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| An Interview with Shahrukh |
He is easily the most talked-about actor in the
business today. His body of work includes some landmark films like Dilwale Dulhania Le
Jayenge and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai which went on to break most box-office records. Even lesser
successful films boasted of equality performances from the actor himself. At Mehboob
Studios one sunny afternoon, the versatile actor sits down to talk shop.
Of late, most of your conventional love stories have worked with audiences. Dilwale
Dulhania Le Jayenge, Pardes, Dil To Paagal Hai and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai all turned out to be
money-spinners. Is it a trend you’re trying to cash in on?
I don’t know if you could call it a trend and besides, it’s not like I’ve
been doing only love stories. I like to do four different kinds of films every year. In
the recent past, I’ve done Koyla, Yes Boss, Pardes, Dil To Paagal Hai, Duplicate, Dil
Se and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. These seven to eight films in two years, were very different
from one-another. Koyla might not have done well at the box-office in India but Yes Boss
did very well, so did Pardes and Dil To Paagal Hai. Fine, so Duplicate and Dil Se did not
do well here, but Kuch Kuch Hota Hai has done exceedingly well. I have enjoyed doing all
these different films. But to answer your
question, I should admit, that personally, I don’t like conventional love stories.
With films like Baazigar and Anjaam, you had expressed your desire to experiment with
never kinds of roles but with films like Dil Se and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai you seem to have
switched back her to safer territory.
I am not playing safe. Duplicate was not safe, neither was Dil Se. Also, Koyla was not
safe. But, you’re right, none of them did well. That, however, doesn’t mean
I’m going to shy away from playing such roles now, I will continue to experiment. In
my next film Josh, I am playing a very interesting cameo role, Badshah is a spot on James
Bond and there will be the mandatory one love story a year.
Where do you think you went wrong with films like Duplicate and Dil se?
I don’t think I faltered at all. I think they were the greatest films I have done.
For me as an actor, my favourite film so far is Duplicate. And let’s not forget that
I do films for me! I do not do films because they might become commercial hits, or for
other people. I do films which I like doing. And if they go on to become successful,
that’s very nice. But for me, Duplicate and Dil Se were most satisfying films as an
actor.
How would you describe your style of acting?
I am a stylised actor, I like to give style to every movement that I do. I play to the
galleries. More than an actor, I am a performer. In some films I am an actor - like in Dil
Se or Kabhhi Haan Kabhi Naa or even Yes Boss. But there are times in commercial cinema
when you have to perform for the audience.
And how different is a performer from an actor?
A performer is someone who performs for the audience. There are certain moments, while I
am in the midst of shooting for an emotional scene, when I know that if I look certain
way, it will surely make the audiences cry. One knows so when you’ve done the same
thing in 25 films. But there will also be times when I do the same thing and it might not
work for the audience. As far as I am concerned I am very clear what I want to do. In
Badshah, I am a performer. In a film like Koyla, I am just acting.
The economic standards of Hindi films have gone
up immensely. But the quality hasn’t improved very much, there are still the
dozen-odd cliches in every film. Does that used you?
For my own part I can’t attempt something new or novel on my own. You have to have a
director who has a good script, a team which wants to make something different. They have
to come to me and tell me that they want me in their film and all I can do is nod and say
‘yes’. I am one of the few actors who says yes to different kind of films.
Budgets are not my concern or job. My job is to act. I do four different kinds of films a
year - as different as I am offered. I am offered thirty films a year and I chose four on
the basis of their being different in treatment or in look. During the last four or five
years, I have had two-to-three very successful films every somewhere. Now if I start
trying to find out how right, how different we are, then I am questioning my whole
profession, which I would not like to do. I love my profession too much for that.
You just launched a production company (Dream Unlimited) with Juhi Chawla. Tell us what
the new film is all about.
It’s a political satire about media, journalists, television. It’s also a little
bit of a love story, a fun film. I play a TV journalist in the movie.
You’ve also committed to work with Aamir Khan for Rajkumar Santoshi’s new film.
Do you think it can be come a Khan Vs Khan situation?
I know Aamir personally and we get along quite well. I respect him a lot as an actor.
These are certain things that Aamir, as an actor can do, which I can’t. And there are
certain things that I can do but Aamir can’t. Hopefully, this film will give both of
us an opportunity to learn something from each other and we won’t try to out-to each
other. We have done stage shows together where we got along very well. Both of us realised
that there are things that we can learn from each other. Both of us love cinema. And I
think whatever is good for the film, we will try and do. I know the press may try to play
us against each other but we will not let
them play up on the Khan Vs Khan angle.
COURTESY: SATURDAY TIMES
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