Old: Gauri Khan's candid confessions, more pg. 8,9 - Page 6

Shahrukh has a rather unusual sense of humour. Doesn't it get you into tight spots?
Plenty of times. When we got married and my family didn't know him well enough, he would crack weird jokes and embarrass my poor parents. Like he called my mother 'sexy' the first time he met her. My mother got the shock of her life. Today it's two years since my mother has been protesting, telling him to call her ma, mama, anything but sexy, but he insists on calling her 'sexy'.

My ma knows him by now. But when it's someone like Deanne's model friends with whom we're just acquainted then it becomes awkward. Like when he met Madhu Sapre for the first time. Shahrukh was barely introduced to her and he quipped, 'Hi Madhu. Madhu Sapre kam kapre (Madhu Sapre, not many clothes).' I almost just died of embaraassment. Recently we'd gone for this party and behind the backs of some guests, he would imitate their walk, their talk, etc. Oh, his mimicry was perfect but it wasn't the right place to do it!

Millions of times I've forwarned him about what to say. But once we reach the place, he embarrasses my by my instructions, repeating it word for word.

What's the cutest thing he has ever done?
2 Once when we we were at my frined Shivani and Sabina's place, Shahrukh declared, 'We are having an engagement party.' There was a box wrapped, flamboyantly style and inside it was this ugly green plastic ring with flowers on it. He asked me to close my eyes and slipped it on my finger. When I opened my eyes, I was shocked to say the least. That was supposed to be our engagement party.

Do you think he would have been a different person had he not been succesful?
He's always been like this. He's always been over-confident and outgoing. With people whom he doesn't know he's shy and introverted. But when he gets to know the person or is confident about the subject he can really talk. I don't think he would have been different.

He comes through as a person who has reserves of energy – almost superhuman. How do you manage to keep up with him?
I sometimes feel I should tie him down because whenever he comes home, he is so enthusiastic about everything. It's, 'Come on let's go out. Let's do this or do that. Lets call Chikki, let's play video games.' Even if he hasn't slept for two to three days at a stretch, he has this same enthousiasm. Even on the sets it's the same story. he tells the director, 'Let's do this.' The director is tired, but he'll say, 'Let's shoot for some time more.' If nothing, he'll help people around but he won't sit in one place.

When Shahrukh gets into anything he is very adamant. Like there was a point when he had joined film and had come down to Delhi. He refused to go back till we were married.

He's one person at home, another outside. I mean he won't even stretch his hand to lift a glass when he's at home. But when he's outside he is brimming with energy. He can sleep for 24 hours, waking up once only to have his cup of tea. You have to even nag him to take a bath. He is an extremist. If he starts doing something he wants to keep doing it for the rest of his life. In a way it's good that he spends all that extra energy working, so that he is very relaxed when he's at home.

This profession is so unpredictable. Touchwood Shahrukh is very successful today. But tomorrow if he fails, will you be able to accept it?
Basically I can't associate failure with Shahrukh. Those who don't know about his past, probably think he's just struck lucky! But I've known Shahrukh for a long time now. He has made a success of everything he attempted, studies, sports, painting, sketching. So even when he entered film I never thought of whether he'll succeed or fail. It's not a wife's love speaking, it's just an objective analysis. I think it will take one or tow years more for the people to realize what he is all about. Agreed in his line you cannot be successful forever. We will cross the bridge when we come to it.

You prefer being wooed before marriage or romanced after it?
Earlier we used to meet outside and now we meet at home. Shahrukh is more protective and caring after marriage. Earlier he knew I was with my parents. But now when I'm leaving town, every detail has to be written down 100 over. I'm going to Dubai and he wants me to get one of those cellular phones so that he can call me up every half an hour. He wants to do demented things like that.

How involved is he in your work, your dancing and all?
As far as my dancing concerned he isnt involved. But then neither am I in his acting. Even I don't show an effusive interest in his work! I have never been remotely connected in anyway with acting. Not even in school or college. I haven't even played a tree in the school dramatics.

Shahrukh comes through as a very intense person.
He is intense about whatever bothers him. I think the whole commotion is because he's from the film industry and yet he's so faithful to his wife. Her men aren't supposed to be monogamous. But Shahrukh isn't filmi in the least. He is like any other man from any other walk of life who loves his wife a lot. I'm sure there are men who love their wives as intensely! It gets noticed in Shahrukh's case because he's a star. I'm glad he is an exception to the rule of star husbands who are not faithful to their wives.

How close are you to his heroines?
Though I have met her only twice I find Madhuri very warm. We've gone to Juhi's place for dinner once, but I don't know her really well. I'm close to Kajol. When we were in London, Tanuja, Shilpa Shetty, Kajol and I had a realy whacky time going for plays and all.

What kind of relationship do your parents share with Shahrukh today?
Now they have accepted him in a big way. And are quite happy with my choice. Not because he is succesful, but because he really keeps me happy. Apart from that, they've becomes mini-celebrities back in Delhi. You know people refer to them as Shahrukh's mother-in-law and father-in-law.


Have you changed your surname after marriage?
Shahrukh told me that Khan actually means chieftain so obviously a Khan's wife can't be call Khan she's Khanum.
I've changed my surname after marriage to Khan. That Khanum things don't take him seriously. He must have been trying to pull another one of his fanst ones. To my friends I am still G.C and to Shahrukh I'm still Gauri Maa.

Are you going to take a shot at a film career?
Not even in my dreams! Some guys come up with absurd offers for me to work opposite Shahrukh. When I feign ignorance about acting they say, 'Koi baat nahin hai, tohda naach gana hi karna hai.'


