Shahrukh Khan: You Can't Judge My Friendship With Someone On The Basis Of My Cameos In Their Films

With the release date of Raees just round the corner, SRK reveals why he chose to do the film, how he doesn't take back anything from the characters that he plays, Sahir Ludhianvi biopic & more.

By Madhuri

No, even the six-hour wait for the interview couldn't dampen my excitement to catch up with Shahrukh Khan at his candid best. The man has no qualms admitting that he is a superstar. He confesses that he is shy of posing with girls and finds doing magazine covers with heroines awkward. It's very rare to hear this from someone who defines romance for most of us! But then that's King Khan for you who never ceases to surprise.

Excerpts from the conversation...

 1. Raees Is Not A Typical Story Where A Little Boy Grows Up To Be A Don And Then Beats Up The Villain

1. Raees Is Not A Typical Story Where A Little Boy Grows Up To Be A Don And Then Beats Up The Villain

I was just finishing Happy New Year that time. It was a happy-go-lucky, over the top dance film something which we were assuming that people would enjoy watching during the holidays. It was meant to be an event film where everything would be big, action would be larger-than-life, there will be ten packs instead of eight packs (smiles). That was the whole idea. I was doing a multistarrer after a long time. So, having nearly finished working on it, I was in a state of mind where I just wanted to do something which is grittier, more realistic because Happy New Year happened after Chennai Express which was also an over-the-top happy film.

So, as an actor, I was feeling that I should be in a film which is more cozy, more internalized, deeper and filmmakers like Rahul (Dholakia) makes movies like that. They make very niche, substance-oriented films. But, he was very keen to put it on a kind of platform which is a little more popular. So, he spoke to Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani and I liked the whole idea. I am more of an urban star. That suits me better. But, as an actor I think I can play a small-town guy and do a more realistic cinema. I will be very honest. I have never done a completely niche, offbeat film. I perhaps don't understand them or people haven't offered me them yet.

Initially I did a 'Maya Memsaab'..but still I am more keen that the story should be linear and there should be more-story-telling. I believe in that. So, Raees fitted the bill for me as an actor where I get to be in a zone which is not perhaps my comfort zone but something which is very well-written, very well fleshed out. It's not a typical story where a little boy grows up to become a don and then beats up the villain. It's more of a journey of a man from the age of 7-8 to about 45.

2. I Felt Bad That I Had To Use A Body Double For A Few Scenes In Raees

2. I Felt Bad That I Had To Use A Body Double For A Few Scenes In Raees

I got very badly injured during Fan. Not while shooting but I suffer from a knee injury..my patella is broken. I need to do something about it. Inshallah, I will do it in a next few days. It's a big injury and gets all painful when I work. I think that's why the film got delayed. It was difficult to do the roof-top chase sequence. I have used a body double for a few scenes and I feel really bad about it. But, I couldn't help it because the set was already ready and I had to finish the scenes. So, I used a duplicate for the long shots. The chase sequences were painful. There is a meat factory fight sequence in the film. I shot that post my surgery. That was a liitle difficult one to do. But they put mattresses on the ground for me to land on.

3. I Choose Films By My Mind And Sometimes It Will Not Cater To Everyone

3. I Choose Films By My Mind And Sometimes It Will Not Cater To Everyone

When you reach a stage where I am today, you have to assume that people do expect a lot more from you. Perhaps even more than what you can do. And then you have to live by that. If I have become a star with limited talent or whatever I think of myself in these 25 years, I need to believe that people who have given so much, expect some of it back. But I choose films by my mind and sometimes it will not cater to everyone.

A 'Fan' may not cater to girls who wanted to see a love story or a song and dance. 'Happy New Year' may not cater to someone who wants to see me in a film like 'Chak De India' or 'Swades'. Similarly, a 'Dear Zindagi' may not cater to someone who expects me to sing and dance with Alia (Bhatt). So, you have to accept the fact that each film is not going to make everyone happy. And then, you do try once in way to achieve that if a script comes along. Over the 25 years I have learnt to accept the fact that I am going to disappoint a certain section of people who love me because the film may not be able to cater to them. Then you are like 'I will try in the next one'.

But I can't take the pressure. Because, as an actor I need to do a few things to keep myself refreshed and do things which may not cater to the popular audience. I did 'Fan' because I really wanted to do it. Working for 25 years, it is important that I keep myself refereshed. There is no pressure like that. But, overall I know that when I sign a film, I know whom it's going to cater to.

4. I Felt Awkward Doing Magazine Covers With Heroines Because I Thought I Was Wasting Their Time

4. I Felt Awkward Doing Magazine Covers With Heroines Because I Thought I Was Wasting Their Time

I am conscious and shy of posing with girls. I don't think people have sensationalised anything about my life. More or less, everybody has been really nice to me. I think somewhere people also understand my sense of humour.

