Khan - 'I'm the biggest in Bollywood'
Shelina Begum in London
9/11/2007
REIGNING king of Bollywood Shah Rukh Khan truly believes that his films are the "biggest" and the best in Indian cinema.
The actor, who was in London last night for the premiere of his latest movie, Om Shanti Om, said he didn't believe that he has any competition – referring to Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Saawariya which is also out at the same time.
He said: "Competition is normally something that is bigger than you but unfortunately I wake up every morning and I believe – rightly or wrongly – that my films are the biggest in the world.
"This is the belief that I have and therefore nothing can be bigger so I don't have no competition."
He added: "I don't mean to sound pompous or arrogant – people think I am poking fun at Saawariya – I don't need to or want to. There is no competition because my films are the biggest and I am only in competition when something can run faster than me, talk faster than me, jump higher than me, laughs louder than me and screams better than me!"
Khan was at the red carpet premiere at Empire Cinemas, with co-stars Arjun Rampal, Deepika Padukone and Shreyas Talpade as ecstatic fans cheered the stars on as they descended into the heart of London.
The film, being released world-wide today, revolves around Om (Khan), a struggling actor in the 1970s. He is a big fan of Shanti (Deepika Padukone), a superstar. Om is so much in love with her that he is ready to give up all his dreams. When tragedy strikes and OM dies he is re-incarnated into modern day India as Om Kapoor, a famous award winning actor.
The film also brings together over 30 of Bollywood's hottest stars including Salman Khan, Rani Mukherjee, Kajol, Sanjay Dutt, Priyanka Chopra, Preity Zinta, Saif Ali Khan and many more, putting a guest appearance in the film's title song.
Khan praised his team for their hard work and said both Deepika and Shreyas will go onto become even more successful.
He said: "Deepika is one of the most beautiful women in the world.
"She really is the backbone of the film and the elegance and grace which she brings to the movie would not have been without her.
"As a producer of the movie I thank he from the bottom of my heart.
"I am sure we will be seeing a lot more of Shreyas. One of the highlights of doing this movie was working with such a talented actor. Shreyas is a multi-faceted actor and will be one of the finest things in Indian cinema in years to come."
He also thanked Arjun Rampal for "sweetly" agreeing to play the bad guy.
On his physical change Khan said he needed to create a better physique for his double role.
He said: "Most actors put on weight for the film, I had to lose it and tone up my muscles for the role and the song 'Darde-E-Disco.'
"I didn't want to put on a moustache to look different but the six-pack has disappeared now. I did the song two months ago and now look pregnant," he joked.
Khan said the production team chose London for its premiere because it was from the UK where Indian cinema first started gaining international status.
He said: "Coming from India, the dream has always been to break into a global market.
"We know we have a lot of differences in the styles of cinema.
"But the UK has been the starting point for all of us and I am not just saying that because I am in the UK."
He added: "The cinema of the country is the face and packaging of that country and we have always wanted to bring this to the forefront of the international market.
"We know that people think were different, the films are three hours long, there's song and dance but we explain why it is like that and hope people will watch and love our movies as much as we do."
Deepika also thanked Khan.
She said: "Personally, I could not have asked for a better launch. Shah Rukh Khan is my favourite actor and I got a lot of tips from him during the shoot."
Asked whether she was nervous on the eve of the release of her maiden film, Deepika said "I'm not nervous. This is the most exciting Diwali for me."
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