We don't start with ABC here but with SRK. So tell me what makes an extraordinary SRK ordinary?
I think the reason people become extraordinary is because their roots are ordinary. I don't think it works the other way round that you happen to be an extraordinary, and then, with humility and modesty talk about your ordinariness.
First of all, I don't believe I'm extraordinary. My very good friend and writer of Chak De India, Jaideep Sahni told me yesterday that the irony of your life is that when you tell people the truth, they believe either you're being too humble or honest, which is true. I don't find anything extraordinary in what I do.
It's a job like everyone else does. I wake up every morning, apply my make up and try and get my best shot possible. You are here to interview me and you'll hope that this one is better than the last one.
That's what I'm doing since last 20 years and our film Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi is akin to that.
Is that being diplomatic or simplistic?
I always say this; I am an employee of the myth of SRK. For the first time you will see the worker behind this myth and Rab Ne's Surinder Sahni, the character, is that worker who is a little boring, hard worker, may be not good looking but he is actually the engine what drives the myth. It's being simplistic.
What ideas, values or experiences did you and Aditya Chopra bring along with you from 2000 to 2008, from Mohabbatein to Rab Ne...?
What we've realised from DDLJ days is that a lot of faith has been put in our creative ability to entertain. For years, what we've tried to do is cater to what we think people want to see.
They've always said that we'd like to see a cool guy singing 'Tujhe Dekha Toh Yeh Jaana Sanam' in Switzerland and we gave that to them. It's not important that we keep giving them what they want to see, but the question is, can we give them what we want to show them and ask them whether they liked what they saw.
That is the difference from Rab Ne... to DDLJ. When we made DDLJ we were very anxious. We tried to show the Lamborghini or the Harley Davidson, but now we want to show them the engine that drives these things.
We are now challenging the status of faith given to us by the audiences saying, 'You guys told us that you like us, now we will show you what we like and not what you like to see'.
And what is Adi going to show them this time around?
Rab Ne is a big entertaining film and the funniest film Aditya Chopra can make for the simple reason that he is not a funny guy. Even during DDLJ, I had to bring in a lot of humor.
We've tried this time to bring this same humor in an ordinary way. People, when they travel abroad eat chicken in KFC or a burger in McDonalds or some grilled food in some restaurant.
But when they come home after a month or two and sit down and are being served hot paratha and curd, you feel it's the best you've ever had. Rab Ne... is the best you've ever had.
What about today's kids, let's say...Aryan, will he identify with his extraordinary status?
When I am trying to show my son Aryan heroes of today's day and age and even heroes of our mythological era, he is not interested. For kids, a hero is a guy who is normal and ordinarily extraordinary..
They don't need their hero to be in flashy clothes. But as long as he performs he is a hero for them. Like the footballer Ronaldo is a hero for kids because his actions are performance based..
'Hero toh woh hota hai jo Shah Rukh Khan hota hai', that's not true. Hero is one who does his job well. For Aryan, I might be his hero too because he knows I do my job well. I've seen that an ordinary man is very secured about his status. .
The purpose of life and your existence is becoming more important. I tell my kids that I did Om Shanti Om because I believe that if it's not happy, it's not the end. .
What's your status then?
It's strange but the people of Malaysia knew what my status was when I went there to receive my knighthood. They were holding these huge banners which said, "The person who likes to see people smile - Datuk Shah Rukh". .
That's what I am. It's another thing that I get paid crores for doing that now. But I got Rs. 5, 000 for my first film to do the same thing and will continue doing that in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi..
It's strange to be working with a stranger. You expect the unexpected from them. How did the debutante Anushka Sharma come across?
All these girls are really wonderful. They are in a world which is very well informed, more informed than my world when I was 20. They have access to information and because they have access to information, I believe that they have access to expressions that I didn't have at that age..
I've grown up with some expressions of life. I didn't know what a terrorist was; I didn't know what an internet was. I had to first access it and then learn it. So when you're working with new comers as talented as Anushka what happens is they express themselves in a language that I'm just getting to know..
Over the last couple of years, I've learnt not to correct them (new comers) because I need to correct myself. When I said a line in DDLJ which went - 'Zindagi mein do raaste milte hai, ek sahi, ek galat'. .
Everybody told me how beautifully I had said those lines. I don't think Anushka will say the same lines like I did. But when she says it the way she says it now, it'll be as beautiful..
I truly believe that new comers are great actors because they do things completely out of the box. I just thanked Anushka and her parents last night by saying, "Thank you for allowing me to do something different..
Luck plays a significant part in everyone's life. It has played in your life and mine too. I want to know how luck has affected Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi?
Adi says that this film is made by 'Rab' and not luck. I just called him and told him that should we just postpone the release of our film keeping in mind the situation in Mumbai right now and he said, "This film is made by 'Rab' and we will let it release on time as planned. All what is happening was made to happen. Rab knows what He is doing".
I never planned to work with Aditya Chopra and he never planned to make a film. It all just happened. The reason I did Rab Ne... is because Raju Hirani's film got cancelled.
So Adi came to me and said that he had written a film in 12 days and wanted me to be a part of it. I agreed and we finished the film in 47 days. Rab Ne is 20% better than what we planned to make. It's all in Rab's hands!
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