Mumbai:
SRK says he understands why not many people in Bollywood came out in support. He admits he hasn't stood for anybody either. In an exclusive interview - his first after the IPL controversy - SRK tells NDTV there are no cowards in Bollywood.
Here's the transcript of the interview:
Barkha Dutt: Are you cynical about how the industry reacted? There were a few who spoke up and there were quite a few who spoke about it over the week but many of the top stars had not taken a position.
SRK: I think it was prudence.
Barkha Dutt: That could be another word for cowardice.
SRK: No, no it is called being 72 times bitten and ever 142 times shy. So, I don't mind it at all. I have not raised my voice for many things. There's a saying: when something came out about the Jews, I didn't go out for them, when something came out about Christians, I didn't say anything about them...so, at the end when I was attacked, nobody came out because no body was left.
Barkha Dutt: That is what Jaya Bachchan said...and I asked her about you and she said that she has had her own issues with Raj Thackeray but she battled it out alone...
SRK: Yeah...it's okay and I don't even say it with cynicism or anger. It is nobody's duty to do it, and we are all very vulnerable.
Barkha Dutt: But what happens to a thing called principle...isn't it important for an industry to sometime collectively stand up for a principle?
SRK: No. Because one, we don't think we are a homogenous machinery. We are different, creative people for whatever we do and you have to allow that space to all of us. And yes, we are family and friends and we work together 365 days and whenever there is a crisis or any problem in the country, we all come out.
Barkha Dutt: But why can't you take a political position?
SRK: Because we can't. On a Thursday, or a Wednesday, political positioning is the weakest part of the film industry, principle is the weakest on these days and that is the truth and it does not make us cowards. Wednesday and Thursday is not the right time to tell me to be brave. Ask me on Monday and I'm very brave. It is the day for the film release, it is the day for entertaining other people. Nobody is a coward in the film industry, whoever has said, what they have said, I thank them, but nobody is coward...
Barkha Dutt: Are you not being politically correct ?
SRK: I am not because I have never stood up for them, how can I become this righteous person...I have never stood up for any one...I have kept quiet. You think Karan went ahead and said sorry himself. He called me and I gave him my permission.
Barkha Dutt: Do you regret that?
SRK: No...Thursday, don't ask for principles from us.
Barkha Dutt: You have stuck to yours this time.
SRK: Let Thursday come. And normally these things are brought up, exhibitors have backed out, I have no issues with them either. I met them yesterday and I persuaded them to please open the advance, please nothing will happen...give it a chance...and maybe this will not change and maybe it will happen again, maybe we will succumb and maybe the film won't happen again. But this a wrong thing to expect people to do during releases. There were a few set of people who asked me to change the name of my film...I said okay...ask me anything on a Thursday and I will do it.
Barkha Dutt: I don't believe it. I think you're being self-deprecating as always. Let me ask you in conclusion...while you were gone, Rahul Gandhi made a very interesting trip to this city. He was threatened by the Sena as well, he took a local train to the Sena strongholds. He's a friend of yours, has he been in touch with you about this?
SRK: No, because like I said we don't have any political equation at all.
Barkha Dutt: Did you follow what he did? Do you think it sort of changed the course of the discourse?
SRK: Like I'm saying, if I was a politician I would do stuff like this...if I was a politician, I would not be scared of another political party, I'd be braver...I'd have more principles and I'd have my own agenda, and I'd do it but I'm not a politician.
Barkha Dutt: Do you think you'll ever be in politics?
SRK: I hope I don't have to.
Barkha Dutt: After this?
SRK: I hope, I don't have to because I'll change too many things, I mean either I would get kicked out in a day or two on charges of corruption because I'm not corruptible. So maybe, I'll be put away on charges of corruption or my religion or my name or my Indianness...there are days when I wake up, when I think I wish I was.
Barkha Dutt: In politics?
SRK: Oh yeah yeah, then I would say let's burn stuff, I'll burn yours, I mean come on, let's do this you know. I see that happening: one political party is burning one's stuff, the other party is burning the others...and let me tell you, it's a joke, it's a bloody joke, let me tell you that it hardly happens in any other country in the world...I don't know where this happens, we look like banana republics, we look like idiots and we do it...I mean educated politicians do it. And we're taking this and we are laughing at ourselves and I think it's time we stop laughing at ourselves and enjoying...like you keep saying that I'm self-deprecating, I am, but I think the whole damn country is like that...we're just laughing at ourselves and having a great time.
Barkha Dutt: Are you scared right now?
SRK: No, I'm not scared.
Barkha Dutt: It's gone past that?
SRK: It's strange, this may sound contradictory, I may be a coward but you can't scare me. It's just like that...I can back away, because like you said, being a part of the film industry, the vulnerability, the stardom, the Khan-ness...whatever I will never bring religion into this...I may back away from a lot of things, I may not speak out, I may be a coward that way, but I'm not scared of anything...my dad was 19-year-old when he was in jail and daal used to come and there were 40 people in there...and there used to be rust around it, so you would have to completely eat it quickly...one way to separate the 40 guys is to start fighting with each other...and he used to say we found a way, 20 guys would go hungry one day and the other 20 the next...so my logic is that I'll find a way but I'll not be scared...I'm not going to fight with my people, I will not be cynical, I will not be disturbing...God Allah has given me too much to be scared or angry about anything...you take away my stardom, I'll become a film director...you take away my film capability, I'll become a politician. That will be very scary for everyone.
Barkha Dutt: Looking forward to that day Shah Rukh, but I can tell you most of India is proud that you've taken a position that's not going to change on Thursday.
SRK: I'm so brave that I just might leave the country.
Barkha Dutt: We don't want you to do, that thank you so much.
