Shah Rukh gets 'shaadi' proposals
14 Jun, 2007 07:14 pm ISTlOmar Qureshi/INDIATIMES MOVIES
Shah Rukh Khan does nothing in half measures. It's all or nothing for this type-A personality. He works 18 hour days ... and then some! And when he works, its all work. And when he's on vacation (like currently in London with family) he says 'No work meetings please!' When SRK 'goes to the mattresses' it's indeed war and when he calls someone a friend he supports them through anything. He was the first Indian actor to model for a Lux bar (second in the world after Paul Newman) and now he'll be the first Indian star to model for a fairness cream. Talk about 'achievers'.
He's the first to rope in 30 top stars for one song in his Om Shanti Om ; And he stays first among equals to date. Why not? After all, one of Shah Rukh's favourite role models is Genghis Khan! We caught him in a casual mood, inspite of his rushed schedule, on the eve of his departure to London for a holiday – and even then he was doing two shifts!
Hey Shah Rukh, now that the so-called 'war of the wordsworths' between you and Mr Bachchan seems to have lost some simmer, next season, are you planning on inviting him as a celeb guest on your show's second edition, the way he invited you?
"You know, I don't invite anybody. I don't get to invite anybody. The producers do. Whoever they feel they should, they invite. Once the invitation goes out; and if they happen to be from the same fraternity and I know them, then, out of courtesy, I make a call to welcome them. But I don't invite anyone."
Just curiosity, but what had sparked the speculation? Your doing Don first or KBC ?
"I do lots of films. I don't do it for speculation. I did Don for Farhan. I did it because I wanted to do it. There are many remakes done, except that they're not 'legal' remakes. I don't know why this speculation. I guess it's just an interesting episode for everyone to write on. It's an episode being made into a story – so be it. I've done it and I'll continue to do so. If there's some other remake of a film, I'll do it. I don't do a film for any other reason other than to entertain people."
Meaning it's true that you're going to produce Don 2 as well?
"No! I don't know whether I'll be acting in it. We don't have a story for it. Farhan is going to work out something. We're in no hurry and it will take a long time even if we decide on doing it. So we'll have to wait."
More buzz. We hear that you may be doing Dhoom 3 with Aishwarya?
"No I've not been offered Dhoom 3 by Adi (Aditya Chopra) ... and I meet Adi every third day. And I don't think he would mention it to anyone else before mentioning it to me. I don't even know whether it's been made."
Rumouredly, on the sets of your show, many women had proposed to you, saying that your religion allows you to remarry? Post KANK, were you tempted?
"Look, the whole idea of hosting the show was fun and jokes; and I allowed everyone to have fun at my expense. I'm open enough to let girls of 21, 22, propose to me – it's where they want to say something and they get a chance. So they joke and fool and I go along. They don't mean that seriously. And I know that because I have a sense of humour."
Your focus has been your home (production) with Om Shanti Om ; familiar faces – Farah, Arjun. A more comfortable zone?
"Frankly, I'm comfortable making a film wherever I am. Om Shanti Om is a big production and Farah is at the helm. In any case, I don't like working in isolation. For me, I get comfortable with everyone on all my sets. Most directors are like family to me. It was as cool for me working in KANK as in Don and the rest of my films. In India we are like that only. For us our work environment is like family. Otherwise, a film is a film and you have to go and make it. If the environment is light it's very good. I normally don't work in films where the environment is not light. There's nothing different with Om Shanti Om as far as my work is concerned."
Your new heroine Deepika Padukone is ready for a big arrival and is already being touted as the next Aishwarya Rai?
"I don't know whether she'll be Aishwarya Rai; but Deepika is a very talented actor. Very hardworking, very beautiful. I hope she does well because she's doing her very first film with us, so we feel extra responsible - myself, Farah and the entire production. Especially since she's ace badminton champion Prakash Padukone's daughter; someone I've been a huge fan of. Oh yes, she dances well too. She'll have a good experience working with us. She's very professional - as all models are."
Is it true that Om Shanti Om is a spin-off on Karz ? Aren't you worried that Subhash Ghai will 're-incarnate' himself to stop that?
"You know, we have Subhash Ghai in the film. Because as a tribute we start the film like that; but it's not a spin-off from Karz ."
So what happens to Happy New Year - which Farah was to direct for you earlier?
"The climax was something we couldn't work out intelligently enough. We worked for about six months but we couldn't come to a great ending. Also, the casting hadn't taken place and it was supposed to be shot in America for six months; so I wasn't very keen to go and spend that much time there at one go. However, we'll definitely work on it - maybe later."
At one time there was this intense rivalry with Hrithik but today you are the best of friends?
"I never have intense rivalry with anyone. I have healthy rivalry. I am Shah Rukh Khan. I run my own ways, do things on my terms and live the way I want to; seeking blessings only from Allah. I'm a middle class boy who made it on his own and will keep making it on my own. I have love for everyone. These rivalries are media fads. Sometimes, for 6 to 8 months people write about Salman or Hrithik or Mr Bachchan or Aamir. I wish it were true at times the way it's made to sound, so exciting. But we continue being boringly good to each other."
Have you seen Guru, Salaam–e–Ishq and other recent releases? For 'competitive analysis'?
"I normally don't see films unless I get to see them on the big screen. The last film I saw was Omkara and before that I saw Rang De Basanti . Can you believe I missed Munnabhai until lately? I just don't get time anymore. And you should know that ...!"
We hear that you are greatly inspired by a book on Genghis Khan – the world's greatest 'Alpha Male' with his 'genes' all over the world? For what reason?
"Genghis Khan is fascinating. I actually finished reading a book on him recently and apparently, he was one of the nicest people, unlike what most people think. He was also a great administrator. He was the first guy to teach administration to the world. But because history is written by the victors and not the vanquished, we read it from the side of the Europeans. And that could be lopsided."
You found any similarities with him?
"Well! His Genghis' genes are all over the continents, but this Khan's films are all over the world. It's as sweet a conquest!"
http://movies.indiatimes.com/News__Gossip/Interviews/Actors/ Shah_Rukh_gets_shaadi_proposals/articleshow/msid-2124928,cur pg-1.cms
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