I felt awkward doing magazine covers with heroines because I thought I was wasting their time. I can do a picture very nicely in a character like Raees. I am even awkward posing on GQ. I find that very odd and haven't gotten over that. But, I have no issues. Most of the girls are my friends. I don't have worry that people will mistake it for something. If it is not in a film, I feel awkward because I don't know how to pose.

5. I Think My Co-Stars Nawaz, Mahira & Zeeshan's Realism Has Reflected In My Peformance In Raees

5. I Think My Co-Stars Nawaz, Mahira & Zeeshan's Realism Has Reflected In My Peformance In Raees

My co-stars Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Mohammed Zeeshan and Mahira Khan come from a more real world of acting. They have done cinema which is not as popular as what I have done pehaps. They will, Inshallah! But so far, they haven't. So they come from a very real zone where they feel the zeal, talk about it, discuss it. I am not playing a hero type in Raees. I play a character. It was very important for me to be surrounded by people or enact with people who approach the scene very realistically. That is one of the reasons why I wanted all new people with me, who haven't acted with me before. So I think when Nawaz, Mahira and Zeeshan to a large extent did scenes with me, I am experienced enough to understand that they approach them very differently to what I am used to.

When they did a scene, my own way of doing that scene changed. So it was really wonderful to work with them. It was very nice to have actors who would sit down, rehearse and work out new things. I think their realism reflected in my performance.

6. I Can Not Only Act With Kajol But Apply It In My Eyes And Look Good

6. I Can Not Only Act With Kajol But Apply It In My Eyes And Look Good

I learnt that I look very sexy in a Pathani and that I can not only act with Kajol but apply it in my eyes and look good (laughs). I know that a lot of actors talk about discovering things when they are in their roles. But I am not like that. I am not shallow. I feel that there is so much that I know of life. No, I am not being pompous. I have lived a very full and analytical life. I like mindsets and emotions. I read and write a lot. So, I have a lot to say through my characters.

I am very glad to be such a big star. But maybe sometimes being a star doesn't allow you to say everything because there is a entrapment of stardom.

I have a lot more to say in life as a person from my experiences, good or bad. I don't take back anything from the characters. I give it to them. I have a very different system of working in roles. It's not like I hear about somebody and get impressed upon by their life. It's fantastic if people are able to do it. But, I think that I have a lot more to give as a person who has lived life into the characters that I play. I look more forward to that than learning from it.

7. I Had Thought Of Doing A Sequel To Ra One If It Did Well

7. I Had Thought Of Doing A Sequel To Ra One If It Did Well

Don is the only one which perhaps ends like that everytime leaving a space for a sequel. I think that Farhan has no story for Don 3 right now. Maybe a sequel to Ra One. But I have no idea if we have a story for that either. I had thought of making a sequel to Ra One if it did well. But it didn't work. It's an expensive preposition. You need to have two years of prep time for that. The VFX and all that it demands is possible today but there has to be a story.

8. I Have Read The Script Of Sahir Ludhianvi Biopic And Liked It; But Nothing Is Confirmed Yet

8. I Have Read The Script Of Sahir Ludhianvi Biopic And Liked It; But Nothing Is Confirmed Yet

I have read the script. It was offered to me three-four years before. Red Chillies was doing it. Now I am glad Sanjay Leela Bhansali has taken it. I met him twice and he showed me the script and I have liked it. I really liked the story but we haven't confirmed anything yet. I am going to meet SLB after Raees on 27 or 28 if he is free from Padmavati. He has a couple of stories for me. One of them is the Sahir Ludhianvi biopic. I had heard it two years ago.

9. Don't Judge My Friendship With Someone (Salman And Aamir) On The Basis Of My Cameos In Their Films

9. Don't Judge My Friendship With Someone (Salman And Aamir) On The Basis Of My Cameos In Their Films

Don't judge our friendship by the cameos that we do for each other's films. You can't judge my friendship with someone by the cameo I do for. Having said that, I and Aamir had done a cameo for Ashutosh Gowariker's Pehla Nasha. You should love Ashutosh Gowariker for that.

Meanwhile, Raees is slated to lock horns with Hrithik Roshan's Kaabil at the box office on 25th January, 2017.

SHOCKING RELEVATIONS! Rishi Kapoor Says Amitabh Bachchan Never Gave Credit To His Co-StarsSHOCKING RELEVATIONS! Rishi Kapoor Says Amitabh Bachchan Never Gave Credit To His Co-Stars

Read more about: shahrukh khan raees

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