Shah Rukh Khan's Interview On ABC Channel Australia

In an interview to an Australian ABC channel, SRK, dubbed as Bollywood's Brad Pitt, said how Bollywood cinema is different from any other foreign film industry. "It's a hundred years old industry. I think it's the earliest industry in the world," King Khan said, adding, "Somewhere down the line the fantasy and escapism we offer in our cinema is somewhat real like getting a job or buying a car or settling down with a happy family. It's not like we go and blow up a meteor with the earth. We don't have superheroes as yet. Our heroes are superheroes who fight against the system. It's deep rooted of what the society is going through."

SRK also discussed his love for cricket and the Australian connection through the game. Mentioning about Brett Lee, SRK said 'I keep joking with him if he does not take 10 wickets then he has to come and sing and dance in films. Australian players are extremely warm and friendly people. They are great cricketers."

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Reporter: Shah Rukh Khan on is one of Bollywood's biggest superstars Time magazine says his fan following is in the billions while forbes estimated net worth makes him one of the richest men in the world with a film career spanning more than 20 years. Many describe him as the Brad Pitt of Indian cinema. Shah Rukh Khan is here in Australia to promote the Indian film industry. Shah Rukh Khan, welcome to Australia.

SRK: Thank you, thank you very much for having me on your show.

Reporter: So Shah Rukh you are Normally popular as King Khan. Can you tell us how that came back?

 SRK: I don't know maybe it's got to do with the film I did which was called 'Baadshah' and I think it's just a smart history alliteration where my name is khan so they didn't know instead of calling me kangaroo Khan. I think they decide to call me King Khan. 

Reporter: And King kinds of a necessity of king of Bollywood as well. 

SRK: Yeah there was a book actually by lady Cardinal my chopper I was reviewing stand student book on Sholay and Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge. She's also a terrific model literally figure and she kind of protocol called king of Bollywood and I think it was more to do with the film 'Baadshah' which means king and I think just kind of carried on from there.

Reporter: Now let's talk a little bit about Bollywood because you know a lot of our viewers may not be familiar with Bollywood what makes so special unique?

SRK: I think for us it's hundred-year-old industry. I think this year return hundred years. I think one of the earliest film industries in the world to start off with. I think the Lumiere brothers show the second or third viewing of films was in Mumbai, very few people know that and since then you know we've had this culture, actually a huge international types even doing that time to make movies in Mumbai India and it's carrying on the tradition. Of course the fact that technologically it's all there you have more than the maximum number of foods made in the country in the world about a thousand forms and different languages but about from all that I think we're still in the mode of musicals you know which died off in the west and the sixties or maybe even an Australian museum but we still make musicals which i think is very interesting different and it has it has evolved the musicals involved from the time of big showcasing still goes on like that in some films but now it is becoming more background but the music forms are integral part like you know it's not just music from albums, special music is produced for films and now with A.R Rahman getting the Oscar and in so many other Indian singles kind of crossing over. It's becoming more and more understandable by people why we make musical because I think in India every second house every first house has someone who can sing a bit you know so I think music forms an important part of our films and they're very colorful I think that two very clear demarcation that's the kind of fuzzy make one is the serious you know character-driven or story-driven or see the cinema. You know what I think is like the variety show or the cavity where you have everything put them together because India so diverse 1.2 billion people not extremely rich in some places so when people go to watch a film and they like to think of it hasn't even forth whole family for the earlier you know so the grand mother also goes and the great-grandson also goes so you gotta make a firm which kind of include sand interests for everyone so you need to have a little bit of action bit of comedy little bit of fights little song little bit of crying little bit of happiness and a big climax so it kind of like a capital idea show which is the commercial part of cinema and some way now that train is meeting and we are getting cinema which I think is internationally relevant and I think there's a huge amount of dice poor Indian sub-continental even a lot of places from South-east Asia like Malaysia Singapore Indonesia where people and United Arab Emirates where people are taking on to the Indian cinema because of the perhaps the similarity in culture.

Reporter: You there is this perception we're talking about it being a cabaret-style and there's this perception of Bollywood's just sort of order song and dance and love stories. Is there more to it than that?

