It's silly being a star if you can't touch your fans: Shah Rukh Khan

Fans form a big part of Shah Rukh Khan’s identity and raison d’etre — something he speaks of with much passion. His upcoming film revolves around these faceless, nameless people that make him the star that he is. Seated at his landmark Bandra residence overlooking the sea, he tells us why they mean so much, how he can’t tolerate a badtameez one and much more.

How do you deal with all the fan madness when you step out?
Simple rule. I have told my bodyguards that any fan below the age of 25 has the right to be stupid, silly and childish. No one will say anything to them. I have kids who are 16 and 18 and they do things which cannot make you angry. Till 25 you are allowed to do right, wrong, good or ugly. If I was allowed to do Baazigar at 26, anyone is allowed to do anything.

Does not obliging a fan also mean loss of a ticket?
Ticket loss or not, I don’t take to badtameezi nicely. I don’t like it because I am not rude to anyone. In my house, even without being a strict father, nobody speaks badly to anyone. Nobody speaks without tameez. I am a big believer of tameez.

If you are not respectful, I can’t take it regardless of how old you are — 100 years or 1 year old. I am not going to hit you or anything but I will ignore you. I mean, it’s stupid to throw a bottle on stage to attract attention and say ‘I am your fan’. You have to be little sensible.

Tell us about a scary fan encounter...
Once when I was in Chennai, someone pulled my scarf off and it got entangled around my neck; it really hurt. It was after my shoulder surgery. I also hate it if you take my cap off; I will get it back from you — like I’ve done before. That’s why I don’t wear a scarf, cap, rings or chains at public places anymore. Once, I had a cop trying to protect me in Kolkata. He moved the barrel of his gun in a way that it hit my eye. We are never unkind to girls however, so they can do anything. (smiles). There was this one time when my team member Puneet was trying to stop people from coming close to my car at a parking lot and he got hit by a metal rod — his shin was damaged and he walks with a limp till today. My neck once started to bleed because someone tried to pull my chain.

But how do you handle fans that cross the line?
I have female fans, so if they cross the line it’s better (smiles). On a serious note, I have never had a ‘bad’ experience with my fans. I may have had an emotional experience though. This one kid who had ran from home to see me, climbed the pipe outside my old apartment, to the seventh floor just to see me. I had to later call his parents and put him on a train back home.

But despite all the trouble, you always go out of your way to meet everyone…
I remember in Berlin once, when Kajol and I were there, there were hundreds of people and the security said that you can’t go to them. I said ‘Then I am not coming on the red carpet’. When I go on the red carpet, I meet each and every person — sometimes the barricades are broken, but I will say hello to everyone. You hardly get a chance to meet the people who make you. My work is only for them and if you can’t get to see them, touch them, it’s redundant. It’s silly being a star if you can’t touch your fans.

Will Fan give a closer view about your life, perhaps a more real side to you?
I am playing a superstar, but we were clear that he shouldn’t be mistaken for Shah Rukh Khan. That’s why we called him Aryan Khanna. We used the house (Mannat) because there was no bungalow to shoot where crowds could gather. It was very clear; it is not my life story.

This year looks very interesting for you with the upcoming releases...
Every year is exciting as an actor. If a film is not exciting, I won’t do it. My level of excitement for a project however, might differ from an audience’s level of excitement for the same. I don’t differentiate work in terms of how good or bad it is. For me it is about work being exciting. Apart from Raees and Fan I have Gauri Shinde’s film too. will finish that by the end of this month and take a few months off. I have to get my leg in order.

You have been working non-stop despite the pain, haven’t you?
Yes, I need time. After the break, I will get back into the system with my next films. We haven’t locked anything, but for the last 18 months we have been in discussions in Imtiaz (Ali) and Anand (Rai).

What’s your gut feeling about Fan?
Honestly, I don’t know yaar. I have no idea how the film will do. Of course, I know how to package a film but sometimes your best efforts don’t convert into a blockbuster. Sometimes, not so good enough efforts turn out to be fantastic. I can’t tell. Aditya Chopra, Karan Johar — they have a better understanding of what a film’s business is likely to be. I don’t. I am too close to my films and I cannot tell. In fact, I can’t even tell about other people’s films.

Director Maneesh once said that he came to Mumbai only to make a film with you…
Yes, he keeps saying that he is going to retire after this film. So when I asked him about his retirement the other day, he said, ‘nai sir, abhi ek aur karunga’. I must have failed more often than not but he had the patience. He has a very different language of cinema for today’s time and a very interesting way of making a film. He has a method and is an educated filmmaker.

What was he like on the first day of the shoot?
Delhiwallas are never scared yaar; they come on the set as if they own it. That’s why half the people think that I am arrogant or Maneesh is arrogant. He is not. Besides, youngsters now have a strange way of respecting each other. The respect is that of equals. It’s like if I really respect you, I can say anything to you. If you are offended by that, then you have a problem. The young ADs of Maneesh would come and tell me ‘no sir, this shot was not nice’.