Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has been in the movie business for 25 years, but ask him to be potty-mouthed in front of the camera and he will spit the idea right back.
In his new film, Raees, out in the UAE on January 25, Khan plays the titular role of a shrewd bootlegger from the 1990s in a fictional Indian town in Gujarat.
But does his no-swearing clause sanitise his evil act or is it his attempt to cement his ‘family man’ image?
Khan, one of Bollywood’s enduring icons who set the idea of romance and courtship for a whole generation of Indians, is a smash hit with the ladies, children and men. He’s excessively humble, self-deprecating and polite about his meteoric rise and fame.
“I can’t do it [swear on screen]. They have caught me secretly on camera abusing in real life. But I can’t seem to do it in front of the camera. I find it awkward. I find it difficult to laugh on camera too, I don’t know why,” said Khan in an interview with Gulf News tabloid! during a press junket in Dubai on Sunday evening.
“I can’t even say ‘dog’ because I find it awkward. But it’s not me trying to play that ‘oh look, I am a family hero’. I think you can avoid it [swearing]. It doesn’t define me as an actor, you can express anger without being abusive on the big screen.”
In the trailers, Khan, 51, is in a menacing avatar with his kohl-lined beady eyes and his no-nonsense attitude.
He runs a tight ship and doesn’t break a sweat when an upright police officer, played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui, threatens to destroy his murky business and send him to prison. In short, Raees is a sparkling swashbuckler in a bottle.
But is there a sob story to humanise Raees? In Hindi films, it’s common to justify a Bollywood hero’s negative actions with an emotionally-charged back story. Remember Khan’s blockbuster Baazigar and how his troubled childhood was an explanation for him trying to kill his girlfriend?
“Wicked and wily is too story a word for Raees. We oversimplify things. We like to compartmentalise everything, especially in Hindi films. We like to see it as black or white, or squeaky clean. And it is not in the garb of superhero films such as Batman and Superman in Hollywood. In Hindi films evil wears a different moustache even. But Raees is realistic,” said Khan, adding that there’s no attempt to glorify his mean streak. In fact, there’s no compulsion to even like him.
“Raees runs a bad business and he cleans up anyone and anything that comes in his way. But the good part about him is that he takes responsibility for his action… We are not taking any sides in this film. We will leave it open-ended, so the viewers may end up liking or disliking him… It’s not Chennai Express, where you need to love the guy.”
While there’s no compulsion to love Raees, Khan admits that it’s the characters with grey shades that he naturally gravitates towards in real life.
“I always give this analogy that when you read about thunderstorms and lightning, it is more interesting to read than sunshine and bright days. I believe that people who are scared about accepting and watching cinema about bad people are more akin to doing stuff like that. If a story is squeaky clean, then I am not going to read it,” said Khan, adding that even mythological texts have Ram (the good one) and Raavan (the evil character).
“Most of us are good people. We lead regular, nice lives. So it’s great to read and watch characters with grey shades, it doesn’t make you a bad person. Remember, opposites attract. So if you like a bad guy, then you are likely to be a good person at heart. That’s my belief,” said Khan.
Skirting issues
It’s a warped analogy, but Khan has the ability to sell anything — think sand to a camel or snow to the Eskimos. While he’s game to answer any questions, he studiously stayed away from the ‘should arts be politicised’ debate. Khan found himself in the eye of controversy due to Pakistani actress Mahira Khan’s inclusion in Raees.
After India announced surgical strikes in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, there’s been a restriction of Pakistani actors and technicians working in Bollywood until normalcy returns. The unusual dynamic was displayed in the way the interviews were organised.
During the press junket in Dubai, Pakistani actress Mahira Khan was being interviewed on the ground floor meeting room, while the hero Khan was on the second floor. It was starkly different from the way Khan introduced actress Deepika Padukone during his Om Shanti Om musical launch in Dubai. This time around, there was no fanfare or glowing tributes to his leading lady.
“The marketing of the film has been done the way we designed it. We like to believe that every film is marketed based on the film’s requirement. This film need not be marketed like Om Shanti Om. The role that Aasiya [Mahira Khan] plays in this film is very different from Deepika’s,” said Khan.
“It’s a subject that has been spoken about for too long. I am bored of the subject,” said Khan, skirting the topic.
“I have three jobs: First is to try and make a good film, which is the most difficult part because sometimes the best of you intentions go awry. Secondly, inform everyone about your film so that they make an informed decision. And thirdly, movie-experiences are the gentlest, nicest experiences. So I don’t want to participate in conversations about the issues surrounding the film,” said Khan.
Mahira was more forthcoming. In a separate interview on the same day, Mahira expressed her disappointment, but was pragmatic about how politics permeated her Bollywood debut experience.
“I have come to terms with the fact that everything has its own fate. Every film comes with his own fate. On the day of the release, you find out what its fate was. With Raees, it was not just about politics,” said Mahira.
“Sometimes you wish it wasn’t the case [politically], but I truly believe that you have to respect every country’s decisions. Be it in India or in Pakistan, we don’t want to do anything until ties get better. I respect that,” said Mahira, who plays Raees’s romantic partner. Her happiness came from surrendering to her role completely. Raees is that bad habit that your parents warn you about.
“Anything bad is so appealing. It’s the psyche behind the forbidden fruit. The more you are stopped, the more you want it. Remember that bad boy that your mom asked you to stay away from, that’s the guy that you end up liking, but Raees is not that bad,” said Mahira.
The Pakistani star knew that she had stumbled upon a stellar script, when she read the first two lines of her part. Having Khan as her hero was the proverbial cherry on the cake.
“Who ever turns down a movie with him?” said Mahira.
Meanwhile, Khan has just one request:
“Go watch movies, be open minded like how I am. If you don’t enjoy it, then I will try harder next time.”
Don’t miss it
Raees releases in the UAE on January 25.
QUOTE UNQUOTE
“I am sorry if I sound presumptuous, but there is a huge amount of people who love me as their own, beyond the roles that I do. Ladies, children and uncles hug me. I just feel it’s beyond the work that I have done,” said Shah Rukh Khan.
“I don’t think we are here to make any political statements. Raees is entertainment: it’s a cop and gangster story in and around Raees’s world,” said director Rahul Dholakia.
Did you know?
Mahira Khan tried teaching Candy Crush to Shah Rukh Khan during the filming of Raees.
