Shah Rukh Khan bats for his Knights, bowls for his Fan in a smoke-free chat

Kolkata: There’s bad news and there’s good news for SRK fans waiting for his multiple KKR appearances at the Eden Gardens. The bad news first: Shah Rukh Khan will not be able to make it for his team’s IPL 9 opener against Delhi Daredevils. “I can’t tell you how excited I was about being in Calcutta for the first match on Sunday but I have to attend Prince William’s dinner (in Mumbai). I won’t be able to make it on the 13th (for the match against Mumbai Indians) as well because we will be in London for Fan promotions.” And now the good news. “But after that I will be in Calcutta for as many matches as I can. It’s just too exciting,” says the superstar. The Telegraph's t2 met the 50-year-old Khan at his sprawling den at Mannat in Mumbai, almost close to midnight on Thursday. Having wrapped up the shoot for Rahul Dholakia’s Raees, Shah Rukh is on a promotional blitz for his next — the very ambitious Fan. Directed by Maneesh Sharma, this Yash Raj production tells the story of Gaurav, a fan who gets obsessed with his idol Aryan Khanna.

Before we sit down to talk, I have a quick request, “Would you please not smoke,” explaining that I am allergic to cigarette smoke. He stops just as he is reaching for his pack and the lighter. “Of course,” he says, and for the next half-hour we chat about idols, fans and KKR’s love for Calcutta. This movie has so many layers. Was there anything in particular that drew you to it? To begin with, it’s unchartered territory for me as an actor. Adi (Aditya Chopra) wanted to release this on my 50th birthday (November 2, 2015). He said that at 50, people would see me play a 25-year-old. We weren’t ready for it because it took us a whole year to do the VFX (visual effects). In terms of make-up and VFX, it’s never been done before in the world. These are two big technical turn-ons. Maneesh has had this story for a decade now and it’s so different... oddly different. In the 25 years that I have been in Mumbai, I have never played a Delhi boy. I see a lot of actors do it and I think they are fantastic but I am a Delhi boy who wanted to play a Delhi boy. There are so many of us from Delhi on the sets. Also, I didn’t know how to do this film. When I get a film that I don’t know how to tackle, I get even more excited. This is not a double role. The idea is to actually make you forget that Aryan and Gaurav are being played by the same person. The first day when Adi, Maneesh and I sat here, we wanted to make people forget that one guy was playing both the characters. We aren’t Hollywood that we could know how this could be done! It was only after that conversation we started trying to figure out how to make it happen. Maneesh went to LA to meet make-up artists while my team started work on VFX to figure out if it is possible to make someone look so much younger. We then shot a portion of the film and failed miserably. It was so terrible that we almost shelved the film.... Really? Ya ya. It was completely wrong. Then one night we were all sitting outside my office really depressed that this film wasn’t happening. We had to take a call on whether to drop the film. There was something that made us decide to go ahead. We just hoped that things go right. I saw the film last night and I think we’ve got it right. It was very difficult and challenging. There is always that feeling that we won’t pull it off. Obviously, you never know until the release…. When you do a film that you can’t predict the fate of and when you get that right, there’s nothing more exciting. How often has it happened in your career when you didn’t know how a film would do? It’s happened about 10 times. I mostly know the good and the bad... I don’t know the extent. But the ones that you are absolutely unsure about... you start wondering chalegi ya nahin chalegi. It happens. Of course, there are always films that I feel worked and you’ll disagree. And there are some like Asoka, which I thought was really beautiful, and they didn’t work. You live with that (smiles). But that doesn’t take away from the fact that whenever you venture into unchartered territory, it is always exciting as a filmmaker. So, it was tough to get Gaurav’s look but what do you make of who he is as a character? I really don’t know. I saw the film last night. My kids really liked the film and me in it. They gave me a hug at the end. Otherwise they hug me a lot but for a film, they haven’t before (smiles). They said: ‘We are very proud of you Papa’. Every day, when I am promoting this film or I am at Yash Raj dubbing.... [He gets distracted and asks the publicist from YRF: Am I supposed to dub today? I want to change a line.’].... I don’t know how to own Gaurav. I don’t know how to take a compliment for Gaurav, if anyone likes him. I don’t know how he got created. There is a huge input from everyone from Manu (Anand), the cameraman, to the costume designer Niharika (Bhasin Khan), Greg (Cannom), the make-up guy, and my (Red Chillies) VFX team but when I look at him, I don’t know who he is. I don’t understand him or how I did it. I know people will like him. Last night, I had to run away after the screening before anyone could tell me how good or bad he was. I got into a bathroom and smoked (smiles). I think I created him in a state that was dichotomous or schizophrenic. When you see the film, you’ll realise that there are strange layers in it. [His phone rings, it’s daughter Suhana. After a quick ‘where are you?’, plans are made to ‘spend some time together, watch a movie and laze’.] So, I know what Gaurav looks like.... I lost some weight, his body language is different and my voice has been changed and VFX has shortened me but I don’t know what makes his mind tick. He is not based on anyone I have seen in my fans, thankfully. He is a different and strange beast. A little while ago, I went down to meet my sister (Lala Rukh) and she said: ‘I am missing Gaurav. He is sweet, na’. I was like ‘whatever’ (smiles). I couldn’t turn around and say: ‘That’s because I played him like that’. I just don’t know how to take credit for him. It’s very awkward. And Aryan is a superstar... I did play a star in Billu but ya, this is very different. Aryan is a superstar without the trappings or flamboyance. He is not like me at all. It would be wrong of Adi and Maneesh to expect me to play myself in this film. Aryan is more practical. He is worried about his status and he is more patient. I think he is a lot more mature than me. You have a legion of fans who