He's played the ultimate lover's role to perfection and makes a gun-toting gangster look good, but Shah Rukh Khan on Thursday revealed another side of his personality as he visited the Gulf News office.
Sitting on the hub — our ground zero where editorial decisions in the newsroom are made — the Don 2 star was quick to pick up Thursday's tabloid! edition and do a cracking post-mortem of it. A global icon in his own right, Khan made comments about hot topics swirling in the world of entertainment.
King Khan's top tip:
"You put me on top and you will sell it," says Khan. He clearly has a nose for news and was sharp when it came to deciding on what was topical and what was passe, but he saved the best for the last. Khan's not a fan of celebrity news — a fact that we learnt at the end of our edit session. And when he reaches for a newspaper in the morning, he heads straight for the sports pages, then scans the headlines and then if time permits he picks up the entertainment segment of the paper. But it's not bad news, says Khan.
"I may not be the buyer but I am the seller of these. You put me on top and you sell it."
Don't we just love it when a man oozes such confidence.
On Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol cover:
"It's nice and since the festival [Dubai International Film Festival] is going on, it's topical. Plus, they are all good-looking people. And personally, it's good to come to Dubai and see Anil Kapoor smiling on the cover."
On red carpet appearances and Tom Cruise spending two hours meeting his fans:
"I love red carpets and I want to meet everyone who has seen a glimpse of me and appreciated it. I went to [the] Marrakesh Film Festival recently and I didn't want to go inside. I just wanted to meet my fans, give them hugs and kiss their hands. And when they give pictures to sign on and give me presents, it's a good feeling. In February, I am going to the Berlin Film Festival and the prospect of standing there, meeting people is exciting. I will be honest here — I don't want to get into the spiel with the press about my film or to give intellectual gyaan [discourse] during festivals. I respect all filmmakers and journalists, but I made a promise to myself that I will try and meet every person who has seen me for a second at least once. That to me is a life well-lived."
On Dev Anand:
"This is relevant. We have lost an idol. He was beautiful when I met him. I think he had a clear concept of how he wanted to lead his life. I take tips from the way he led his life. Just keep working was his thing. Yes I know, I do interviews, talk to people and say stuff that people want to hear. And that's because I am an actor and I get paid to do what you would like me to do. I am very reclusive like him. I remember having many conversations about this to him. I miss him. The first Hindi film I watched was his Joshila. My mother took me to the a cinema hall for the first time. I have fond memories of meeting him. I love him and I think when you love someone — you should always take the time out and meet them before they go away."
On Whether aggressive coverage of Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol is relevant:
"The media hype trying to sell a film is completely justified. Hollywood does its marketing very well and it's something that the rest of the world is learning. With The Dirty Picture, they did good marketing and with my RA.One I started marketing it a year prior to its release. And it does finally pay dividends because those first five or six days are all to recover the money. Also, the business of films is becoming shorter. It's no longer about celebrating golden jubilee or silver jubilee of a film. Now, business needs to be done in the first four or five days. These are expensive films and the hype needs to be generated. For instance, Don 2 with $20 million behind it is an expensive film by any standards… As utopian as you feel about making films that are beautiful and nice, you need to be realistic. If you want to make the next one, you need to get people in for this one. This is what helps us make better and bigger films."
On tabloid!'s Hot Stuff that indicates what to buy and where to be seen:
"Yesterday [last Wednesday] I went and bought a cycle for my daughter in Mumbai. I wasn't carrying money and I asked the shopkeeper if I can take it. He said yes, but I paid for it later. I don't carry money with me. But at the Duty Free at the airport, they took money for the perfumes I purchased for these guys [the Don 2 gang]. My prized possession would be my laptop because I always like to write. I don't leave my house without it. My special Louis Vuitton sack they had given me is another such item."
On The Dirty Picture phenomenon and whether he would do a male equivalent of it:
"I would read this because it's a story based on Silk Smitha, who was very famous, and I am her big fan. I haven't seen The Dirty Picture, though I have promised Vidya [Balan] and everyone that I will watch it soon. I have heard good things about it. And whether I will act in a male version of it — it depends. I don't think filmmaking is a fad. Just because they made it on a girl, so let's immediately make it on a guy doesn't work. And looking at it, I don't know if anybody would cast me in a film like that. But if somebody did and I liked the story then I would do it. Remember I was the first guy to do bad guy roles. I have done it all — romantic leads, sport heroes, super heroes."
On gossip about Twilight actress Kristen Stewart's salary not matching up to her box-office earnings:
"My daughter is a big Twilight fan. She loves her. I think it's [Stewart's salary] all right. Getting such a franchise is a big thing. If you are an actor and you get a chance to act in a very special film — it's salary enough. Also, when she does a new film, she can command more. Personally, I am not a believer in raking in the money. The sad thing that's happening in Dubai and the rest of the world is that we are making them privy to financial aspects of filmmaking. Half of these news items are inaccurate and the moment you make them a part of all that, it loses the magic of storytelling. We should not make these things known. My tip: Don't think, just do your job."
