Sarah Jacob
(Universal City, (Hollywood)
Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan spoke to NDTV at Universal city in Hollywood just as he was stepping out for the Golden Globe awards.
He spoke about the honour of being called on to present an award at the Golden Globe and of the darling of the event — the film ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ — that’s based in India.
NDTV: Shah Rukh Khan, you are usually at the receiving end at such events, today you are giving away the prize, the first time for an Indian actor at the Golden Globes- Hollywood’s biggest award night, second only to the Oscars. What does this mean for SRK and for Indian cinema?
Shah Rukh Khan: Now, you are making me nervous. I am not being humble, but I truly believe that the Western audience is now looking at the Indian cinema. I am one of the faces of Indian cinema at this point of time, and they picked on me and asked me to come and represent the country. It is a great honour. A lot of graciousness on the part of the Golden Globes. I am representing the country, which is a great honour. I get to present Slumdog Millionaire. It’s even more heartening because A R Rehman is there, it is shot in India. I have presented Kaun Banega Crorepati. I would take it as a rehearsals for Indians to present awards here to start with and inshahallah in the future, bring some films here and at the Oscars and win some of them during my time, so I can come and attend some ceremonies and clap for our own films.
NDTV: What does this mean for SRK, the brand. After all, the Golden Globes is watched in over 160 countries the world over.
Shah Rukh Khan: I have never understood this SRK brand. Every body always asks me that. I am just an actor trying to get some emotions right. I have been working for 20 years now. These big events always make me realize how long I have been working. It’s a good thing. I believe that I can represent the country. I believe in hope, happiness, goodness, smiles, entertainment, and freedom. If somewhere along my line of work, I have to represent my country then I believe my country stand for all that. And I hope, I do not let it down. I do not know about my own brand, I am not too much of a net worker or socialize. To be honest, I get embarrassed about wearing a suit and going on the Red Carpet. That is the simplicity that I have always maintained in life. I am just going to go there and do what they tell me to. Personally, I do not know what is happening to SRK brand but the brand of India I think is going to make waves in creativity and the film fraternity as the years go by.
NDTV: And your thoughts on the contenders for best film? On one hand you have the big studio products with big names like Brad Pitt as Benjamin Button, and on the other the underdogs, the small budget Indie productions featuring actors many may not have heard of.
Shah Rukh Khan: It’s nice to have a mix I think, I’ve seen Benjamin Button, I love Brad Pitt, for an actor of his caliber to start doing the kind of stuff he’s doing now, certainly so different from what you know Brad Pitt for, also the film with the Coen brothers, I think that was really good, he acted fantastically in that, it’s very heartening to see stars like him, and on the other hand I think Slumdog Millionaire is a brilliant film itself, it’s set in India. So I feel really closer to it, it’s got Anil Kapoor, it’s got AR Raman, and I think if anyone deserves an award it’s AR Raman from our country, so I hope I’m not the only the first Indian on stage for Golden Globes, the second one joins me soon and wins an award inshallah. But yeah, it’s always nice to have this mix, and perhaps this is the kind of stuff, which should happen for the awards in India too. You have an interesting mix of cinema and films, and you don’t know which one is going to take off that night. Because it keeps you on your toes and also it keeps variety alive. So it’s really nice that you have big names, like you mentioned, and you have relatively unknown people who won’t be unknown, I think Dev Patel is really good in the film, Danny Boyle is not unknown, I’m a big fan of Danny Boyle, so all that put together is exciting because there’s variety and you don’t know who’s gonna win till the last minute. Something like this should happen in the Indian awards also. The Indian awards, I feel, run on one level. They become predictable. Thought I win most of them that is the only predictability I do not want to change.
NDTV: The last few months the world has seen two images of Mumbai. One the terror attacks and the other one at the Box Office with Slumdog Millionaire. What do you think of the portrayal of your city in the film?
Shah Rukh Khan: We cannot isolate the attacks only on Mumbai there are attacks taking place all over the world. Different cities get targeted unfortunately at different times. It has happened in Delhi, Gujarat we have suffered everywhere. It is a reality we have to live with and fight. On the other hand cinema gives you hope. Films like Slumdog Millionaire, within all the grime and the dust and hardships of India and Mumbai there is a lot of hope and love. It seems like a Hindi film to me when I see Slumdog Millionaire and that is what we stand for. The country stands for that despite all the stress and hardship, problems the cash registers will flow because we are warm and loving people. If you want a comparison, Indian cinema stand for just that. Slumdog Millionaire stands for that. It leaves you with the thought that what ever happens in any part of the world it is happening all over the world and what we do not let go of is hope and happiness.
NDTV: A R Rehman has been called the Mozart of India but now he has been nominated for a Golden Globe. Is Rehman putting us on the map, finding global acceptance that was long over due?
Shah Rukh Khan: Absolutely, I think some of the Miss Worlds and Universes- Aishwarya Rai and Sushmita Sen, I am talking only in terms of the media, creative world and the modeling world. We got very far on the world map because of the presence of these two ladies and then further on lots of girls have done very well for us. I think Rehman is a true genius. He has been working hard for years and has been going some really different kind of music. I have been working with him and am very fond of him. I think that is time that some one like Rehman, if he is recogonised internationally it would be rightly so, deservingly so. If there is some one who has to get a golden globe from India for the first time then there is no one better than Rehman to get it so inshahallah. Even if he does not get I think he is the Mozart of the world not just of India.
NDTV: Shahrukh, you mentioned being nervous about going on to the Red Carpet. The last time Aishwarya Rai was on such an international stage she got a lot of flak for what she was wearing, what designer she chooses etc, is that the same with men?
Shah Rukh Khan: I am going naked, I have decided not to wear any clothes because no clothes means no criticism. I do not know what to wear. I have spoken to Karan. I have a black suit that I have been wearing for the past seven years. I take it out, get it dusted and ironed and I wear that. It is the safest. There are many wonderful people at the golden globes who are telling me that I should wear Indian clothes but my son does not like me wearing Indian clothes. So I am just going to wear a black suit and a black tie and hope I do not look like a waiter there. I hope that they will recogonise me and I pass off normally. It is the safest thing to do when you are in America and Europe.
Courteay: ndtv.com
