In defence of Shah Rukh Khan
Kanan Divecha
You either love him or you hate him. But you can't ignore Shah Rukh Khan. It is often said that if you can count on your fingers even five friends with whom you have made friends in your life, you are a successful person. Shah Rukh can count five friends in the ten years he has been in the film industry. Five good, loyal, supportive, compassionate, forgiving friends. Friends who will stick with him through thick and thin. Friends who will die for him.
Two such friends that Shah Rukh Khan can completely rely on are the brilliant choreographer Farah Khan and the charming director Karan Johar.
Farah Khan met Shah Rukh in 1992 on the sets of his second film - Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa. From what she had read about him, she was stunned that he could really be "arrogant" and that he would have "a behaviour problem". But they hit it off within the first minute of meeting and, she proudly says, became "friends for life".
Karan Johar first met Khan in 1993 on the sets of Karan Arjun while shooting with Kajol for the song Jati hoon main. He had accompanied his father to book him for their home production Duplicate. His first impressions? "He was very friendly, very talkative, very energetic. I found Shah Rukh very new. He represented the youth, energy and confidence that the new generation stands for." These are Karan's lasting impressions too. Nine years and two and a half films later (Karan assisted Aditya Chopra on Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, directed his own Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and is currently making Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham with Shah Rukh and others), Karan and Shah are best friends. In fact, those who know them well claim that Karan is Shah's alter ego. Here are Farah and Karan, defending Shah Rukh Khan - their friend, philosopher and guide - tooth and nail.
The industrywallahs considered Shah Rukh Khan arrogant even when he started out ten years ago. He followed his own rules and spoke his mind openly. He belittled his debut film (Deewana) and made rude statements about veteran actress Hema Malini, only to hastily retract those words. Today, his arrogance, which reeks of success, influence and money and the 'I am the best', 'I have all the answers' attitude, is getting people riled up. Isn't that why he constantly attracts negative attention from the industry and the media?
Karan Johar: I personally believe that the media has not been fair to Shah Rukh Khan. He came out of absolutely nowhere. He created his whole life, he is the biggest star in the country, he is the best actor here... And I firmly believe that they have been very unfair to him on many occasions. I'm not saying this because I'm his friend and I'm biased, but I don't consider him arrogant. In fact, he's the most emotional and sensitive person you can meet. You just have to catch him on the right foot. Unfortunately, too many people have caught him on the wrong foot. That's probably why they call him arrogant. Shah Rukh wouldn't be doing those performances if he wasn't a sensitive person and arrogant.
See, people just assumed that he's emotionless. He's basically very shy and introverted. People just barged into his space and probably triggered the wrong side of him. It's not his fault at all.
Yes, he's impulsive at times and yes, he gets angry really quickly at times. But we all have our faults, right? For me, Shah Rukh is one of the best people I know, with all the right qualities. He's a great father, an excellent husband, a fantastic actor. He's the best film partner an actor can have. He's the best actor a director can have. He's the best producer now that he's gotten into production. There's a humanity in him that people wouldn't even know about because he won't let them know. The bottom line is that he doesn't play up those aspects to the media.
As a newcomer, Shah Rukh's passion for cinema was undeniable. In an instant, his passion for cinema was replaced by his obsession with money. Today, he is better known as a market-savvy businessman and producer than as a talented, dedicated actor!
KJ: Sorry, I disagree. I don't think that's true at all. First of all, Shah Rukh is the only actor who raised his price much later than others. In fact, he is the last person who would care about money. He became a producer because he wants to be the master of his own work and as a producer he can do whatever he wants. I would like to know, apart from three or four filmmakers, what makes all other people join Shah Rukh in the end? Who has made a big film?
In terms of market-savvy, I think Shah Rukh's strength is that he is a brilliant actor, he is extremely intelligent, he is market-savvy and is everything we should have achieved over time. It's just that he is ahead of everyone else. I think he is innovative in every way - in his performance, his approach to cinema, his aspirations of the level that cinema should reach. It's just that everyone, including me, is still 30 years behind him. My films are still more regressive than he wants them to be. He suffers all the time from this dilemma of being way ahead of everyone else, which is why he is having all these problems.
You know, Shah Rukh doesn't believe in the kind of cinema that Adi or Sooraj Barjatya or I make! But the genius is that he still makes our films with conviction. He makes these films because he is part of the commercial aspect of cinema. He knows that they are likely to be more commercially viable. But that doesn't necessarily mean that he believes in them.