are quite fanatical about you. Do you remember your first encounter with a fan? I don’t know if they were fans but I do remember the first time I realised I was popular or that people recognised me. I was in a rickshaw near Panchsheel in Delhi. There were two ladies — they were probably mother-daughter or two sisters — in the next auto. They were very slumped over... almost like the weight of the world was on their shoulders. They looked really morose. (Pouts and slouches on the sofa) And then suddenly their faces lit up. I didn’t even realise that they were shouting ‘Abhi, Abhi...’ my character Abhimanyu Rai from Fauji. It was very awkward. Both the rickshaws were trying to figure out what was happening and in that moment, the traffic lights opened and we drove off. I wasn’t used to being called by a character’s name, so till about 10 minutes after we moved, I didn’t realise they were calling out to me. That’s when I realised that people knew me. I called you Abhi as well, decades ago. This was at New Delhi railway station when you were travelling to Mumbai by Rajdhani... Oh wow! So you’d know that that was when I moved to Mumbai and that famous episode of me saying that ‘I’ll own Bombay one day’. That’s the last time I travelled by Rajdhani. Wow! That’s a blast from the past. A couple of years ago, you had told me about meeting Robert De Niro in Dubai and how excited you were because he was one of your idols. When was the last time you felt like a fan? See, I have liked a lot of people and appreciated their work. I am being asked about being a fan, I don’t want to sound arrogant… I like Milkha Singh, Sunil Gavaskar and Muhammad Ali. I have an original Life magazine cover of Muhammad Ali (points to a giant table in front of him). Being a fan is a luxury; loving someone is a luxury. You need to have time for it. You sit for four hours and cut that person’s photo out of a magazine. Unfortunately, my circumstances because of my parents dying young, I didn’t have time to play. I didn’t have the time to be a fan. I had to start working early. From age 15 I worked until I was 25 when my mother died. And, before I knew it, I was a star. So, before I had the luxury of being a fan, I was a star. Now, I am a fan. I am a fan of AbRam (smiles). Being a fan is a full-time job and I had to work for a living. I wish I had a Justin Bieber in my life or Ed Sheeran…. One Direction? That’s Zayn Malik, na? Ya, I met him in London last year during an award show (The Asian Awards). They are Pakistanis and his mother and sister wanted a photograph with me. I told my daughter that I met some guy called Zayn Malik and she couldn’t believe that I was with him. She went completely ballistic! So, I asked him if I could take a picture with him before I go out for a smoke. We took a picture and I sent it to my daughter. When I tweeted it, it apparently became the most retweeted picture in India ever. I liked Michael Jackson a lot. But I don’t have a picture with him because when I met him, for some reason there was no time. Gauri has a photo with him but I don’t. Ditto for Madonna. Coming back to your film. There is so much talk about this new phase in your career where you are working with different directors like Maneesh and then Gauri Shinde…. Ya, but I wonder why. I had never worked with Rohit Shetty before Chennai Express. It’s not my world but I really wanted to experience his world. I found his films funny. After watching Golmaal, I called Kareena (Kapoor). I didn’t think I could carry off a line like ‘Don’t underestimate the power of a common man’. For an actor, it’s very important to be able to do all kinds of roles. Before that I did a film with Shimit Amin (Chak De! India). He was an editor on Asoka, which is how I knew him. Before that, I worked with a choreographer who turned into a director (Krishna Vamsi, who directed Shakti). I like working with people who have different ideas. The only thing I want from my directors is that they have to love me. That I am very clear on. I don’t want to be loved as a star but as a person. People ask me how I choose a film. It’s simple, before making the film the person spends one year with me. I have to be cajoled and treated very kindly. Yash Chopra and Aziz Mirza used to treat me very kindly. They loved me. That’s an important criterion. Maneesh is an old friend. Farhan (Akhtar) said: ‘I have not written Don but I have a really good script’. So, he brought Raees and Rahul (Dholakia). I think Gauri Shinde writes really well. I really liked English Vinglish. I couldn’t do one film with her husband (R. Balki)...Sh ...Sh...Sh... Shamitabh? Ya. Shamitabh. I met her in Pune and I told her, write a film for me. She’s written one, though not for me. But it’s a film I am happy working with her on. You have to work with happiness and love. If you ask me, I would want all my directors to be women. Because?! They love me more and they are gentler and kinder (laughs). It feels nicer to hug a girl at the end of a day than to hug a guy. So, there is no conscious effort to work with new directors but ya, new people bring new ideas. If they love you enough, they would tell you how badly you are doing it. If they don’t love you, they would just agree with whatever you say. People who really love me say: ‘Shah Rukh Sir, not good’. So I’ll try. I am over-sensitive, so if someone tells me curtly that the shot is not working, I get very upset. Now we have to talk about KKR! Yes! We have some really nice people who have joined us this time — Colin Munro and a couple of others. Simon Katich, Jacques Kallis… the old guys are all there. (Gautam) Gambhir has led the team so well. Sunil (Narine) just had a sad incident... his father passed away. So, he has gone back to West Indies. He will hopefully come back at some point. The guys have been training in South Africa. The good thing about those who don’t make it to their country’s teams is that they get to train a lot more with us. Over the years, the winning and losing has got the whole team really close. After eight years of IPL, my understanding is that you have to be a team... stand together. KKR is a team. The players might come from all over the world but they are all so emotional about Kolkata. Somehow each one of them believes that Kolkata is their home. The people of Kolkata have supported us through our disgustingly bad phase and then the champion phases. Aami KKR! And, I am done… before I am thrown out!  You won’t get thrown out because you’ve overshot your time limit but because I need to smoke (laughs).