SRK: I think so. I think it's just easier to define and you of course that's what comes up in front of the commercial firms where the south indian firms or Hindi films you know it's like I'm saying American cinema is all about superheroes is like that you like this one you see their Ironman and Batman and Superman and you know what have you especially in the last five seven years avatar so you can see that but I think behind all that there is this very interesting summer being made by a lot of youngsters lot of all people you know we every other country which has a message play you know Satyajit Ray, Shyam Benegal N. L. Balakrishnan gone from here so you have very serious film-makers I mean perhaps the most serious will make us in the world were making films in India but you don't get to see that unless you know you're an avid watcher of world cinema you see them so yeah on the face of it the packaging is very cabaret and singing and dancing and it's easy to describe it. I mean now you have a term called Bollywood in the dictionary you know it has been defined as bollywood but I think it does include the umbrella includes a lot more than just what you see in the kind of things perhaps I action or you know what what is known as the popular sentiment.

Reporter: What is the difference between Bollywood and Hollywood?

SRK: I think that major differences in the way the screenplay, actually if you're asking technically also there much longer you know like I said you need to have a whole family coming watching films along the 25 minutes goes for the five songs you know so you have no me to a film or little as into US and Hollywood. Our films are more than two hours long and I think the major differences according to me you know it's a developing nation or on the threshold of huge development somewhere down the line the fantasies and escapism that we offer in our cinema. A little more real and it's like getting a job or buying a car or settling down with a with your wife and children and have in a happy-ever-after household they're not very fantastic escapes plots are notvery fantastic we don't have to go in a blow-up the meteor which is going to hit the earth. We don't have superheroes as yet heroes are superheroes and the guy who can just kind a fight against the system its deep rooted in what the society is going through it's not completely how do I say imaginative it's still real imagination the escapism is little real as yet very simple small things with developing nations would take for granted. We take for as a thing that you would like to acquire it's a inspiring still to have a big house and a nice car and a good way to live. I was in Germany and I met these ladies who kind of first initiated Indian films and in Germany started with my friends and one night he was sitting and chatting in 2 AM in the night and asked them about how does the cinema differs and would you like it? So they told me something which is very interesting that you know we have a button for everything in Germany we have an escalator we go up we have a car it just starts on a button we have a coffee grinder quirks like this. We don't have a button for crying and feeling emotions Indian firms provide us with that button you put it on put on the VCR you know simply me feel emotional you feel connected there's a lot of warmth is a lot of color familial values which we still portrayed a big larger-than-life way so yeah it kind of takes you back to your roots culture and I think that's why a lot of people are beginning to in this fast-paced world with internet and things going too fast I think sometimes you know I look back and think of all the good things grand dad you know house in the country-side happiness I mean why don't we sing and dance a little in the families anymore so I think that's the difference.

Reporter:  Is that what you love about being a Bollywood stars that is that one of the great things about getting to act in the Indian film industry?

SRK:  I was in theatre so I was little verse to you know when I started off I hundred percent said that I did look down upon it I found it awkward it would just break that break out into song and dance I'd be a serious actor.

Reporter: And that's your brilliant dancer.

SRK: I am not actually I'm not. You know I was working with my actress friend Amrita and she told me if you can does just look as if you're happy and dancing so I have done that all my life. I have a lot of good dancers Madhuri and Rani are good dancers and they help me a lot. You know what I'm doing for him so I used to find it awkward to begin with but then suddenly realize as an actor that you know given the right kind of  a film character and motivation and you know what have you it's perhaps easier than just going into a more unnatural space and trying to make it look as real as possible like you know so I'm sitting in a garden dancing with 200 people behind you. And now I enjoyed a lot I find that is a more challenging to take a popular film and try to make it work for everyone you know they should be a story line running and they should be enough infractions enough situations that people think oh I'm gonna be riveted by this film but certainly you have a song-and-dance to you know which is completely out of character or motivation. So I enjoyed now a lot in the last 22 years. I've been doing for 22 years. First couple of years, yes I had an issue and perhaps that's why I think I got accepted because I did it a little differently when I was locked but I had to convince myself to do it so I did a little differently. I just didn't break down into a dance and singing routine I would try to you know give some logic to it and something I think that's fitted for people to think okay there's a new way of doing it.

Reporter: Always looks like you're having fun.

SRK: So I was actually I did I have to have fun either that or I need to be drinking.