After all, we have to make money and we have to do what the market wants. If you look at Hollywood, Tom Hanks will make an Apollo 13 and a Philadelphia. In India, however, a Govinda film will still enjoy greater audience support than an Astitva.
Shah Rukh's comment is always, why can't we do something different? Now he is doing Asoka. It is a totally different kind of cinema and I appreciate him venturing into that path. Even as far as his dotcom project - srkworld.com - is concerned, his whole endeavour is to work with current technology and give the world an entertainment portal. After all, who can present an entertainment portal better than an entertainer? And who is better than Shah Rukh Khan, who is an entertainer and also intelligent, market savvy and computer savvy?
As an actor, Shah Rukh once took big risks by working with different banners on different roles. But today, after establishing himself, he plays it safe by making films with his own coterie of producers - the Chopras, Aziz Mirza, Venus, you!
KJ: Shah Rukh still wants to take risks. But who wants to take risks with him? He follows the script. For the last three years, he has been reading bound scripts. And you know bound scripts are as alien to our industry as Hailey's comet. He probably hasn't heard an excellent script from too many producers. Probably all those filmmakers he has worked with in the past but isn't working with now haven't tempted him enough. They are all undoubtedly great filmmakers, very talented people and have made some wonderful films. But maybe they haven't inspired and motivated the artist in him. Maybe Aditya and Azizji have, probably I have too. He is making Farah's film. But he isn't doing her any favours and he isn't doing me any favours either. Farah's film appealed to him. It's a new story, a new kind of culture in our commercial cinema, in the same way Asoka breaks every commercial norm. Devdas - you can't take any more risks than you can with this film. Sanjay Bhansali did probably the bravest thing ever in 2001. I think the film will work purely on his conviction. Who has such conviction today? That's probably what attracted Shah Rukh to do Devdas. He wants to play the immortal lead and add to the level of immortality. And that's why I think ultimately Devdas will be a great film. He thought this is an epic that Sanjay Bhansali will probably top in his own way.
Shah Rukh has officially admitted that he cannot be the second best and that he doesn't know how to deal with it if that happens. What is behind it - his ego, insecurity or just pettiness?
Farah Khan: It's just the competitive spirit in Shah Rukh that made him say that. And strangely enough, I agree with him to some extent. I can't be the second best in my field either. It might be ego, it might be a little insecurity, a little jealousy, it might also be the courage of conviction, knowing that I am better than everyone else. So why would I choose to be the second best. So I think it's probably a mixture of all of those that made Shah Rukh make that statement. Probably that's what keeps him on his toes. I mean, if you can be OK with being the second best, you would be OK with being the third best or the fourth best. Why the hell would you want to work hard enough to be the best in your field? I think that's an admirable quality. If you ask me, there's no one better than Shah Rukh Khan today.
Shah Rukh has a quick tongue and a mesmerising personality. But those who have met him say that there is a gaping gap between his thoughts, words and actions.
FK: (Smiles) Shah Rukh is great with words. He speaks very very very well. I am not too sure about the last thing you mention. I don't know if he is serious about it but whatever he says always comes from the heart.
See, in this business, you have to be diplomatic. Not everyone can be as stupid as me to blather so randomly. Shah Rukh never makes people feel bad about him. That is what I like about him. And that is something I am learning from him now. I used to be very rude to people and never cared about their feelings. If they did not do their job properly, I would shout and scream at them. But Shah Rukh taught me to be patient. He taught me how to teach people the same thing in a nicer way. So if that's what you mean, that there's a difference in his thoughts, words and actions, then it may be true. But ultimately, he makes everyone feel good. He may see a person messing up his job, but he will never tell them off and undermine their confidence. He uses his own resources to try to get the best out of that person. I think that's a great trait.
Shah Rukh's ingratitude towards the hitherto very supportive media was evident when he blamed them for the disaster of his first home production - Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani.