Also read:
I am a bloody good Indian: SRK to NDTV
As a movie star, I'm vulnerable: SRK to NDTV
There is nothing to apologise for: SRK to NDTV
Here's the transcript of the interview:
Barkha Dutt: Are you cynical about how the industry reacted? There were a few who spoke up and there were quite a few who spoke about it over the week but many of the top stars had not taken a position.
SRK: I think it was prudence.
Barkha Dutt: That could be another word for cowardice.
SRK: No, no it is called being 72 times bitten and ever 142 times shy. So, I don't mind it at all. I have not raised my voice for many things. There's a saying: when something came out about the Jews, I didn't go out for them, when something came out about Christians, I didn't say anything about them...so, at the end when I was attacked, nobody came out because no body was left.
Barkha Dutt: That is what Jaya Bachchan said...and I asked her about you and she said that she has had her own issues with Raj Thackeray but she battled it out alone...
SRK: Yeah...it's okay and I don't even say it with cynicism or anger. It is nobody's duty to do it, and we are all very vulnerable.
Barkha Dutt: But what happens to a thing called principle...isn't it important for an industry to sometime collectively stand up for a principle?
SRK: No. Because one, we don't think we are a homogenous machinery. We are different, creative people for whatever we do and you have to allow that space to all of us. And yes, we are family and friends and we work together 365 days and whenever there is a crisis or any problem in the country, we all come out.
Barkha Dutt: But why can't you take a political position?
SRK: Because we can't. On a Thursday, or a Wednesday, political positioning is the weakest part of the film industry, principle is the weakest on these days and that is the truth and it does not make us cowards. Wednesday and Thursday is not the right time to tell me to be brave. Ask me on Monday and I'm very brave. It is the day for the film release, it is the day for entertaining other people. Nobody is a coward in the film industry, whoever has said, what they have said, I thank them, but nobody is coward...
Barkha Dutt: Are you not being politically correct ?
SRK: I am not because I have never stood up for them, how can I become this righteous person...I have never stood up for any one...I have kept quiet. You think Karan went ahead and said sorry himself. He called me and I gave him my permission.
Barkha Dutt: Do you regret that?
SRK: No...Thursday, don't ask for principles from us.
Barkha Dutt: You have stuck to yours this time.
SRK: Let Thursday come. And normally these things are brought up, exhibitors have backed out, I have no issues with them either. I met them yesterday and I persuaded them to please open the advance, please nothing will happen...give it a chance...and maybe this will not change and maybe it will happen again, maybe we will succumb and maybe the film won't happen again. But this a wrong thing to expect people to do during releases. There were a few set of people who asked me to change the name of my film...I said okay...ask me anything on a Thursday and I will do it.
Barkha Dutt: I don't believe it. I think you're being self-deprecating as always. Let me ask you in conclusion...while you were gone, Rahul Gandhi made a very interesting trip to this city. He was threatened by the Sena as well, he took a local train to the Sena strongholds. He's a friend of yours, has he been in touch with you about this?
SRK: No, because like I said we don't have any political equation at all.
Barkha Dutt: Did you follow what he did? Do you think it sort of changed the course of the discourse?
SRK: Like I'm saying, if I was a politician I would do stuff like this...if I was a politician, I would not be scared of another political party, I'd be braver...I'd have more principles and I'd have my own agenda, and I'd do it but I'm not a politician.
Barkha Dutt: Do you think you'll ever be in politics?
SRK: I hope I don't have to.
Barkha Dutt: After this?
SRK: I hope, I don't have to because I'll change too many things, I mean either I would get kicked out in a day or two on charges of corruption because I'm not corruptible. So maybe, I'll be put away on charges of corruption or my religion or my name or my Indianness...there are days when I wake up, when I think I wish I was.
Barkha Dutt: In politics?
SRK: Oh yeah yeah, then I would say let's burn stuff, I'll burn yours, I mean come on, let's do this you know. I see that happening: one political party is burning one's stuff, the other party is burning the others...and let me tell you, it's a joke, it's a bloody joke, let me tell you that it hardly happens in any other country in the world...I don't know where this happens, we look like banana republics, we look like idiots and we do it...I mean educated politicians do it. And we're taking this and we are laughing at ourselves and I think it's time we stop laughing at ourselves and enjoying...like you keep saying that I'm self-deprecating, I am, but I think the whole damn country is like that...we're just laughing at ourselves and having a great time.
Barkha Dutt: Are you scared right now?
SRK: No, I'm not scared.
Barkha Dutt: It's gone past that?
SRK: It's strange, this may sound contradictory, I may be a coward but you can't scare me. It's just like that...I can back away, because like you said, being a part of the film industry, the vulnerability, the stardom, the Khan-ness...whatever I will never bring religion into this...I may back away from a lot of things, I may not speak out, I may be a coward that way, but I'm not scared of anything...my dad was 19-year-old when he was in jail and daal used to come and there were 40 people in there...and there used to be rust around it, so you would have to completely eat it quickly...one way to separate the 40 guys is to start fighting with each other...and he used to say we found a way, 20 guys would go hungry one day and the other 20 the next...so my logic is that I'll find a way but I'll not be scared...I'm not going to fight with my people, I will not be cynical, I will not be disturbing...God Allah has given me too much to be scared or angry about anything...you take away my stardom, I'll become a film director...you take away my film capability, I'll become a politician. That will be very scary for everyone.
Barkha Dutt: Looking forward to that day Shah Rukh, but I can tell you most of India is proud that you've taken a position that's not going to change on Thursday.
SRK: I'm so brave that I just might leave the country.
Barkha Dutt: We don't want you to do, that thank you so much.
Also read:
I am a bloody good Indian: SRK to NDTV
As a movie star, I'm vulnerable: SRK to NDTV
There is nothing to apologise for: SRK to NDTV
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