What did you feel when you saw him for the first time in Fauji?
Well it felt damn weird. You know this guy who I was kind of going around with was on the small screen in my house. But to date I felt he looked the best in Fauji with his Tom Cruise crew cut. There are times when I feel he should revert back to the same crew cut. But he's become filmi, he thinks long hair is in vogue and suits him better.

What kind of experiences have you had with his fans so far?
Right from Fauji days he used to get mobbed. But one of the worst experiences I've had was on New Year's eve last year, when some revellers came up to our car and began shaking the whole car because they wantd to touch him. I was petrified.

No, I don't miss the moonlight walks beach. In fact going for a long drive in the car suits lazy me, just fine.

Whit all the fans cluster around him do you ever get pushed into the background?
Generally whenever I'm with Shahrukh he never leaves my hand for even a single moment.

Or he makes sure I'm safe with Deanne or Chikki. Because he knows if such a situation arose, I'd walk out of the room and won't even know where to find me. Apart form the element of fear I think he loves me too much to allow me out of his sight for even a moment.

He is too possessive of me. He would rather die a million deaths than let me act or do even a small role in films. Today, I think I am more conscious of Shahrukh being a star... Till about a few years back I was clueless about how his films did or how big a star he was.

In fact, I remember in my early days of marriage, I kept wishing that all his films flopped and we went back to Delhi. I didn't care whether his 'Deewana' or 'Baazigar' did well. I didn't see his movies. Till date, I haven't seen all his films. If he has done about 25-30 films, I must have seen only half of them. I had no interest at all in what he was doing. It was very strange but that's the way it was. Shahrukh had had an oil business in Delhi which was doing well. But when his mother died, there was major chaos in the business. Some people in the business got involved into black marketing of the oil tankers and the business went completely haywire.

Obviously, he couldn't rely on that and films was the only career he was interested in. He said if he didn't do films, he wouldn't be very happy.

And I was not really interested in him doing films...
which was why I never enjoyed his initial success.
Surprisingly, my family, who was more against him joining films, began to get involved in his career like never before. They prayed that his films did well and they watched all his films. I, on the contrary, never hoped and prayed that he did well. My involvement in his career was zero.

It's only now that I'm more aware of what he is doing and how his films are doing. Thanks to the great set of friends I made here who are mostly connected to films. Very gradually, I realised that he was becoming a star or had become one.

Now, I realise completely how important films are for him. His first production 'Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani' didn't do as expected but at least he has been able to achieve what he had always wanted to do.
Shahrukh was not satisfied with just acting, he wanted to be technically involved in films too, which, I think, he is slowly getting into.

Shahrukh has been in the film industry for about nine years now. He started from nowhere, without any filmi background whatsoever and today what he has achieved is commendable. He started with television serials and theatre and grew more popular with films.

Today, he has his own production company Dreamz Unlimited, a lovely house, a son who he is mad about and another baby in the offing which will soon complete the family. One can't act forever. So now he is working towards directing films. He also wants to get into the internet business. His mind actually works in ten different directions. He wants to make different kinds of cinema. I personally feel he has achieved a lot. To just crib and keep asking for more is not fair. And how much can you ask for? There's always a limit. One cannot wish success always, one has to see failure too. And anyway, I don't think he is finished. He is seeing success and he will see success.

Shahrukh doesn't have any kind of family support...
Look at the other stars, they have parents, brothers, some kind of a backup. But Shahrukh doesn't have a single relation except for his sister Shehnaz who lives with us. The couple of relatives he has are either in Pakistan or London. He has friends but nothing can really substitute a family. He always feels very lonely. He is so self-made, it's amazing.

The media has criticised his film and everybody seems to be writing him off but the media, in my opinion, is only doing its job. I also feel that when you're popular, you have to face criticism. People only talk about you if you're known. Nobody will talk about A, B or C if he is a nobody. Criticism has to come with stardom and you have to learn how to deal with it.

Everybody goes through these phases in life. And that's what I tell Shahrukh, 'You're going through a bad phase and that's why you feel: why only me.' When you look back, you realise that when Shahrukh came, he was compared to somebody else and that person was criticised.

When someone new enters the industry, obviously there will be novelty and sensation. It is bound to happen.

The reason why people are putting you down is because they're fed up with your success. Also, there are people who are just waiting for that little slip and are ready to attack. But ultimately, your fate and your future cannot be determined by the press. Who is the press? They create you, they make you, they praise you. But by their praising or criticising you, nothing can be changed. People read and forget. Your future is based on your films and your work. People who are writing all this are non-achievers compared to Shahrukh. I have seen 'Kaho Na Pyaar Hai' and yes I liked it... Hrithik Roshan was very good. We know Hrithik, his girlfriend Sussanne Khan and their families personally. This whole comparison factor is so stupid.

Firstly, he is a new boy, ten years younger than Shahrukh. He is very good but I've not understood this comparison issue at all.

People had compared Shahrukh to Amitabh Bachchan and said that Shahrukh had ruined Amitabh. But they don't understand that what Amitabhhas been and achieved Shahrukh can never be. How can you compare Amitabh to Shahrukh? Amitabh was brilliant. They are two different people who have achieved success in their own ways and in different periods of time.

Hrithik is brilliant too. But Shahrukh has done what he had to. That's how I look at it. It affects us to an extent that obviously nobody likes to read bad reviews about themselves. Shahrukh is definitely not sitting at home and sulking and most importantly he doesn't like comparing himself to anybody. It's not as if he has nothing to do and is suddenly without work. If the press is saying something negative, you can't buy out all the magazines so that nobody would read it. You just have to be strong and learn to deal with it.

He did his best in 'Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani' and one only learns with experience. He has learnt that probably different cinema doesn't work. The film looked good, the clothes were good, the songs were great but there was something lacking. He thought he was trying to make something different from the usual love story format. Now he understood that 'different' does not work and in future he will work towards more commercial cinema.