KJ: With Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani, I think the media really came down on him very heavily. I think that was just not fair. He has contributed so much to the industry as an actor, people just don't see it in a wider perspective. That one remark where he supposedly blamed the media has been blown out of proportion. He didn't even make that remark. It was made by someone else and unfortunately it was attributed to him. Nobody clarified the facts. Everyone just jumps to conclusions all the time. I think if it is anyone, it is Shah Rukh who is the aggrieved, the hurt party. I think he is ultimately above all this. Look at the fan following that he has. He commands so much respect from the audience that I think very few artists get to enjoy today. Mothers, grandmothers come up to him and treat him as if he were their son. That kind of respect and awe is what is important, not what some journalists write about him. The kind of respect he commands inside and outside the country is what an actor should strive to achieve. I think Shah Rukh has achieved all that and more.
I always tell him, 'What more do you want? You have the love of the whole country, you even enjoy a fan following all over the world. You have some of the best films behind you, you have such a wonderful wife and two beautiful children.' I believe God took some things (his parents) away from him in the past and I think he deserved the best and so he got the best. Shah Rukh Khan is a very happy, very content man today.
FK: I am sure Shah Rukh will not say something so stupid. So I don't know if he said that or Aditya Chopra said that. I believe that whatever the media writes cannot make or break a film. If a film is well made, you can write the worst possible reviews and the film will still be a hit. I am sure (David Dhawan's) Aankhein and Jai Santoshi Maa got ridiculous reviews. But they are some of the biggest hits of all time. So somehow I don't think the media is 100% responsible for making or breaking a film at the box office. If your film has what it takes to be a hit, yes, it can help it. But not the other way around. If you like a song on TV, and if you have nothing else to do, you will still watch the film despite bad reviews.
Shah Rukh loves being the centre of attention while making a film. If he cannot have that, or if he is not confident about his role, or if things are not going his way, he has no qualms about giving his opinion to the producer. Case in point – Subhash Ghai's Pardes and Rakesh Roshan's Karan Arjun.
KJ: You must see Subhashji and Shah Rukh together. Two months ago, I had dinner with them at Shah Rukh's house. They get on very well. They have the warmest relationship with each other. Subhashji is a great director and Shah Rukh is a great actor. That combination has to come together again, there is no doubt about that.
Personally, I thought Shah Rukh was brilliant in Pardes. I told him that too. Sometimes an actor may not feel 100 per cent about the film he is working on. But as a human being, you learn over time to rely on other people's beliefs. Shah Rukh has learnt that now. He is totally a director's actor. When he does a shot, he will never let you know if he is confident in it or not. There is so much conviction and 100% energy in the shot when he does it that as a director you can never imagine what is going on in his head.
The usual argument in the controversy over Shah Rukh's Coke ad, where he is seen taking a jab at Hrithik Roshan, is that a star of his stature and stature should have rejected the ad outright. He fell on deaf ears when he sold it as harmless humour and instead faced further criticism. Isn't that why he waxed lyrical about the Roshans at an awards night recently, just to prove to the world that everything is fine between him and the Roshans?
KJ: There is no pizzazz in reading about the happy relationship between two people who get along. But it is interesting to read about two people who hate each other, who want to destroy each other, and everyone will want to hear about it and read about it. I think half of the controversy over the Coke ad started because of this basic instinct in humans. I don't think Shah Rukh had anything in his heart or mind when he did that ad. He is too big and above all that. Moreover, Shah Rukh's way of looking at the world is different from everyone else. He might have thought that he was complimenting Hrithik in his own way in that Coke ad - which I think he was. But everyone was just waiting to create problems between him and Hrithik.
I think he was irritated when it all ballooned into a big controversy. If you do something in a harmless sense but people see more in it than there is, you would be upset, right? Shah Rukh's way of dealing with this whole controversy was to act normal. No, then again, he didn't have to go through all the trouble of proving himself. He did it out of generosity at an awards night recently. It's not even true that he asked the Roshans if he could come clean. No, it wasn't like that at all. I think he just did it on his own accord.
Farah, you have been dragged into the war of nerves between Shah Rukh and Hrithik, for better or worse, just because you were the one who cast both of them in your directorial debut, produced by Shah Rukh. Weren't you forced to drop Hrithik from your film because Shah Rukh refused to shift the shooting schedule until Hrithik could deliver the dates for your film? Do you not feel any conflict of affection or loyalty here because let's be honest, you were largely responsible for Hrithik's success story in Kaho Na... Pyar Hai with the dance Ek pal ka Jeena, which became all the rage.
