The interview with Shah Rukh Khan, then 28, appeared in THE WEEK issue dated January 16, 1994. He shared insights into his media perception, unconventional film choices, work ethic, and a glimpse into his personal life and appreciation for regional cinema. Here’s the original interview.
READ OUR COVER STORY FROM 1994 IN FULL HERE: The cover story that defined a superstar
How does it feel to be No 1 in Hindi films?
(Laughs) I always say that telephones have numbers, actors have feelings. I don’t believe in this No 1, No 2 and things like that. On the other hand, it is good to be appreciated for my performances. And I am very proud of the fact that I have done it on my terms as an actor, not as a star. For me it is not important to be a star. When I see Shammi Kapoor, Rajesh Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt... all these people who have been there for 10-15 years and I know that in two years I have run out of some steam. That sense of achievement I still don’t believe I have. That is why in the true sense I am not really a star.
You sound philosophic for an actor.
I love acting. I genuinely cannot do anything else. Life is more than the sum of its parts. And this is just a part of my life. At this stage of my life acting is important. Maybe in 10 years there would be different goals, different aims, a different lifestyle.
You have a business family background.
I am quite educated. I gave up the idea of being an engineer. I did the economics course. I could have done my MBA after that. I was good enough for that, with my marks.... I gave that up and enrolled for mass communication. To me, it was important that I should know all the aspects of a newspaper.
We were suppliers of kerosene, we had restaurants. My father and mother were looking after that.
What games do you play?
I was good at cricket, football and hockey. I used to play at the state level; but I hurt my back. So I joined acting. I used to do that in school. Somewhere along the line I felt this is the aspect of creativity that I like. I can write a little. I have done a lot of theatre for six years, semi-professionally. It was important for me to keep myself in this kind of field.
I did my first role in a Ram Lila as a monkey. I have always enjoyed it. I feel that an actor is an overgrown kid. So, I am still living my childhood. To be a child all your life is the greatest boon.
How did the first film offer come about?
I was shooting for a serial with Mani Kaul, a serialised film called Idiot by Dostoyevsky and my serial Circus in Bombay. Now this is the phase when my mother expired. So I had come down to Bombay. I had been called for other serials earlier after Fauji which I did in Delhi. When I was here, G.P. Sippy contacted me. He was making Pattar Ke Phool and he wanted me to do the next film for him. The director, Aziz Mirza, is like my father.
I told Sippy that I wouldn’t feel comfortable with Aziz who is a very competent director.... So, he worked out a script called Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman. It was written for me. That film worked.
The second film offer was Chamatkar by F.C. Mehra. Then came King Uncle, Dil Ashiana. Deewana, incidentally, was the last film.
The impression one had was that you are very aggressive...
Actually my aggression is media-made. I am a very docile person. My wife has never even heard me scream out her name. And people who know me from Delhi and people who are working with me are amazed when they read (all this about me). My upbringing is such that I am a gentleman.
I am really honest and this honesty is something which is not acceptable to the media. If I don't like something I don’t do it and I never took media help to be a star. The negative aspect is that they (the media) feel I am aggressive. I am not aggressive; I am passionate. So, if something is wrong, I say it very passionately.
My upbringing is such that, for me, this work is absolutely, basically essential to me. And I have total regard, total respect for it. My work starts at 9am, ends at 6pm. I take money for it. I am doing nobody a favour. I am an employee. Ramesh Sippy, Yash Chopra, Rahul Rawail, Abbas-Mastan.... they all want to work only with me. The rapport is only because I am a very well-behaved person.
But film magazines, they deal in filth. So, I don’t want to deal with them. It is not a ban. It is not aggression. It is just a matter of principle. I don’t like being hung on a wall. There are lots of people who say, “lovely film, you look so cute...” that is not a compliment to me. For me the compliment is “fantastic film and what a performance.” I work towards that.
You have the boy-next-door looks. Was that an asset?
Personally, I am not conscious of how I look. My father was (from Peshwar) very handsome. My mother was beautiful. My sister is lovely. In my family, I was the worst looking.
