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I was interested in Charles Shobhraj biopic: SRK
Highlights
Shah Rukh Khan who is gearing up for his upcoming movie Dilwale that also stars Kajol, Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon talks about the clash with Sanjay Leela Bhansali\'s Bajirao Mastani, stardom, biopics, intolerance and more in this exclusive interview with Lipika Varma.
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Shah Rukh Khan who is gearing up for his upcoming movie Dilwale that also stars Kajol, Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon talks about the clash with Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Bajirao Mastani, stardom, biopics, intolerance and more in this exclusive interview with Lipika Varma.
SRK's role in Dilwale:
"It's in two time frames. The younger me and older me. I have a past which is different from my present is. In the past I was gentle loving while my job is not so. In the present I am very quiet and resilient very tough and very reclusive the story from my past makes me a lonely guy. Given the parameter of a commercial film there is a little nuance of character."
Clash with Bajirao Mastani:
"It's very unfortunate that two big films are coming on the same week. It's no rocket science both the businesses will get divided. At the end of it all, if the genres are the same they will suffer even more. If genres are different, people will like both kind of films. It is dependent on how good the films are. If the film is good it will do well. Of course if there's a Star value you will get good opening. Yes, both the films will lose a little. Hopefully the genres are different and we are assuming that both the films will do well. By four weeks around 10 crore audience will watch both the films. Nobody can say how good or bad a film is now. I will say with previous example that Sanjay Leela Bhansali and I are still friends and we will be working together. We pick and choose dates because we wanted holidays. 18th is the best date to release a blockbuster. If I was taking it to January, I would not have got this kind of holiday. There will be no release till 14th February till Fan and it is not coming on a holiday. It's a niche film. It's a Chak De kind of film. It will grow by word of mouth. It's a week day film. That's why we have Eid or Diwali or Christmas booked by a big star. It makes a difference by 30 percent. If I am losing because of a Bajirao Mastani I am also gaining by 30 percent because of holidays. In the long run this period will be better for me. That's why we have chosen this date."
Does the aura of being a superstar limit you as an actor?
"Offers made to me are limited because people will always assume that if we make a film together it has to be a commercial success. Aditya Chopra and Karan Johar always say this "We are planning a film together but before that they plan another film which is different and tell me that it's not for me. They want to make bigger films with me. It is meant to be a film which is liked by a larger audience. Adi's Befikre is also a big film. Many times you get limited banner. Sometimes producers say,"We have made niche films but we want to make a commercial film with you." Sometimes if they have a good film they have to wait. Like Fan is a beautiful film but Manish had to wait for eight years. Raees is beautiful it's a fantastic offbeat film, commercial it will make money and will have lot of critical fame. It won’t be the wham bam thank you mam kind of film. It will not make 300 crores. It's a slow film. So you are limited by choice. You should have a rider film commercial like Dilwale. Will Smith had told me once that he make two types of films. One film for himself and the other film with a bigger star. I asked him who is the bigger star and he said VFX. He said you should do films like that. I want to do that too, bigger films take 150 days and smaller films take 70 days. I have reached that stage where it doesn't matter. I do get limited but that shouldn't matter. It should do niche business."
Why do superstars look at bigger films all the time?
"Every superstar has a superstar director doing films for them like Karan Johar and Aditya Chopra do. They want to make popular movies then the superstar does not have a choice. In Hollywood there's no demarcation between popular film and niche films. I don't know about Amitji and Rajesh Khanna. In the beginning I did films like Oh Darling Yeh Hai India, I did a Mani Kaul film and Kabhi Haa Kabhi Naa and Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman. I made the director Shimit Amin wait for a year for Chak De as I loved the script. . Sometimes I lose out on good films because I can't give them time. I am sure every actor wants to do different kind of films but you can't do too many films like that after becoming a super star. I have to have world hit also and balance it out."
How do you bring in the best in a character which you have played and are playing?
