Bollywood is like a cabaret

Shahrukh Khan

He can send the crowds into a frenzy like no other star. When Shah Rukh Khan arrived at the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) to promote his upcoming movie ‘Don 2’ at an open forum on December 8, 2011, the packed auditorium at the Madinat Jumeirah went into raptures. Screams of ‘I love you Shah Rukh’ rent the air as Dubai extended a warm welcome to its favourite star. And Shah Rukh didn’t displease the audience, flooring them with his wit, charm and honest replies. We were just one among the hundreds of people present there who were smitten. No wonder, we found it such a pleasure to chat up with our favourite Khan at the sidelines of the festival. For more on Shah Rukh’s date with Dubai check out the next issue of Masala! that hits the stands on December 20, 2011. Here are some excerpts from an exclusive interview:

You said you enjoyed playing Don more than any other character. What do your children feel about you being the bad guy?
I don’t think I am a good role model at all! I lost my dad at 15 and the biggest memory I have of him is that he was my friend more than anything else. I remember an incident where I had harassed a lady and she came complaining. Instead of reprimanding me, my father asked her to forgive me as I was just a kid and kids do get naughty. He had a very different approach and that somehow struck a chord within me.

I feel instead of coaxing and cajoling, it’s better to their friend and explain things to them.
I don’t behave like a role model at home. I smoke. But when my daughter sees me smoking, she stubs the cigarette out and flushes it. And most people have said that my kids are very well-behaved outside. So I consider myself a good father even if not a great role model!

In ‘Don 2’ you play an evil character; what is it about evil that makes it so exciting?
I believe it’s got to do with repression. We all have the devil within us. Also, I have believed that good exists to counter the bad. Thoughts and concepts about evil, goodness etc have been created by us and our moralities.

As an actor of such immense influence, do you think you can use your position to push tolerance the way you did with films like ‘My Name Is Khan?’
They were pretty intolerant to me while making ‘My Name Is Khan’ released! I have realised that I should not change the world with my cinema. About a decade ago I recognized that one should not give too much importance to the importance of work.

If you were to introduce Bollywood to Hollywood through three of your films, which ones would they be and why?
I would choose ‘My Name Is Khan’ because it had such a universal theme. Then I would go for ‘Om SHanti Om’ – it’s colourful, over the top and retarded! I would perhaps then choose ‘Ra.One’ to show what we are capable of technically. Bollywood I feel is like a cabaret, it has got a bit of everything and a lot of drama!

Tom Cruise scaled the Burj Khalifa in Dubai to look heroic. Aren’t you tempted to do something similar?
I know what I would do to look and feel heroic. I would just hang around with pretty women in Dubai while being the bad boy Don! That’s my way of becoming heroic!