But I don’t think an actor survives on looks. An actor has to think from the heart and bring it out to his face—whether he looks like Nana Patekar, Salman Khan, Naseeruddin Shah, Amrish Puri or Dustin Hoffman, Tom Cruise or Shah Rukh Khan.
Your biggest hits have come with some very unconventional roles like in Baazigar and now Darr...
People liked Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman and Chamatkar. The kind of roles which seemed to suggest that I am a very sweet guy. But there came a time when I went to three different shootings on three different days I was doing the same confrontation scene.... I have a lot of faith in my talent: So much so that it smacks of egoism. I got disturbed because I was doing the same things. Nobody was offering me anything different. So I went around telling people, “Look if you want to do a film with me, I will do a negative one”.
I enjoyed what I did in Baazigar. I knew I would be appreciated as an actor. It would give me a lot of satisfaction as an actor.
Are you choosy now?
I have always been choosy. I do only five films in a year. I would like to cut down further.
Do you assess yourself?
So much so that the producers get scared. 'Kya yaar, before the film is released please don’t assess yourself.’ But once a film is released I see it again and again and I am very objective.
How do you strike a balance between your intellectual pursuits and film commitments?
I work only one shift. I do very few films. It is a little hectic now because 1 have been out of circulation for 30 days. I was unwell. Normally I work from 9 to 6. By 6.30 I am at home. Sundays are off with my wife. They (my family) are important to me.
I work on my computer. I play video games. And I read a lot of books.
What kind of books?
I read all kinds of books. I even read Amar Chitra Katha and Champak to Fydor Dostoyevsky. Right now I am reading a science fiction comedy. And I am absolutely bonkers about toys. I have a lot of remote-controlled cars.... I spend a lot of time with my wife and sister and my dog Chewbaka Khan.
You seem to be restless, the way you smoke continuously.
Yes, I am very restless. I sleep only four hours in the night. For me, enjoyment is the most important thing on earth. I feel there are only so few hours in a day and so many things to do. I can’t waste it... I have to feel life. Because when I die, maybe I won't get another chance. So, I don’t want to repent the fact that I could have done so much more. I have tried everything in life.
Could you elaborate?
I have seen happiness. I have seen sadness. At this young age I have experienced a lot. Maybe that is what also shows in my acting sometimes.
What do you think of today's (1994) films? The heavy dose of violence and vulgarity...
I do films without any moral, ethical or social commitment to anyone. I do films to give a pure value of entertainment. My concept of a film is pure entertainment in whatever sense, to make one cry or laugh. I don’t smoke in films because I know kids are my fans. And they might want to do a thing like that. But then, on the other hand, I kill a girl in my film.
We give the audience what they want. What they want they get. What we show them is what they accept. So, finally the vulgarity is coming from the people back to the films. I too am of the opinion that Hindi films are becoming too vulgar. But then who are we to question it? I am making a film for the man who goes to cinema hall who’s collected Rs 30 over a period of a month to see a Shah Rukh Khan film. And if he likes me to come and shake my pelvis, I will do it for him.
How do you explain the phenomenon of kids identifying with you even after seeing Baazigar?
I think it is the child in me. Everybody—my friends, my wife—say ‘he’s a kid yah’. I get excited by small things. Stardom does not excite me as much as a new video game. The child in me is still alive and perhaps that is why I act. A kid always wants to be a superman.
I was taught by my grammar teacher, Barry John, who taught me acting, that if you can hold the attention of a child—the attention span of a kid is the smallest—then you are an actor. If you can’t then you are not an actor.
Do you see regional films?
Yes, Bengalis are the best filmmakers.
Suppose an offer comes your way...
Depends on the language. I would love to learn the language. I would not let anyone dub for me.
I think Mani Ratnam is one of the greatest directors we have. Adoor Gopalakrishnan.... I have seen his Mousetrap.... They (Adoor and Mani Ratnam) and others (in regional cinema) make mind-blowing films, much ahead of Hindi films and at an international level. I would like to work with them.