Shah Rukh Khan, one of India’s most famous and internationally recognized artists, has yet to make his Hollywood debut, which often baffles fans and industry insiders alike. In an interview with Variety, SRK explained why he hasn’t yet walked into Hollywood and what it would take for him to think about the possibility of doing so.
“I think it’s the world’s greatest and biggest theatre in terms of reach and how people see it,” Khan said when questioned about Hollywood. He instantly responded: “I don’t think I’m in a situation to choose and put circumstances, but yes, when a chance arises — I hope I can communicate English well enough.” Khan highlighted the importance of the character, adding, “It should be a role worthy of the status that the Indian audience has bestowed upon me.” “It should not disappoint.”
“I come across as extremely casual and happy-go-lucky, but I totally understand and recognize the amount of admiration I receive, how much people adore me. People look up to what I do. People have shown me too much affection. People from India and all over the world have given me and my loved ones all we have,” he said. Khan feels deeply responsible for this respect, regardless of whether he is working on a Hindi film, a regional Indian film, or a Hollywood movie.
Despite his hiatus from Hollywood, Khan’s ultimate goal is not personal fame on a worldwide scale, but rather something much bigger. “My goal is to get that one Indian film to be seen with the same type of audience that a big Hollywood film is seen, whether I’m part of it as an actor, as a light man, as a producer, as a writer, as a presenter,” Khan told me. “I just want an Indian story to be appreciated worldwide, and possibly I can be a small part of it.”
Shah Rukh Khan will next appear in Sujoy Ghosh’s King. Speaking about it, SRK stated, “It is an action drama, a Hindi film. It will be intriguing. I’ve wanted to make a film like that for about seven or eight years. We simply felt Sujoy would be the best choice since we wanted it to be emotionally correct. We’re all working together to create a cool, massive, action-packed, and emotional film.”
