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SRK: MNIK is an important film
King Khan has the gift of the Gab. He is a brilliant conversationalist and it is a joy to interact with him. Here the witty superstar talks about MNIK, Karan Johar, the deal with Fox and how he intends to avoid controversies.
When Slumdog Millionaire was taken over by Fox, it won an Oscar. Do you want the same for yourself and MNIK?
Insha'Allah , we intend to win an Oscar. When we start marketing a film, we are confident and happy that we have finished it. When Karan starts a film, we want to make a good film that is a hit and is entertaining. We will try our best for Fox to not let them down. Karan has been working for 15 years and I for 20 years. We have made a film that is entertaining and good. When Karan Johar makes a film it does stand for popular cinema in India. We intend to form a relationship with Fox because they can take us on the road to international recognition and awards, if the film is good enough. As far as my Oscar is concerned, they should have given it to me 10 years ago. Jokes apart, this togetherness will help us achieve something for Indian cinema.
Tell us about the deal between Dharma and Red Chillies as you have co-produced the film.
To be honest, there is hardly a deal between Dharma and Red Chillies. We are friends with Fox now. With me and Karan, there can never be a deal. I am there on board because I want to be part of this film, personally and professionally. I requested him and he agreed. We are like a family and all his children belong to my children. I like My Name is Khan.
Will Rizwan Khan be bigger than Kabir Khan, your character in Chak De India?
It's not right to compare characters. It is not an actor's job to explain how to explain how he plays a character and how attached he gets to characters.I play most of my characters off the cuff. That is why people don't take me seriously but I am an immensely serious actor and I give a part of me to every character. I fear one morning I will wake up and will have nothing more to give. Rizwan Khan is more special because he has beginning and endings in a bit of realism. He has Asperger's Syndrome. I want people to be entertained and feel for the character. I try to improve with every performance and hone my acting skills. I love all the Rahuls I have played along with Kabir Khan.
The title declares your superiority. You had said there is no other Khan in the industry but you.
I just joke and you all should be mature enough to take a joke. Meri jaan ke peeche mat padh jao. A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet, so what's in a name? My name is unimportant because my work is more important. I want people to remember my name because of my work in various fields. The title of the film is relevant to the story Shibani has written and the story Karan wants to tell the audience. It is pertinent to the film. It is silly to name a film after your name as that is possessive and vain. In that case, I would have called it My Name is Shah Rukh. The title has nothing to do with the importance of the film. We shouldn't cheapen it by saying that this is a self-serving vehicle for Shah Rukh to be top amongst the Khans in the industry. The film couldn't have been called anything else. When you see it, you will understand that the film goes beyond its own name, Insha'Allah.
You had to face a controversy regarding a song and the title of Billu. My Name is Khan is about Islam. So what precautions have you taken to avoid controversies?
To be really honest, everyone has gone through controversies. We all are educated, sensible and sensitive enough. We would never sell a product of ours on the basis of a controversy or to create a controversy. My Name is Khan has a huge Islamic, Western and Asperger's angle to it. We don't want to disturb anyone. We can make a mistake sometimes. In most good films and in MNIK, everyone has been very careful to make sure we don't hurt the sentiments of any community. We have experts on every field who have stepped in. that is why the film has taken so long to make because of the attention to detail. I am like Karan's elder brother and I love the films he makes. As far as we are concerned, we care and we are sensitive towards issues. Besides that, if people have an issue, it should be sorted out and the media should help us to make sure that the importance of the film isn't subjugated by some minor controversy.
Is the film about terrorism?
This film is not about terrorism or 9/11. If I can term it, it's not about anti-social elements. It's about relationships between people, communities, cities, countries and the world. A lot of negative events are happening around us and the film hasn't been affected by it all. We have shown an emotional reality in the film that is timeless. We haven't based it on an event. We don't think about opportune times. The film has love and relationships and includes Asperger's Syndrome, Islam and Western culture. Kajol is an important cornerstone of the film.
