Mumbai:
Shah Rukh Khan, who has been under attack from Shiv Sena over his IPL remarks, said he feels vulnerable as a movie star.
He shares his views in an exclusive interview with NDTV's Barkha Dutt:Barkha Dutt: You said maybe "I'm a coward but at least I took a position and I stick to that position"...many people think you are very brave for doing that because no one in your industry does it...your industry does not stand up to Bal Thackeray.
SRK: It's not like that Barkha, you know what happens when the film is about to release and I told this to Karan once...once when an incident happened with him...
Barkha Dutt: And he said sorry, he was vastly criticised for saying sorry.
SRK: And he said two things in clarification somewhere on your channel. He said: "I did it because the stakes are very high and I did it because my partners and my distributors have an issue" but he didn't say what actually disturbs most of the film people...that we are here to sell entertainment...supposedly there is nothing in this world better than to see a person smile. And the only thing better than that is...Oh god, a person smiling because of me. There is no feeling better than that, I am telling you as an actor - that the bottom line is this...certainly, I cannot be responsible for 20 people, 30 people, 40 people, 2 people, 1 person going to a theatre and getting stoned and getting hurt even if it's a
dhamki...even if I believe
kuch nahi ho ga....even if I believe the state machinery will look after me. In your heart, it is a very scary thought...because my wife and my kids go to watch a movie. I've stopped them...I remember post 26/11, there was a movie and they wanted to go see it and I told them "don't go"...and my friend and I decided that we aren't going to talk about
Rab Ne like this now...because I can't tell everyone to not go out and watch it. I just told my kids not to go out so how can I tell someone else to...because it is scary so when people say this, that's the real reason why the film industry bows down and gets scared...yeah the stakes are there, the business is there, the partners are there...I think the main reason is Look, I'm not making this film to hurt people.
Barkha Dutt: Most people think it is done because of the money involved.
SRK: No, I don't think so. I keep saying here
paise bahaut ho gaya hai film industry
meh...it's very easy
yaar I'm not trying to justify..
haan bahaut paisa hai...bahut amir hai or
bahut good-looking hai...bahut power hai or bahut classy hai...itni ki apni picture hum release
nahi kar sakte iss Friday...
to kya power hai. I met Farid...
Barkha Dutt: Farid Zakaria...
SRK: Yeah, he's a friend and he said you know
Newsweek 50 Most Powerful People in the world and I'm like Oh, go to hell man, this is not power...where is the power? Sometimes, I say, if I weren't in such a vulnerable position of being a movie star then I will show you power. I mean, I'm a good-thinking bloody Indian, I'll show power. I really wish - I don't know a thing about politics but I want to sit down with a good group of people and say let's show power because we have nothing to lose...but I have so much to lose. I'm a star, I love being a star...I love being good-looking, I love being in films, I love nobody getting hurt when they go to watch my film...and there is no crime in people thinking Oh people should not get hurt watching my film.
Barkha Dutt: How come applying the same logic, you didn't think "I don't want people to get scared watching My Name Is Khan", let me just come out and say 'If I hurt your sentiments I am sorry" which is usually how it works, which is usually what everybody does...
SRK: Yeah, I just said sorry to Karan and Kajol and everyone...I told my partners I will work free for you on television because it is the only small thing that I have. I'm not a great actor, I'm not the best businessman, I'm not the best cricket team owner...there are a lot of things, I may not be and I'm not fooling myself, I'm not the most powerful person in the world and I'm not the 48th or 47th powerful person in the
Newsweek Most Powerful List...but I am an Indian and you can't take that away from me...that makes me cry that makes me sad. So, I don't think I like that being questioned...but again with all humility I say I'm not confrontational about this, I would not even like to explain how Indian I am...it just makes me very sad that it's like
kya baat kar rahe ho yaar or mujhe maloom hai yeh agenda hai aapka, political agenda
hai aapka, belief
hai aapka, ideal
hai aapke, ideologies
hai...but
main kahan se un scheme of things
mein aa gaya, mera kuch bhi lena dena nahi hai...or
mujse agar koi bolta hai, mujhe bahut achcha lagta hai...lekin iss mamle mei abhi baat nahi ki.Barkha Dutt: Politics
pe.SRK:
Haan politics
pe or ideologies
pe baat nahi ki. I'm not saying I'm the most patriotic but I believe that I'm emotional about being an Indian...like I said, I'm not great at all these things being mentioned but I think I'm great at being an Indian...I'm a good Indian.
Barkha Dutt: I don't think anyone would disagree with, that except a few people who we could count on one hand but...
SRK: I never thought I'd have to say this on a TV channel.
Barkha Dutt: That I'm a good Indian...
SRK: That makes me sadder.
Also read:I am a bloody good Indian: SRK to NDTVThere is nothing to apologise for: SRK to NDTVNo one is coward in Bollywood: SRK to NDTV