I cannot connect with SRK

hey guys! how r u all doing?!

I cannot connect with SRK

Ram Gopal Varma talks about why he aborted Time Machine in favour of his Bachchan-starrer Sholay

Subhash K Jha

Is Time Machine with Shah Rukh Khan scrapped?

With me as a director, it's scrapped.

Was it a flash decision?

It wasn't an overnight decision. I pondered about it and finally saw no reason to go ahead with the Shah Rukh Khan project. His youthful and exuberant image just didn't go with the dark brooding intensity of the cinema that I believe in. I felt the kind of cinema I make is incompatible with Shah Rukh's image. So I decided to put Time Machine aside to do a project I was far more excited in.


It must have taken some deliberation?

I wasn't comfortable with the idea of directing Shah Rukh. I just love larger-than-life characters and issues. I wasn't comfortable cutting my capabilities down to the size that audiences would expect if Shah Rukh is in a picture. To put eight to nine months of my time and a sizeable budget in a project where my heart wasn't in, seemed senseless. Every time I thought about Time Machine and Sholay, I was drawn to the latter. I've never followed the star system in my career. Nor have I ever made a film to accommodate the image of a superstar.


So were you tempted to work with SRK because of his star status?

I'm very fond of Shah Rukh. As a person I respect him tremendously. But I feel I'm incapable of doing justice to his image. I remember Karan Johar telling me that Kabhi Kabhie was his favourite Amitabh Bachchan film. That's the only film of Mr Bachchan that I hated. There's a tremendous difference of sensibility in the cinema that Shah Rukh generally does and I make. I know he has a staggering fan-following among children and women who love those kinds of sugary romances. I would be a total mismatch with Shah Rukh.


Would you have felt compromised?

Not compromised, confused. It wouldn't have come from the heart. Considering the economics involved, Time Machine seemed more like a commercial proposal than something I believed in. Whatever I've made so far good, bad or ugly – I've always made films from my heart. And I've had great fun making each of my films. Time Machine didn't feel like fun. It felt like work.


How was your interaction with Shah Rukh?

I thoroughly enjoyed interacting with him. He's a very intelligent man. But as an actor Shah Rukh is someone I cannot connect with. I am not saying he can't act. But he's expected to be projected in a certain way. I'd have been doing disservice to him and me if I went ahead with our project.


So you have decided to start Sholay instead?

I can't sleep in the night. That's how excited I am about Sholay. With Shah Rukh's project I felt I was going back to school. I hated school. It was like something that had to be done. It was work. See, I never grew up watching Shah Rukh. I was just informed that he's a superstar. On the other hand, Amitabh Bachchan is a superstar to me because I sat in the theatres of Hyderabad as a boy watching all his films. It didn't seem right to do a film just because he's supposed to be superstar. In my heart I felt no enthusiasm or excitement.

the link:

http://www.mumbaimirror.com/nmirror/mmpaper.asp?sectid=10&am p;sectname=Entertainment&sess=570145178

take care,

Dharti!

hmm..dats weird..poor srk...no matta how nice dis ram gopal dude is tryin 2 b i styll think its kinda embrassing 4 srk...

thx, why did ramu even start the project if he wasn't comfortable, personally Shahrukh does justice to every role he does, that intensity and hardwork, i'm sure he would have done a super job with time machine! 😳

Originally posted by: lilyrose

thx, why did ramu even start the project if he wasn't comfortable, personally Shahrukh does justice to every role he does, that intensity and hardwork, i'm sure he would have done a super job with time machine! 😳

i agree with every word!😃😳...obviously he knows the type of work shah rukh does from day one so why would he begin something he wasn't sure of...i like ramu as a director and despite wut he says i also think shah rukh wuda been great in this movie

thanx for the article.....I really didn't know this project was over even before it started.....i guess srk was really keen as was producing this movie. he would have done a wonderful job no doubt......RGV loss i guess. wonder what srk has to say about all this 😕

thanks for posting his loss i guess srk is a gud producer

Originally posted by: AnGeLeYeZz

i agree with every word!😃😳...obviously he knows the type of work shah rukh does from day one so why would he begin something he wasn't sure of...i like ramu as a director and despite wut he says i also think shah rukh wuda been great in this movie

Thanks, and I agree with these two😊. Sharukh is a great actor and can do many types of different roles and is very versatile.

oh well... 😕
thanxx