Will director Gauri Shinde reinvent Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s image? We all know that Khan is trapped in an eternally-romantic-guy mould. He just needs to spread his arms wide and look up in the sky, for his fans to go crazy and clutch at their hearts.
But Shinde, who directed him for the first time in Dear Zindagi, claims she had no such goals.
“I didn’t have any such pressure. I never even thought of it and I did not have any of that burden. And who am I to reinvent anyone’s career?,” said Shinde in an interview with Gulf News tabloid!
Shinde is being modest here. Her first directorial venture, English Vinglish, presented actress Sridevi in the most endearing manner as an Indian housewife on a mission to learn English on her holiday and to earn some respect from her family.
It was an award-winning feature that put Sridevi back on the acting map. For Shinde, the process is simple. She writes her stories and thinks about who can play those parts best.
“I cannot imagine anyone else playing the role of Jehangir. It’s as simple as that … and once Alia got into my head, I couldn’t dream of anyone else in that part. The character that Shah Rukh plays is someone who makes you feel that you wish you had him in your life,” said Shinde.
In Dear Zindagi, Khan plays Alia Bhatt’s therapist. Bhatt’s character Khiara is going through a typical quarter life crisis dotted with heartbreaks, relationship drama and career turmoil.
“But this film is gender agnostic. It could easily have been told by a young boy,” said Shinde.
Dear Zindagi is out in the UAE cinemas now.
