King Khan unlocked!
Bollywood star-turned celebrity game show host Shah Rukh Khan tells SANGEETA BAROOAH PISHAROTY he hates being criticised
PHOTO: AP
CITIZEN KHAN Shah Rukh Khan promoting "Kaun Banega Crorepati" on a Mumbai street
Not always can you catch Bollywood Badshah Shah Rukh Khan a little ill at ease. Witty, full of beans, extremely articulate, we know that not for nothing is this versatile actor called King Khan. But the ongoing media-created comparison of him with senior actor Amitabh Bachchan, particularly as a host of the Star Plus game show, Kaun Banega Crorepati, and Big B's often double-edged remarks promptly make him reflect on what should fittingly be his response.
He narrows those eyes many would die for, bites his lips, lights a cigarette so nervously, flashes a superfluous smile, and then says, "How can I say why he said he is bored of KBC, or why he has not seen the new KBC? He must be busy, at times it happens."
Criticism, he admits, is something he loves to hate. "Everyone hates criticism and I am no different. I may not show it but I absolutely hate it," says Khan, lacing it with a cackle that reminds you of his immensely popular film, Baazigar. Remember those nervy laughs?
Soon back to his bright and breezy self, Khan comments gaily, "But I have watched Kaun Banega Chimpu on SaharaOne and will not say I've not! It is humorous the way that guy keeps falling from the hot seat. But it is high time Sahara should do something original than just airing spoofs."
This Friday would decide Khan's popularity as the new host of KBC as the first ratings would flow in, but whether or not he would be able to take the show up by a few notches, the actor says he is trying his best. "I am trying things without compromising on the quality of the show. Certain things that I say are sometimes not approved by Star COO Samir Nair and Synergy Productions' Siddharth Basu but I tell them that they are not meant to deride someone. I even called my mother-in-law sexy but these are things we jokingly say to each other at home. I am looking at the contestants as my own," he explains.
"But finally", Khan goes by a dialogue that he had learnt long back for the TV serial, Circus, that "Ho gaya to kartavya, gir gaya toh hadsa".
Meeting so many people daily, who come in as guests for the show, he says, is something that he looks forward to. "I am unwell, got a cold. I would have surely cancelled my shoot if it would have been a film but I told Basu, I will come. Not always do you get to meet around 200 people. It is so humbling to see their love for me," he says.
Waiting for the sets to be readied for the show's shoot at Film City in Mumbai's Goregaon, Khan is accompanied by his son with a pack of friends.
"It is comforting to know that my children are approving of my part in the show. Because of KBC, they now finish homework everyday before 9 p.m. My son was so proud when his friends told him, 'your dad is awesome'," narrates the proud father with that famous dimpled smile.
When the first series of KBC started with Bachchan, Khan says he was offered a game show both by Zee TV and Sony TV. "But my friends, Adi (Aditya Chopra) and Karan (Karan Johar) told me then not to go ahead with it as they felt I was too rash and too young for it. But now, I am more compassionate, and even though I might sound pompous but I know that I am very good with people," he says. As a human being, he feels his greatest asset is his patience.
"I can be extremely patient with people," he claims, adding, "I love being what I am. I don't miss anything that I can't do because of my celebrity status. I have worked hard for it."
Two films
The popular actor is doing 100 episodes of KBC, shooting two a day, back to back. "I give six days in a month for the show shoot, and the rest of the days are for my films," he says. Among his forthcoming films are Om Shanti Om and Chak De India.
"By default, I keep asking questions even in my film shoot now," he laughs at his own line. But that wide grin can suddenly turn into an expression of amazement if you dare ask the Darr man, what would he like to retire as? "What... retirement? No way," he almost jumps out of his chair.
http://www.hindu.com/mp/2007/02/01/stories/2007020100970100. htm
