marketable heroine (Rani) rather than a box office hit (Aishwarya), despite his successful collaboration with her in Devdas, is admirable. It reveals his moral courage to push ahead with his film at any cost. It also shows a commitment to his profession and a confidence in himself and his film.
It is obvious that Shah Rukh Khan is serious about staying on screen for the long term. To do so, he gives his utmost to make the winning moves. No one puts their eggs in one basket, no risks. And so only serious filmmakers (like Yash and Aditya Chopra, Karan Johar, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Subhash Ghai, probably Rakesh Roshan and also Amitabh Bachchan's AB Corp) are in; suggestion makers are out! That means he is inaccessible to more than two-thirds of the Hindi film industry, thank you.
No doubt, Shah Rukh's strategy of working only with the best has benefited him immensely. Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham may have brought a lot of harsh criticism to its creator (Karan Johar) for not experimenting with different genres of films, but the fact remains that K3G is the biggest hit (monetary in terms of numbers, that is) of the year. This was also a personal triumph for SRK as critics and audiences were not only amazed by SRK's ability to hold his own against the acting prowess of Amitabh Bachchan but also admired the calm confidence with which he took on younger heartthrob Hrithik Roshan on screen.
Clearly, K3G has come full circle for Shah Rukh Khan. Two years ago, Hrithik demolished him on screen. Now he devoured Hrithik! All is fair in film and in love!
It is well known that Shah Rukh lives on hyperactive hormones. And nothing but a well-crafted strategy to win gives his adrenaline that extra boost. He is ready to do anything to win. Even befriend and work with a man he had little respect and time for in the past.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali is that man. It is believed that before he became Sanjay Leela Bhansali, that is, before he started his Khamoshi – The Musical (starring Salman Khan and Manisha Koirala), Sanjay Bhansali had approached Shah Rukh Khan to do the film. Far from granting Bhansali the respect of a fellow colleague, the actor taunted him in his presence by attacking him in a phone conversation with a mutual friend. Sanjay walked away that day, no doubt hurt and humiliated, but with the promise that one day he would get Shah Rukh to his doorstep and by giving him a classic, he would make him pay his respects.
Devdas took place and the rest is history. Today, Sanjay and Shah Rukh are best friends, thanks to Sanjay's desire to humiliate SRK. And SRK? With Devdas, he learnt a wise lesson - never underestimate the budding potential and potential destiny of someone you don't think much about.
Interestingly, this is a lesson he has learnt and put into practice of late. Purely for professional reasons, he has put aside his previous personal reservations about Preity Zinta. It seems when a well-known automobile company was keen to rope in a female celebrity (for the first time) to endorse their product and brought this to their brand ambassador SRK, he calmly gave them the green light without any hesitation. Likewise for Karan Johar's next home production Kal Ho Naa Ho. When Karan settled on Preity Zinta due to a price difference between the original choice Kareena Kapoor and the Johars, Shah Rukh welcomed Karan's decision without the slightest protest.
For Shah Rukh, it was a different story; he had no choice in the matter. He and Preity were fated to reunite professionally after her debut film Dil Se. Seeing it in a 'there is a higher power' perspective and consistently bringing them together not once but twice in a professional situation, the accommodating Shah Rukh turned on his undeniable and irresistible charm. "Shah Rukh spared no effort to make Preity comfortable while shooting for the ad," reveals an eyewitness. "Not even once did he feel uncomfortable doing an ad with her. In fact, he was charm personified with Preity; it really made her feel good." SRK's accommodating behavior with Preity has really pumped her up for the release of Karan's film with him next month!
Interestingly, Shah Rukh's biggest winning trait is his intuitive ability to see ahead. Not one to ponder for long, he refuses to let his losses stall him or mess with his mind completely. He is smart enough to learn from his mistakes. In fact, he never makes the same mistake twice. And once he finds a winning solution to a nagging problem, he puts it into practice effectively.
When he discovered the joy of working with Preity in the commercial and saw where she was headed professionally - upwards - he soon saw it fitting to offer her his other home production, directed by his good friend Farah Khan. Preity had to turn it down due to lack of schedule, but she is considering an earlier offer from Subhash Ghai, also starring Shah Rukh, who, with no sign of a bruised ego at not taking up his home production,
is still fully supporting Preity. Shah Rukh's strategic move of being the delightful, tasty garnish on a well-executed dish has also been his winning ace of late. His openness to playing character roles in a film proves that he has come to terms with the fact that if he cannot be bigger than a film, he can at least be the added incentive of it. He recently garnered much acclaim for his cameo in Shakti. Then he is seen as a very special attraction in the big-name Saathiya, which co-stars Vivek Oberoi and Rani Mukherjee. His eager willingness to do a hot dance number with Tabu (in the same film), someone who did not even feature in his list of hot and happening heroines until last year, proves that he is more than willing to bend with the changing winds.
It may be recalled that SRK's penchant for working only with the so-called commercially viable heroines has put talented actresses like Tabu at the bottom of his favourite heroines. But after Chandni Bar and the nationwide acclaim and National Award in the wake of the successful film, SRK's conceited attitude against Tabu seems to have gone up in flames. If it is Tabu as his dance partner in Saathiya, then Tabu will be it. No discussion about it with the producer, director, cameraman, lighting man, spot boy, nobody.
And now SRK is in the driver's seat on his own turf. Of course, his ultimate goal is to be the superstar in the international arena! Being the hottest heartthrob of Indians abroad is already half the battle for him. He will win the other half if he wins international fame and respect from the foreign media and film industry. A bad back earlier this year worked as a blessing in disguise for him. During the time he spent recovering in London, he executed his strategy of networking with the international 'who's who' of the film circuit. He used Devdas as his artistic offering on a platter at the Cannes Film Festival; he basked in its glory to the max and then followed it to several other international festivals. And now, with the Oscar nomination for Devdas, his ultimate goal is finally being achieved - to become 'a known face' internationally! In fact, he is quite excited at the prospect of being recognised as the Shah Rukh Khan, not just by international filmmakers but also by the global media.
Well, for Shah Rukh, it is very important to win. To win globally. At any cost. He is certainly not one of those intellectual thinkers who take great pride in saying, "I couldn't wait for success... so I went on without it." No, he is not like that! He always believed that success was his birthright. And that's how he got there. Finally. He implemented what was always in his mind - that he is a winner. That is the true sign of a genius. But that is Shah Rukh Khan.
And that is why Shah Rukh is once again considered a top gun today. He is breathing thin air again.