'I Dont Need the Money or Fame, Love for Movies Keeps Me Motivated'

It came down from the Germans, the word Blitzkrieg. Twice in a row, Chennai got a glimpse of the Shah Rukh Khan blitzkrieg"close to 50 interviews and more than 7 press conferences"promoting along with his team members, Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachchan and Boman Irani, the Diwali release, Happy New Year (HNY). Last year, around the same time, it was the promotion of Chennai Express that got the Badshah of Bollywood to Chennai.

With '150 million riding on the movie, there is absolutely good reason for the film's makers to make a song and dance about it. Did we just give the film's theme away? For those who came in late, HNY is a heist and dance film"think Flashdance meets Ocean Eleven. Elaborates SRK: " HNY is very different from what I've done before. It's an ensemble film, two different genres"heist and dance"which have been combined. I don't think, as a Red Chillies promoter, we have ever done a film of this scale, be it production-wise or the cinematic experience and technologically too. It is uplifting and funny. At the end of it, you feel a little for yourself. You might not be the best at everything, but there might come a chance where you will get to prove yourself."

This time, though, Shah Rukh's just one of the boys, as he along with his partners in crime, is seen grooving and dancing for all he is worth, be it to Indiawale or Nonsense Ki Night. Of course, for an actor who has been in the industry for two decades and more, one wonders what keeps him motivated still. " I think it's per shot to shot. I just like shooting, making films and acting. It is as simple as that. There is nothing more advanced than that. I don't need the money, fame or anything. Everybody would want to acquire all this as a star, but I already have it. But, it is just love for movies," says the actor. That's about as candid as he can get.

Talking about candid, the dimpled superstar says it is Deepika and Abhishek who hold the film. Of the latter, he compares him to a baby, one who is always distracted, smiling and fooling around on the sets, but a complete natural when it is time to deliver his lines. "I don't mean to be patronising but Abhishek's talent has not yet been tapped completely, he needs to be pushed a little more," he adds.

Naturally, SRK would like to bring his near maniacal energy to promoting HNY as well. He insists there is no hardcore strategy, no huge marketing plan. It's just celebration time for SRK who is hanging out with his friends, similar to Chennai Express when they would all hang out together. And yet the over-achiever Scorpio says, "I like meeting people and in the process talk about my film. I inform people about my film. You buy a '500 ticket that cannot be returned, it is not a shirt. Then it is my duty to let you know that this is what my films stand for."

SRK's south connection (read Kollywood) is good too. As the media in Chennai goes gaga over him, SRK confesses that the Tamil film industry treats him really well, like some sort of a special guest. Illaya Thalapathy Vijay, in fact, is one of his best buddies and he would love to meet and have a chat with him, he informs. He is lucky to know Rajini and Kamal and learn from their work. And yet, tight timings play spoilsport. "One of these days," insists SRK, "I shall visit them when I am shooting a film here."

Another year and SRK will reach his personal milestone"50 years. And yet, he has a body that could put many young actors to shame"a six pack that he sports throughout the year. How does he do it? "Some say I am showing off, but I blame it on my children who say that I am fat. My waist is 28 and my son's is 27. And it has been like this for years, not just now. In my 25 years, I was never fat or over-weight. But now because of my injuries, I have to keep working out a little."

And then that famous

dimpled smile to go with the parting line, "As a matter of fact, the workout helps me more and I can remove my shirt whenever I want." Or as English rock and blues singer Joe Cocker would say, "You can leave your hat on."

http://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/hindi/%E2%80%98I-Don%E2%80%99t-Need-the-Money-or-Fame-Love-for-Movies-Keeps-Me-Motivated%E2%80%99/2014/10/19/article2483157.ece