FK: No, I don't feel any conflict of affection or loyalty. See, I did not drop Hrithik from my film. Hrithik and his father (Rakesh Roshan) walked out of my film because, as they said, they did not have the dates. Hrithik had heard his role and he was excited about it. But of course, all this was before the release of Kaho Na... I am sure I wasted time asking for his dates because I just took it for granted that he will do my film, that he will not say no to me because I was one of the first people to tell him I would do a film with him and Shah Rukh Khan would also be starring in it. And the Roshans were excited about my film then.
Of course, I tried to convince Hrithik that I want him to do my film. But... See, beyond a certain point you cannot convince anyone. If someone doesn't want to do my film, then I would rather... I want people to do my film with a pure heart and they should be excited about it and have no reservations or insecurities. They should want to do the film wholeheartedly rather than be convinced to do it. Shah Rukh wanted to do my film.
Now Hrithik is doing Karan's film with Shah Rukh because he had got his dates earlier. And let's be honest, he is Karan Johar, I am Farah Khan. I still have to prove my worth as a director. Karan has already proved his worth with Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Today he is Karan Johar, he is the biggest director in the country today.
Popular opinion is that Shah Rukh's carefully constructed image as a family man is a fraud. How can an obsessively passionate actor, producer, entrepreneur, who is more out of the house than in it, be an ideal family man? Besides, other lesser mortals have fallen prey to the charms of their co-stars. Is Shah Rukh superhuman? The rumour mill says otherwise and is constantly abuzz with his intimate 'friendship' with co-star and business partner Juhi Chawla.
FK: You have to see Shah Rukh with his family to know what he is like as a family man. He forgets everything when he is with them. It is a myth that he has no time for his son. Aryan is always with him on the sets, playing around, climbing the crane, dancing with my dancers. The kid is a born star! I am sure that on every outdoor shoot his wife and son are with him and he is home every night. At every party he goes to, Gauri is with him. He doesn't take a step without her. I have worked with Shah Rukh since his second film - Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa - and I have never seen him behave in any way with his co-stars (all his heroines love him) that I even suspected, 'Oh, is he...?' No, never! As for his relationship with Juhi, it is like his relationship with Karan. Don't believe everything the rumour mill says. Because the same rumour mill got me married three times in the last month! Which is all rubbish. So much for the rumour mill.
Shah Rukh is accused of being one of the most user-friendly people in the film industry. In fact, he is known to use people as stepping stones to achieve his goals. Once he achieves his goal, he leaves them behind by the wayside. For example, producer Viveck Vaswani and colleague Salman Khan are no longer on his friends list.
FK: I have no idea what their relationship was like or why they drifted apart. But people evolve. Also, you also need to be in constant touch with a person to remain friends with him. I am sure his affection for Viveck has not disappeared. It is just that he has lost touch with him. Because of Salman, I don't know if they were best buddies. But he still has a lot of affection for him. When they were shooting KKHH, they were constantly cracking jokes etc.
Shah Rukh expects blind loyalty from all his friends. Karan, Juhi, Aziz Mirza, Aditya Chopra, you among others are commonly known as die-hard supporters of Shah Rukh Khan. Don't you have to be careful of your words and actions at every step they take? Doesn't it get tiring and boring?
FK: I am the most politically incorrect person. I am too outspoken. I keep blabbering and don't give a damn about what people think of me because I also believe in my work. I feel that if my work is good, people will want to work with me. As far as my friendship with Shah Rukh is concerned, I don't think he expects loyalty from me, I just give him my loyalty because he is very loyal to me. Whenever I have a problem or need him for anything, I know Shah Rukh is there for me. He came to my house at midnight because I called him in tears about a personal problem. Fifteen minutes later, he was at my door and sat with me for an hour, sorting out my life, my problems. I will never forget his gesture. He has too many things on his mind to do that. But he did it for me because our friendship means a lot to him. That is loyalty, in my opinion. That is
why I love Shah Rukh Khan. And I will do anything for him. But that does not mean that he will abuse my love for him for his own benefit. For example, I could not do the last song of Asoka because I had my appointments with another producer. He understood that and let me go. He did not make a fuss about it. But he told me, "Better you come and do the next two songs." See, he never made me feel guilty like, "Oh, you did not do my song and went to shoot someone else's song." He is not like that at all. He is not the type of guy who demands loyalty from his friends. He is the type of guy you want to be loyal to. That is the difference between him and others.