Find out in this soul-baring interview why this member of Bollywood royalty, whose parents named him ‘face of the king’, is often in tears. Deepika Shetty unravels the mystery called Mr.Shah Rukh Khan.
TO his tens of millions of fans, actor and producer Shah Rukh Khan is the unrivalled King of Bollywood, known for his macho film persona.
But the high-energy, fast-talking superstar, who is in Singapore this weekend for the Zee Carnival, showcasing Indian entertainment, gives a rare glimpse of his sensitive side in an hour-long telephone interview from Mumbai.
India’s top romantic leading man confesses that in real life, he is “painfully shy of women”. Khan, who turns 43 next month and has been married to Gauri Khan for 17 years, with whom he has two children, adds: “I am just very shy of girls. I have never looked into my wife’s purse or her wardrobe.”
The man who is everywhere in India €“ from movie billboards in the streets and shows on TV to making headlines for buying a cricket team and supporting the recent Bollywood film workers’ strike - also has another surprising revelation.
He says he is “an intensely private and reclusive man” who cries when he thinks of his late parents.
Khan’s Muslim parents - Meer Taj Mohammad Khan and Lateef Fatima - died before he found fame in Bollywood and to this day, he mourns the loss that time cannot heal.
He says: “I often go to the terrace of my home and cry. I cry not because they haven’t been able to see the successful side of me, I cry because even if I was a complete failure, they would have wished me well and loved me unconditionally. Sometimes I cry over silly things, like my car breaking down.
“I end up saying, ‘Mum, I wish you were around, you could have told me what to do.’ Even my kids know that it’s okay to see their dad cry.”
Another thing he does not talk about much publicly is his bad back, caused by his gruelling work schedule and risky action sequences. He became a man of steel after a titanium disc was inserted into his spine for a prolapsed disc in 2004.
But he says: “I don’t like to talk about it simply because so much love, so much goodness has been given to me by my fans over the years. I don’t want to bog them down with the little pain I am dealing with.”
He promises his fans will only see the good stuff when he visits Singapore for the Zee Carnival, organised by the Indian Television network at the Suntec Convention Centre (yesterday and today). Khan and TV stars such as Aditya Narayan, Raja Hasan, Iqbal Khan, Poonam Jatau, and Sharad and Kirti Kelkar will make several appearances. Also present is India’s celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor.
Beyond his fans, Khan also stands by the people he works with. He called off his shoots and lent his support to the protest by Bollywood workers about low wages, late payments and the persistent use of non-union actors. (The strike ended after two days on Oct 3.)
The star, who has an 11-year-old son, Aryan, and a daughter, Suhana, eight, declares: “People think I am flamboyant. I am not at all like that. I’m becoming more and more reclusive. All I do is work and spend time with my family.”
Of course, there is much more to him than that daily grind. His face represents the largest film industry in the world. India produces more than 1,000 films a year, of which a third are in Hindi, India’s official language, and their estimated viewership is said to be 3.6 billion annually - that is a billion more than Hollywood.
Though the numbers may be tipping in favour of Bollywood, he believes there are things that the Indian film industry can learn from Hollywood: “In terms of organisation, technology and its distribution network, it is way ahead of us. I have a lot of respect for these aspects of Hollywood. But I think the stories are with us here in Bollywood.”
Critics often say Bollywood’s plots are far-fetched. Actors can go through multiple costume changes and the location can go anywhere from Agra to the Alps in a single song sequence.
No-nos on screen
But Khan does not think Indian cinema is all fantasy. Referring to themes of Hollywood blockbusters such as Deep Impact and Independence Day, he says: “To me, the president of the United States saving the world from a meteorite is an amazing fantasy.”
On the other hand, “our fantasies are achievable; our fantasies are smaller - they are about having a house, a small car. We are not bothered about aliens”.
Those fantasies certainly sell. He has delivered some of the biggest hits in Bollywood, including Dil To Pagal Hai (1997), Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001) to more recent ones such as Chak De! India (2007) and Om Shanti Om (2007).
And that is despite the fact that he says there are some things he would never do on screen: “I won’t ride a horse and I won’t kiss a girl.”
He adds: “I think it’s because I am so painfully shy of women that I romance them so well as a character on screen.”
Khan has acted in more than 60 films and produced seven of his own. His roles have been as varied as the films he has made though one onscreen character does come close to the real Khan.
“I am a lot like the no-nonsense hockey coach Kabir Khan in Chak De, though I am not that stern,” he adds with a laugh.
A lot has been written about Khan - documentaries have been made on his life, there are books on him and the awards keep coming. But he feels a lot of this would not have happened without help from his co-stars.
“I have been blessed to work alongside some of the most beautiful and talented women in the industry. I owe at least half of my success to these women. Among other things, they have taught me how to dance and how to look good. I am what I am because of what they have done for me.”
He holds a special place for choreographer-turned-director Farah Khan, who directed him in Om Shanti Om and Main Hoon Na (2004).
“Women directors end up making films a certain way. They are sensitive and emotional. But Farah has gone for sheer entertainment. She has the balls to make a film like a man. I respect that,” says Khan.
And when he is not talking or making films, he likes to settle down with a book.
His home library has a collection of more than 5,000 books, of which there are at least three that he wants to turn into films.
“Other talented film-makers are already doing that, though. I read Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts even before it came to India and asked my director friends if they’d want to make a film - now Hollywood has taken it. Two other books I’ve enjoyed a lot are Mark Haddon’s murder mystery The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and Yann Martel’s fantasy adventure Life of Pi.”
For now, he has his eyes peeled on biopics. “I am interested in biopics about people who have led interesting lives.”
During the lengthy interview, he breaks only to call out for a cup of coffee and a cigarette.
The temptation to light up comes despite the fact that India’s Health Ministry has said it planned to bombard the actor with literature detailing the harm caused by cigarettes. (A ban on smoking in public places took effect in India on Oct 2.)
When asked about his light-up during the interview, this very public man with a very private persona says ruefully: “I am law-abiding to the extent of being stupid sometimes. I never beat a red light, I always obey the rules. Of course, my cigarette-smoking is always getting me into trouble.”
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