Reporter: Now your latest movie Chennai express just smashed box-office records again. What's the key to success? How do you keep doing 22 years still going strong? 

SRK: I don't know you know I always say when you're successful you lose two of the abilities that one is a the ability to feel and the ability to surprise now I get more surprised myself that you know I think that people who see my work for 22 years. I think that somehow on me the kind of feel I'd like to believe this that you a lot of them thing okay. I mean the ladies or kids now and they'll say you know I still love you when I was in school and I met grand moms who say you know when I was having my first child I called my husband I mean this little girl said you know my mommy loves you a lot and you know she told me I should watch your film so I think there is a kind of an attachment personally to me apart from that what I try to do is keep it very simple you know I like a story I make it. You know I make one or two a maximum. I'm like okay let me to a community from let me try something which is completely out of the box like 'Ra.one' which is a superhero my kids are grown up something I'm going to us away from now so I have tried to keep it simple and different and I enjoy the film and I think the enjoyment that I have kind of transcends and goes a cross from the screen.

Reporter: What are the genres that you enjoy more that you like working with?

SRK: I used to like action a lot you know I like action I have got this very clear-cut ideology of wearing a white t-shirt or a white vest with blood high-speed boat in my side and the gun in my hand you know I just want to do for me is like that when I was going on like. That's it and I don't speak, open the door and shoot. This is hello hello John... B-O-O-M that's it and then I guess ago. So that's what I wanted to do all my life but never cast me in films like that. So couple of films like Don and there was another one when I was wearing a black t-shirt and the girl by my side all right I was like really thrilled that was beautiful. Even shooting Chennai, there's a shot when I'm wearing a white t-shirt and Deepika was here and it's a love-love pose and I asked the director because he's an action director Rohit that you can have a gun just tell me what I want this one poster but I enjoy action. Sometimes now I enjoy what I think my kids would like. so I did a film like Ra.One. Sometimes I do a film which is you know like was an autism "My name is Khan"

Reporter: Let's talk about 'My name is Khan' because that was a really interesting movie is about autism is also about racial profiling what was it like for you to work on a film like that?

SRK: See I don't give a feel more important than it being a film that should just appeal to you as an entertainer or helps you take back home some thing more than just an empty bag of popcorn you know I like the whole idea as an actor first. To me that most appealing part was I'm going to be doing something which is a little binding one. I'm in way which we can I portrayed wrong you know it's an or a challenging situation for any person who's got autism and second part that I cannot in in which way you know do it in a way that you love it and still say very serious thing and for me as an actor was taking away from everything commercial popular that I've done there's no singing and dancing there's no saying the romantic dialogues in away because you can't really speak there's no looking deep into the girl's eyes and say I love you because it doesn't even look at anyone so for me that was very challenging and behind that the layer of. Apart from as an actor I think the layer of talking about perhaps being Muslim myself on having seen or reading about the world whether it's right or wrong I don't know from my limited knowledge I just felt you know there is a whole idea now that you know every Muslim perhaps is is involved with terrorism and that needed to be cleared and not just the Muslims I think the aspect of the religion that is one of the most peaceful religions in the world like any other it's no different from Christianity or Buddhism. You know all religions are the same and why suddenly becoming talked about it and I thought of this one could even somehow potraited to the  west mostly it wasn't like a political statement it wasn't something that I felt extremely agitated about and I needed to do but I just felt you know as a Muslim myself and as I think regular citizen of the world like all of us are there's nothing wrong with it you know a few people do a few wrong things then you can not hold the whole community responsible have done upon it so I thought that purpose got started I don't know I don't think if film can change the world but to me it was something a little satisfying more satisfying than just a regular commercial hit.

Reporter:  What about I mean you've had so many achievements in the last 22 years one of them one of your movies earlier movies may be 'Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge' was in cinemas for 15 years.

SRK: 19 years.

Reporter: so 19 years that was going. 

SRK: 19 years but still running.

Reporter: That feel like we used to back and you look at it.

SRK: It is the shocking you know we were all young Karan Johar was assistant director, Aditya Chopra's first film was. There is a lot of firsts in that film and you know we just shot it just really short about 40-50 days just having fun for kids and it was funny because it was our human that time it was sweet because you know we used to finish back we use the backup come back the hotel and just play scrabble or you know categories and we never thought we were making a special film I think that's what makes it fun especially when you're really having fun doing it and all of us were younger and all of us what kind of doing the first second third film and a lot of the seniors were like what are you guys doing this and other films made just one shot you're taking the song is gonna be like this why this only dancers and you know we were just having fun doing the film and we released it and it became a huge hit.