"I don’t get time to retrospect but when I am doing there is a part of me in every character. Some commercial types where you are a hero but you still have some portions where your internal feeling come into it. But after I am done I don't remain in my character. If I was a hockey coach or a race driver in poverty. I sit and observe people. I observe people but it's me doing the character. When I did My Name is Khan I observed Asperger patients. But I still played it in my way. An Asperser's guy can do it but I did it Shah Rukh style. If it's not a bio-pic it's nice to think of yourself in that place and become that character. Like for Fan I am playing a Delhi boy but I have not been there for 25 years so I am a Mumbai boy now. I met a boy who speaks in that typical style but I didn't copy him but I used it in my style. I don't live that life or else I will become schizophrenic."
Are you interested in Biopics, which characters would you want to play?
"I was offered Milkha but I couldn't give the same amount of dedication so I refused, I was interested in Charles Sobhraj but that film has been made now."
On Mahira Khan being chosen for Raees:
"The character Raees is Muslim and we were making the film in realism, his wife is also Muslim. Like Om Shanti Om we wanted a new heroine. I have already done films with Kareena so it would be awkward and I am playing a fan in that so we opted a new girl. For Raees we were planning a girl with whom I have not worked so we thought it will take a girl who has that accent. It won't look like a hero and heroine film. We thought we will take a new girl whom I have not worked and we spoke to Huma Qureshi. But she didn't have the typical accent. In Chak De if we had taken heroines wouldn't have worked."
Do you feel there is a lot of Intolerance?
"If I am talking to you and if I don't give a decision but give a opinion and not an ultimatum. But it's drawn out of proportion. For example if I say Swades was a slow film but that doesn't mean that the film was bad. People will react in a different way. How can we believe that people of a stature will think like that of our country? I will tell my children not to think about religion, casteism, sex, girl is less. I have biggest people who help my life. Don't make demarcations in religion, sex or color. Every politician says it, every leader says it."
Do you feel actors should not give their opinions?
"Actors should talk about acting and films and nothing else. I personally feel that there are some issues not because I cannot talk about it or I don't know the truth or I am wrong or that I don't have knowledge. It’s easy to take anything that I say. It's easy to misconstrue or misunderstand what I say. I have to realize that this is not my platform. Why should I put my foot in the mouth? Sometimes I feel if I can tell my kids this is the right thing to do, I can tell anyone."
You need be careful when you say something, what do you have to say?
"I am very careful and don't say anything that hurts. People who understand me know what I am saying something. Even if they are not fans they will not misunderstand me. It's a mindset of how you analyze you will listen to what I am saying but you have decided to make an issue out. If you want to you will find out. It's silly to imagine that I could say something which is anti-national or controversial. I can say Salman is... but I may not complete a sentence but they will make a story out of it."
Your take on the star values, especially about the ‘Khans’ who have been ruling the roost until this day?
"If there is no star system films will be completely finished. Directors can become stars and producers can become stars. Germany, Poland and Russia are pioneers of filmmaking; Star filmmakers went to Hollywood like Roman Polanski, Chinese director Ang Lee. They have become peripheral film makers. If there are no stars no one will watch films. Like in IPL if there are no stars people will stop watching IPL. You have to have stars so you can choose films but if he does not perform people will say he's over. Star system is very important. If a film makes 100 crores there is no doubt their next film will make 200 crores. Our younger generation loves watching Hollywood films. Slowly our films will be over and dubbed films are coming too. Like in England, 18 English films are made and 150 films are made in Hollywood, Germany makes 3 films and in Poland hardly 2 films. France industry has been done with; slowly they will come here and make films. Like Salman said stars retired at 40 years. God has been so kind to us that at 50 we are doing films which we did when we were 25 and 28, it's a big thing that star system is still existing. You see 3 Idiots it was a good film and had star value. Bajrangi Bhaijaan was a good film. Sometimes the best of actors are making worst of films but star system exists."
What are your future films?
"I am doing Gauri Shinde's film."
By Lipika Varma
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