King Khan has the gift of the Gab. He is a brilliant conversationalist and it is a joy to interact with him. Here the witty superstar talks about MNIK, Karan Johar, the deal with Fox and how he intends to avoid controversies.
When Slumdog Millionaire was taken over by Fox, it won an Oscar. Do you want the same for yourself and MNIK?
Insha'Allah , we intend to win an Oscar. When we start marketing a film, we are confident and happy that we have finished it. When Karan starts a film, we want to make a good film that is a hit and is entertaining. We will try our best for Fox to not let them down. Karan has been working for 15 years and I for 20 years. We have made a film that is entertaining and good. When Karan Johar makes a film it does stand for popular cinema in India. We intend to form a relationship with Fox because they can take us on the road to international recognition and awards, if the film is good enough. As far as my Oscar is concerned, they should have given it to me 10 years ago. Jokes apart, this togetherness will help us achieve something for Indian cinema.
Tell us about the deal between Dharma and Red Chillies as you have co-produced the film.
To be honest, there is hardly a deal between Dharma and Red Chillies. We are friends with Fox now. With me and Karan, there can never be a deal. I am there on board because I want to be part of this film, personally and professionally. I requested him and he agreed. We are like a family and all his children belong to my children. I like My Name is Khan.
Will Rizwan Khan be bigger than Kabir Khan, your character in Chak De India?
It's not right to compare characters. It is not an actor's job to explain how to explain how he plays a character and how attached he gets to characters.I play most of my characters off the cuff. That is why people don't take me seriously but I am an immensely serious actor and I give a part of me to every character. I fear one morning I will wake up and will have nothing more to give. Rizwan Khan is more special because he has beginning and endings in a bit of realism. He has Asperger's Syndrome. I want people to be entertained and feel for the character. I try to improve with every performance and hone my acting skills. I love all the Rahuls I have played along with Kabir Khan.
The title declares your superiority. You had said there is no other Khan in the industry but you.
I just joke and you all should be mature enough to take a joke. Meri jaan ke peeche mat padh jao. A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet, so what's in a name? My name is unimportant because my work is more important. I want people to remember my name because of my work in various fields. The title of the film is relevant to the story Shibani has written and the story Karan wants to tell the audience. It is pertinent to the film. It is silly to name a film after your name as that is possessive and vain. In that case, I would have called it My Name is Shah Rukh. The title has nothing to do with the importance of the film. We shouldn't cheapen it by saying that this is a self-serving vehicle for Shah Rukh to be top amongst the Khans in the industry. The film couldn't have been called anything else. When you see it, you will understand that the film goes beyond its own name, Insha'Allah.
You had to face a controversy regarding a song and the title of Billu. My Name is Khan is about Islam. So what precautions have you taken to avoid controversies?
To be really honest, everyone has gone through controversies. We all are educated, sensible and sensitive enough. We would never sell a product of ours on the basis of a controversy or to create a controversy. My Name is Khan has a huge Islamic, Western and Asperger's angle to it. We don't want to disturb anyone. We can make a mistake sometimes. In most good films and in MNIK, everyone has been very careful to make sure we don't hurt the sentiments of any community. We have experts on every field who have stepped in. that is why the film has taken so long to make because of the attention to detail. I am like Karan's elder brother and I love the films he makes. As far as we are concerned, we care and we are sensitive towards issues. Besides that, if people have an issue, it should be sorted out and the media should help us to make sure that the importance of the film isn't subjugated by some minor controversy.
Is the film about terrorism?
This film is not about terrorism or 9/11. If I can term it, it's not about anti-social elements. It's about relationships between people, communities, cities, countries and the world. A lot of negative events are happening around us and the film hasn't been affected by it all. We have shown an emotional reality in the film that is timeless. We haven't based it on an event. We don't think about opportune times. The film has love and relationships and includes Asperger's Syndrome, Islam and Western culture. Kajol is an important cornerstone of the film.
Link http://www.starboxoffice.com/newsDetails.aspx?xfile=2009/August/News_20090807_30
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