Although turning to alcohol, according to Shah Rukh Khan, helped him win the Best Actor award for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Devdas, there was a drawback.
In the 2002 hit historical drama Devdas, directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Shah Rukh Khan portrayed an alcoholic. The actor disclosed in a recent interview from the Locarno Film Festival that he used method acting for the part, which had both positive and negative effects.
According to Shah Rukh, he started drinking to fit the title role. In response to the question of if that went well, he said that it did professionally because it won him the Best Actor prize the following year. But he also mentioned that it had an adverse effect on his health. “One drawback of the movie is that I started drinking after it, so it might have helped,” he remarked.
Shah Rukh continued to discuss his interpretation of the legendary figure, which was created in 1917 by Bengali novelist Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay. “I didn’t want you to detest him, but I also didn’t want you to fall in love with him. I also didn’t want you to think well of him because he is an alcoholic who leaves every female he falls in love with. Shah Rukh remarked, “I just wanted him to seem indescribable.
“Leela Sanjay Devdas, adapted by Bhansali, came after Bimal Roy’s 1955 film, which had Dilip Kumar in the lead role. Aishwarya Rai as Paro and Madhuri Dixit as Chandramukhi opposite Shah Rukh both starred in Bhansali’s Devdas. The ensemble cast also included Jackie Shroff as Chunri Babu, Kirron Kher, Tiku Talsania, and Dina Pathak. Bharat Shah’s Mega Bollywood produced Devdas, which made history that year by being the first Hindi movie to open at the Cannes Film Festival. Ismail Darbar wrote the film’s enduring soundtrack. Devdas, which was produced on an extraordinary ₹50 crore budget, brought in ₹99.88 crore globally.
The next film starring Shah Rukh is King, a criminal drama directed by Sujoy Ghosh. He’ll be featured in an age-appropriate role alongside daughter Suhana Khan on film. King, which is being produced by Red Chillies Entertainment, will be released in theaters on Eid 2026.
