Calling himself "the Indian for all ages", superstar Shah Rukh Khan on Wednesday spoke about the personal and professional challenges he faced in the past five years and thanked fans for turning up in hordes to watch his films in 2023.
The actor was speaking at the CNN-News18 Indian of the Year 2023, where he was presented with the titular honour.
"I don't feel like the Indian of the Year. I feel I've been the Indian of all the years gone by. I will be the Indian for all the years to come. I'm actually the Indian for all ages...
"Loads of you came to watch my films. Some of you may not have even liked them but I hope deep down inside you came there to support me and my family. I bow down to you and thank you for bringing cheer to my family and making me the star I am, yet again," Shah Rukh said in his acceptance speech as he dedicated the award to his family.
After a string of flops, Shah Rukh took a self-imposed sabbatical post the release of Zero in 2018. His eldest son Aryan Khan spent 22 days in jail after being arrested in connection with the Mumbai cruise drugs case in 2021. Opening up about the struggles he faced, he said, “The last four, five years have been a bit of a ride for me and my family. I am sure some of you also because of Covid and stuff. Most of my films flopped, and a lot of specialists and analysts started writing my death knell, some idiots did the same, which actually is the same thing, analysts and idiots. Not something that I really bother about," he said.
"I'm a guy who's hopeful and tells happy stories. The heroes I play do good things, they give hope and happiness. If I play a bad guy, I make sure he suffers a lot, that he dies a dog's death. Because I believe goodness begets goodness and badness deserves a kick in the backside." Quoting the popular dialogue "Picture abhi baaqi hai mere dost" from his film Om Shanti Om, the actor said it is during the testing times that one needs to be a hopeful, happy and honest storyteller.
The actor also said that if he were to play a negative character, he would make sure that the character “dies a dog’s death.” He said, "I am a guy who is hopeful and tells happy stories. The heroes I play do good things, they give hope and happiness. If I play a bad guy, I make sure he suffers a lot, he dies a dog’s death because I believe goodness begets goodness. And I believe badness deserves a kick in the backside.” He continued, “I should play honest roles that give people the courage to dream. I should keep working hard quietly with the hope that life doesn’t topple my apple cart anytime soon."
In 2023, the actor returned to films with three back-to-back blockbusters Pathaan, Jawan, and Dunki.
But, Shah Rukh said he hadn't made a "comeback" to the movies.
"It's not a comeback, it is actually the reiteration of the fact that I belong and should continue to act and not learn pasta and pizza," he said.
The actor, who made his film debut with 1992's Deewana, also said he was now "hungrier" as that's what one has to be if they have to keep doling out entertainment year after year for 140 crore people.
"It's been a long time since I won an award. I had started thinking that I was doomed or destined to win one of these lifetime achievement awards at these loud and colourful TV award shows which unfortunately I've also hosted," he said, adding that he was "hungry" quoting his character Vikram Rathore from Jawan.
Shah Rukh also had an interesting conversation with his Dil Se director Mani Ratnam, who was presented with the Indian Of The Year Award (Entertainment).
The actor said he was ready to do Chhaiya Chhaiya, the train song from Dil Se, this time on a plane if Ratnam and he were to work on another film.
Ratnam, then, said he would have to buy a plane first, to which the actor replied that the way his films were performing at the box office, it would not be a big deal to buy one.
