Shah Rukh Khan | SRK on 31 years of film debut: ‘Being able to entertain people lots of times is my proudest achievement’
Shah Rukh Khan, the superstar who embarked on his acting journey 31 years ago, expressed his “proudest achievement” as the ability to entertain countless people repeatedly.
King Khan of Bollywood, who made his debut with Raj Kanwar’s “Deewana” alongside Rishi Kapoor and Divya Bharti, after acting in TV serials such as “Fauji” and “Circus,” celebrated his milestone by conducting a Q&A session with his fans and followers under the hashtag #AskSRK on Twitter.
When asked about his selection of projects, Shah Rukh stated that he now chooses the films that the director wants to make rather than focusing solely on his preference. He also revealed that he writes down the character’s entire back story and ideology, which he sometimes shares with the director.
Shah Rukh’s favourite aspect of being an actor is “being in shoes of somebody else and giving life to their dreams,” he said. He also made light-hearted jokes about not being able to dance to his famous song “Chaiyya Chaiyya” at the White House and his stunts in films requiring many painkillers.
When questioned about the pressure of being responsible for people’s happiness, the Padma Shri awardee stated that there is no pressure in giving happiness but sadness to be avoided.
Shah Rukh’s top priority is values, and he believes that everything else follows if one prioritizes them. He defined creativity as “your best friend when you are alone” and advised fans to avoid dwelling on negativity or positivity but instead to move on.
Finally, in his message to students graduating this year, he wished them the best in life and assured them that whatever they learned would come in handy someday.
During his 31-year career in Hindi cinema, Shah Rukh has starred in numerous commercial and critical successes, including “Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman,” “Darr,” “Baazigar,” “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge,” “Kal Ho Naa Ho,” “Swades,” “Chak De! India,” “My Name is Khan,” “Main Hoon Na,” and “Raees.”
This story has been published from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff except for the headline.
Superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who completed 31 years in Hindi film industry on Sunday, said being able to entertain several people lots of times is his “proudest achievement”.
Known as King Khan of Bollywood, the 57-year-old star started his acting journey with TV serials such as “Fauji” and “Circus” before making his feature film debut with Raj Kanwar’s “Deewana”. Also starring Rishi Kapoor and Divya Bharti, the romantic drama released on June 25, 1992.
Shah Rukh, who in January made a spectacular return to the big screen after a hiatus of four years with the blockbuster “Pathaan”, conducted a Q&A session #AskSRK with fans and followers on Twitter to mark yet another year in the movies.
“Wow just realised it’s 31 yrs to the day when Deewana hit the screens. It’s been quite a ride mostly a good one. Thanks all and we can do 31minutes of #AskSRK??” he tweeted.
When a social media user asked what his “proudest achievement” was in these 31 years, the actor wrote back saying “Being able to entertain lots of people lots of times. That’s it.” “Working with Divyaji and Rajji” was the one thing he will never forget from the set of “Deewana”, he said.
A tweeple was curious about how Shah Rukh picks up his projects after doing “almost every sort of role” in his career.
In his response, the actor said: “I now try and do the kind of film the particular director wants to do….not only what I see myself as.” Another asked if there was one thing he has been following consistently since his debut, he said he writes down the whole back story and ideology of the character.
“Sometimes share it with the director or just keep it to myself. It could be a poem or a whole story,” he added.
“Being in shoes o(f) somebody else and giving life to their dreams” is his favourite aspect of being an actor, the actor said.
A Twitter user also asked Shah Rukh to comment on the performance of the a cappella group Penn Masala, who presented his popular song “Chaiyya Chaiyya” from the film “Dil Se..” at the White House ahead of the arrival of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his recent US visit.
“Wish I was there to dance to it….but they wouldn’t allow a train inside I guess??!!!” he quipped, referring to the song which was picturised on top of a moving train.
Asked to complete the phrase “Back in my day, we…”, the actor said “Back in my day we didn’t discuss business of films without knowing anything about the business!!!” When a fan asked Shah Rukh if they could smoke together, the superstar said: “Main apni buri aadatein akele hee karta hoon (I prefer engaging in bad habits alone).” On being asked what his secret was to performing extensive stunts at the age of 57, he replied: “Bahut painkillers khane padte hain bhai (Brother, you have to take many painkillers).” When a social media user shared a clip of his entry sequence from “Deewana”, in which he is lip-syncing to “Koi Na Koi Chahiye”, Shah Rukh acknowledged that he “should have worn a helmet”.
Asked if he felt the pressure of being responsible for people’s happiness, Shah Rukh said no.
“There is never pressure in giving happiness… It’s sadness one has to avoid,” he said.
On being asked, out of fame, money and values, what would be his top priority, the Padma Shri recipient chose the last option.
“Values first and last everything else follows,” he tweeted.
Asked how he defines creativity, the actor said it is “your best friend when u are alone (sic)”.
Shah Rukh also shared how he tackles negativity and manages his way to success.
“Negativity & Positivity (are) the simplest two terms to get over. Sorry u didn’t like wot I do…thank u for appreciating wot I do. And then move on don’t dwell on either (sic)” he wrote.
On being asked if there is anything that has changed over the years the most, Shah Rukh said there are too many people with too many views.
“(It) has become more difficult to find you(r) voice in the white noise!” he added in his tweet.
In his message to students graduating this year, Shah Rukh said: “All the best in life and remember whatever u have learnt will come handy in life…sometime (sic).” In his 31 years in Hindi cinema, Shah Rukh has featured in commecial and critical hit films such as “Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman”, “Darr”, “Baazigar”, “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge”, “Kal Ho Naa Ho”, “Swades”, “Chak De! India”, “My Name is Khan”, “Main Hoon Na”, and “Raees”.
Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.
