I was a star before I became a fan: Shah Rukh Khan

Mumbai: If there’s one person who knows all there is to know about dedicated and stop-at-nothing fans, it’s superstar Shah Rukh Khan, and he adores them back. “I love the amount that people love me,” he says. So it’s no surprise to hear that when director Maneesh Sharma approached him with Fan, which — as its name might suggest — is a fan-meets-superstar story, there was no way he could turn it down. The King Khan of India’s movie screens has lived with adoration and a crazed fan following for over a quarter-century. And since he’s just as charming off-screen as he is when he’s striding across the screen, he often steps out onto his balcony from where he waves to fans outside waiting for a momentary glimpse of him. But on this weekday evening, the tall and imposing gates of Shah Rukh Khan’s palatial Mannat, his residence-cum-office on Mumbai’s Bandra Bandstand, are firmly shut and the security guards are super-vigilant. Khan’s fleet of large and gleaming BMWs are parked in the sprawling compound. Inside, everything is king-sized with comfy sofas in the waiting lounge and memorabilia from 25 years in the movie industry displayed in every nook and corner. The seven-storied building with its white interiors (in some places it’s more like a cinema hall) has paintings by M.F. Husain in almost every area from the lobby to the spacious rooms. His awards and photos of him with wife Gauri and their children and the curios that are all around all testify to his flamboyant lifestyle. It’s shortly after midnight. Shah Rukh’s famous for keeping media people waiting endlessly. But it’s also true that once he’s promised an interview and you’re inside the house, he won’t send you away disappointed — no matter what time it is. Finally he enters. Shah Rukh’s dressed in a black T-shirt and casual camouflage pants and takes a seat on one of his comfy leather sofas. His luxurious den has an expansive view of the sea and wooden shelves lined with books and art treasures. He looks ever-so-slightly tired, but not yet ready to slow down. He’s constantly puffing away and smokes three cigarettes during our conversation — though he stubs them out halfway and then lights the next. “I’ve known Maneesh for a long time, since the Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi days when he was the chief assistant director. The film came from YRF and they make sure that I make good films with them,” he says, adding: “I don’t know if it’ll do right or wrong but it would be weird to say ‘no’ to this kind of script. I hope Maneesh will take me in his next film too.”