Reporter: Would you say that was a game-changer for you in your career?

SRK: 100% I think it was game changer for some of the most prominent film makers in the country today you know Karan Johar became Karan Johar because of that Aditya Chopra or myself. I think who I am today gets defined by that film and it's something the second longest-running fill in the world after one Chinese from China for 25 years and just about a month-and-a-half back I went to the theatre when it was released first and still running and the projectionists is 25-20 years older now and he said was much younger when did I see this from every day and I asked how does it feel to see it every day? He said, It's quite nice and you know it was very very good at it was amazingly nostalgic and I called up everyone from the managers room I said you know and then I got into the projection room I took a picture while it was playing and I called up the director everyone and watching the film again and it still looks really cool here and it's the same thing that is opposite railway station the VT railway station I think in Mumbai and what happens is that people who come as tourist them by the finish of everything and they have to go back home I think that train is at in the afternoon so early morning the check out of the hotels with the bags and they come for that morning show to sit down watch the movie take the bags and go across and go back to wherever they're coming from India so it's the last part of seeing Mumbai kind of thing so it's very humbling and it's a extremely you know and I don't know it's extremely gracious of people for having seen the film for so many years.

Reporter: Do you have a favourite movie?

SRK: Mine is always the next one. Yeah I like them all, when I'm working on them I said they are like my children so to me each kid is very beautiful the one which got it doesn't do well even more beautiful but yeah the next one is always the next one.

Reporter: So I mean apart from being an actor you have plans to move into production any plans for Hollywood?

SRK: We have a production house called Red Chilies we've made about 10-12 films. So I produce films I produce films which nobody else wants to produce either too expensive or two off beat so I've done 12 of them already for last few years.I'm very very far from it so I have a small VFX unit which is growing so we've done some great work in the last 10-12 years these things I really cherish. I like making firms and like the VFX part of it. Besides that I have a cricket team where a lot of ...

Reporter: I wanted to talk to you about the cricket team.

SRK: But I cherish the whole VFX team and I don't know about production is we make things in India but I have a big believer that I should make a typical Indian film maybe dress it up in the screenplay sense like the West likes and then hopefully one day be part of a full not as early as an actor as pretty as whatever which kind of the whole world watches you know something like life is beautiful or you know a local film which the world embraces that would be really standing for Indian cinema.

 Reporter: We're saying you won't have time but ido want to talk to you about your cricket team. I understand that you have a few Australian cricketers on there?

SRK: Yeah Brett Lee is there. He's gonna come see me know.

Reporter: Yeah he's a good friend?

SRK: I keep joking with him if he does not take 10 wickets then he has to come and sing and dance in films and he's so happy to do it you can you can make him to sing all night and he's genuinely the greatest baller of the world  has ever seen.

Reporter: Your IPL team Kolkata Night Riders is last IPL winner. Congratulations.

SRK: Thank you thank you.

Reporter: What was the secret to success? Surely it was the Australian?

 SRK: Hundred percent. All these guys acting to be really honest I remember Ricky Ponting starting off with us, he was a mentor and the captain to begin with Sourav and on and off you've hadn't been playing and David Hussey really nice guy. Hodge, Brad Hodge and the fantastic guys that we have the youngster, nobody got injured,yeah Patterson too. We really really like the way that communities form the way they're so friendly I think Australians are extremely warm and friendly and you know they laugh a lot. You know what happens is for us most of the Australian guys actually all of them create an atmosphere in the... I'm an actor I keep calling it a green room, in the changing rooms are where you know the Indians after a loss suddenly learn professionalism from them you know that you know. It's okay let's forget the last game ahead the youngsters so I think one of the core part of our KKR victory plus the four years that we lost badly the fact that we all remain together for some of these great Australian cricketers and friends and they all very close to me and I think they did a lot for the team so I'm extremely grateful and happy that they did.

Reporter: That's just great to hear. 

Then reporter asks SRK for a dance, and he shows some steps from his popular song 'Lungi Dance'. For more article about SRK, stay tuned to Indian Celeb Info.