MUMBAI: Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan has acted in numerous movies since he stepped foot into the film industry — some were hits, some were super hits and some were flops; some were romance-filled and some were action-filled dramas. Although he feels that he can play any role, he admits that there is a natural censorship system inside him which doesn’t allow him to cross certain boundaries.
“I do believe that an actor, who is self aware, will never do a film which is not an extension of his personality,” he said, while in conversation with lyricist Prasoon Joshi at an event where he was honoured with the Rajasthan Patrika Concerned Communicator Award.
“So somewhere I feel my upbringing has been very simple. My parents taught me good things,” he added. “Personally, I shy away from saying something wrong.” Shahrukh feels that an actor’s personality reflects in the kind of films he is a part of. “I can’t say certain things in my films. I feel that it will not look good when I watch the movies with my kids or even when I’m watching them alone.”
“There is a natural censorship [policy] inside my system,” added the 47-year-old actor, who has been involved in many controversies. “But having said that, I don’t know if that censorship is so personal — especially my sense of humour — that people [still] get me wrong [sometimes]; and it hurts sentiments and disturbs people.”
In his glorious career, Shahrukh has essayed negative roles in Darr, Baazigar and Anjaam and later, earned the tag of the Badshah of Romance by playing a perfect lover boy in romantic films such as Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Dil To Pagal Hai and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. He was also lauded for his performances in Swades and Chak De! India.
No matter how good an actor he is, Shahrukh feels that there are still boundaries he is naturally inclined to stay within. “I can do this role or that [role]. I can also prepare and change my personality a little to fit into a certain role that I want to play,” he said. “But as hard as I try, I don’t think it can ever go beyond my upbringing.”
Currently, the actor is busy promoting his forthcoming film Chennai Express. Directed by Rohit Sherry, the film features Deepika Padukone as the female lead.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 29th, 2013.
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