Today the whole of nation will be glued to Star plus to catch a glimpse of SRK as the KBC 3 Host and here is a recent interview.
So, you nervous, confident or over confident?
• I am anxious. I’m always anxious. You people all think I am pompous but that’s a just a front for me. Inside, I’m anxious. For me it’s the creative process. You create something in isolation — alone with your thoughts in the moment — and when it is exposed, there is a huge explosion of public opinion. It’s like painting. You work in solitude and then you exhibit it. In the film industry, I am sure, I know. I know where I’m headed and whether it’s in the right direction. Here, I don’t know.
Are you coping with the obvious comparisons?
There has been hype, pressure, comparisons with this other gentleman that I am
not comfortable talking about. Because all this negative and positive carries to the children, and I’m wary about that. However what really hurts me are the SMSes.
SMSes?
That newspapers carry in reader’s polls?
When a Geetika from Bhayander says ‘SRK sucks’ that really hurts me. I read them all. The good and the bad. It’s like a pimple on the face. You don’t notice the rest of the face, but the pimple you notice. I remember the nasty ones. Some are very rude.
You and Gauri work hard to shield the kids from your public persona?
Yes. Before I took up this offer, I went to my kids, because they are very fond of Mr Bachchan, the few times they have interacted with him that is. They said “You can do it if Crorepati uncle is not doing it.” Only then I took it up.
My kids have sensed that I am anxious. So they are doing something they have never done before — they drop by the sets and linger around, when I’m doing my make up, sometimes all day. They’ve never done that on my movie sets in all these years. I think children are the first to sense these things. Mine feel they need to be there for me this time.
Do you practice questions on your children?
Yes, I do. But we always play a card game called ‘It’s cool to be smart’ which is fun for all ages. When the media reports that ‘The stars were spotted in revelry at SRK’s house’ what is really happening is that my friends and I — Farhan (Akhtar), Karan (Johar), Kajal (not the actor, another one), Farah (Khan), Gauri (Khan) are generally laughing at ourselves (no alcohol you know) — and playing this and ‘Trivial Pursuit’ till 4 am.
The kids are up till 4 am too?
Well, actually it gets irritating when they join in because we are trying to play competitively and you can’t play to win when kids get in. I invite their friends over and we play few rounds together — and I make them all double crorepatis!
Is there any truth to ‘SRK vs Mr Bachchan’?
See, no matter what I say nobody believes me. He’s an accomplished gentleman who’s 64, and I am where I am, and at the stage where I am the comparison is not fair to him at all.
But is there awkwardness? Are you two on speaking terms?
Arre yaar, this is all because of that article that weekly news magazine carried. What’s that woman’s name? I’ll slap her when I see her next. I have been in this industry for 10 years now and I have never been thwarted yet. I may be anxious but I will never be thwarted. But nobody believes me.
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