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Nevertheless, even for the experienced star of the silver screen, it was tough to play the double-role — of both the fan and the superstar. He says: “Playing the superstar Aryan Khanna in the film was difficult. The character is far removed from what I am in real-life. The character is calmer and very unlike me.” He adds: “The other character, playing Gaurav the underdog, was physically challenging in terms of doing the body language right.” The star, who has been in the industry for 25 years, says he doesn’t believe in number-crunching box-office figures. He’s a self-confessed workaholic and works round the clock, subsisting on a diet rich in nicotine and with less than five hours of sleep. “I would want every film to do roaring business.  But I don’t get hyper,” says the 50-year-old actor. What about his reputation as a romantic hero? He laughs and points out that of the 80-odd films he has done during his career,  only five have been out-and-out romantic films. He says:  “Unfortunately, I’m compartmentalised as a romantic hero. I don’t make a concerted effort to do only romantic films. On the contrary, I hate doing such films. I don’t even know if I am romantic at heart or not. I do a film as I am in that state of mind at that point of time.” In the short run, Shah Rukh’s plans are very clear. After Fan’s release on April 15, he will take time off till July. He has finished shooting for two more films. There will be Rahul Dholakia’s action-thriller Raees (set for a 2016 Eid release), which will see him playing an evil bootlegger, and also Gauri Shinde’s next film in which he will be Alia Bhatt’s advisor on the tricky subject of love. Has Shah Rukh any role models? He says no. “I have huge respect for actors and sportspersons from Uttam Kumar to Amitabh Bachchan, Aparna Sen to Sourav Ganguly, Mohammad Ali to Milkha Singh and Sunil Gavaskar. I like what they do or have done. But I never idolise anybody.” Inevitably, after all these years of being chased by fans, he has had many strange encounters. Some fans hand him letters and notes. He laughs: “The unhealthy ones collect my cigarette butts. People have asked me for my hair, watches and T-shirts. Some have tattooed my name on their hands.” It has been an incredible journey for Khan so far — though he insists that he doesn’t like to look back too often. He started out in 1988 with a TV serial, Fauji, playing commando Abhimanyu Rai. Then, on the big screen he has played every conceivable type of role. He was the anti-hero inBaazigar and then has gone through dozens of roles including the romantic-drama Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. Then he did films like Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi and Jab Tak Hai Jaan. He has also appeared in the sports film Chak De! India, action-comedy Chennai Express, heist-drama Happy New Year and more recently Dilwale. It has also been a long journey. Don’t forget that he was the Delhi boy who was a complete outsider and who entered the world of glamour on his own terms. He says: “I started work very early at 15. I was a star before I became a fan.” If there’s anything that Shah Rukh is super-charged about other than films, it’s his IPL cricket team Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). He gives a dimpled smile when he talks about KKR:  “I don’t want to put pressure on the boys. But, yes, I’m looking forward to all the matches. I’m confident we’ll win.” Shah Rukh, who’s known for his smart marketing tactics, has already released a video for KKR fans: Ami KKR. There’s a strong emotional connect with KKR (which has won the title twice) and it has sometimes led to controversies like the ugly spat with the security guard at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium during an IPL match. So, does he give pep talks to his boys? He laughs. “I never give pep talks like in Chak De! India. But I’m dying to do a newer version of the song Korbo Lorbo Jeetbo Re with Vishal-Shekhar. Perhaps I’ll do it if we reach the finals.”

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His other baby is Red Chillies Entertainment, set up in 2006 and which has ambitious expansion plans. Khan had started a television production business called Idiot Box which tried to produce serials and talk shows. Says Shah Rukh: “Like Steve Jobs, I want to follow two things that I know best. That’s VFX and filmmaking. I closed down the advertising and television divisions.” He adds: “In the coming months, we would like to expand the number of films — and more importantly — ones without me. I’m in talks with other directors co-producing with us like Imtiaz Ali and Anand L. Rai. We can bring good marketing and distribution to the table.” Getting into regional films is next on the cards. First will be a Marathi film which he will be co-producing. He says: “If we have a good story to tell in whichever language it is, I can be there in any capacity.” VFX is another division which he is extremely proud of. He started the VFX division in 2006 for his sci-fi film Ra: One. “Give me five more years and we will be the finest in the world. I may be wrong but that’s how I see it,” he insists. Shah Rukh, who has, over the years, transformed himself from the boy-next-door to the dapper King Khan recalls nostalgically: “My first shot for Dil Aashna Hai was when Hemaji taught me to enact a love scene with Divya Bharti. The shoot happened on June 26, 1991, at the Convent Villa in Mumbai. She was kind enough to explain to me how to do the role.” When he’s not working, he just loves to laze around. “I’m in my black shorts and a dirty T-shirt and I don’t get up from my bed. Sometimes, AbRam comes and lies down on top of me and Suhana and Aryan too join me once in a while. If we have anything common to watch together, which is seldom, we watch Minions or Spider-Man. We eat chips and colas and keep lying and rolling here. Now that both Aryan and Suhana don’t study here, we don’t get to see each other often.” Right now, however, the centre of attention is AbRam. “I don’t think he sees me as a star because he thinks he’s a star. On weekends, he goes out to the balcony and waves at the millions of fans. After Suhana, AbRam is our new winning mascot for KKR. So I make sure to take him along on match days.” And don’t bother to talk to Shah Rukh about the topic of posterity. Failures don’t bother him too much as he is willing to stretch his boundary as an actor.  He says very firmly: “It’s not for posterity and prosperity any more. I love the process of film-making and I will continue working believing that it’s my first day at work.” -The Telegraph Calcutta