Given Shah Rukh’s career crossroads, it’s going to be fascinating to watch where he goes from here.
Is it just me, or has Shah Rukh Khan become the most interesting actor around? This isn’t about his performing skills. This isn’t about his box-office clout, healthy enough for a star, yet nowhere near that of the other two Khans of his generation, Salman and Aamir. This is about where the actor is at this point, at some kind of crossroads. He’s too old to pull off the demented lover and Raj-Rahul routines that made him a superstar – even the mature variants of Raj and Rahul haven’t quite done the trick, as the modest returns of Jab Tak Hai Jaan and Dilwale prove. But he hasn’t figured out what the alternative is. He’s trying to reinvent himself. But as what? He doesn’t seem to know. We don’t either. And that’s… interesting.
Aamir’s films have acquired the reputation of being better, classier, more wholesome in terms of an all-round cinematic experience. After his reinvention in 2001, with Lagaan and Dil Chahta Hai, his films have become the equivalent of an Ambassador car. A tad old-fashioned, but in a good way. And sturdy. Reliable. Best for Indian conditions. Can accommodate the whole family. Salman, whose reinvention happed in the Wanted/Dabangg phase (2009/2010), is the screen’s answer to a Bullet: not much mileage, but fun and cool, if a tad noisy. Even Akshay Kumar, who started out around the same time as Shah Rukh (Saugandh came in 1991, Deewana a year later), has accomplished a turnaround. In fact, his may be the most startling reinvention of all: from cheesy action hero to comedy star to all-rounder whose fans will see him in any kind of film today. (Just look at his 2016 slate: a patriotic pilot in Airlift, a clown in Housefull 3, a cuckolded husband in Rustom.)
That’s the model Shah Rukh seems to be going after, if his output from last year is anything to go by. Fan was a risky deconstruction of his inherent Shah Rukh-ness – the film did not entirely work, either artistically or commercially, but it was a fascinating meta experiment. And in the refreshingly different Dear Zindagi, he played a glorified supporting role, something like what Aamir did in Taare Zameen Par, but with less wattage. And now, we have Raees, a film that tries to graft grimy masala tropes onto a star whose image has become synonymous with posh NRI-frequented multiplexes. The film isn’t very good, but it’s a pleasure to be reminded that there’s still a wolf whistle-worthy single-screen star in Shah Rukh Khan.
Reinvention is something that seems to affect only the Bollywood lot. In other industries, fans seem happy seeing their idols do the same thing across decades. Look at Chiranjeevi. At 61, he’s still pulling off a masala movie like Khaidi No. 150. Salman Khan is a decade younger, but even with his loyal fan base, it’s hard to see him doing another instalment in the Ek Tha Tiger franchise ten years from now. The younger lot – Ranveer Singh, Ranbir Kapoor – don’t even seem interested in an image. They’re doing films they find interesting, challenging. Only Tiger Shroff is assiduously building himself up as an action hero.
The question with reinvention is this: How do you change the kind of films you make without diluting – too much – the things in you that audiences like, the things that made you this big star? Fan tried to push the envelope while giving Shah Rukh’s fans the Shah Rukh they craved, but to many, the film’s creepy central character, the world’s biggest Shah Rukh fan, must have felt like a slap in the face. And Dear Zindagi was essentially about Alia Bhatt exorcising her demons through psychotherapy – not exactly the recipe for a pan-India hit. So here’s another question: Is Shah Rukh content being one of the top stars, or does he have his sights on the 300-crore blockbuster that’s eluded him? (Aamir and Salman have two each: the former with Dangal and pk, the latter with Sultan and Bajrangi Bhaijaan.) Because the films he’s making now – one with Imtiaz Ali, one with Aanand L Rai – don’t point to that kind of business.
These questions are why the nature of the next Shah Rukh film – the nature of his future career trajectory, in general – has become more interesting. With Aamir and Salman, you know – broadly – what kind of film you’re going to get, what kind of box office result these films will get. With Shah Rukh, all of this is a big question mark. He’s the biggest star Imtiaz Ali has worked with, but will his stardom affect the project? Ali’s forte is the personal and intimate romance, so how will he handle the biggest romantic star since Rajesh Khanna? Will Ali be able to do what Rahul Dholakia couldn’t in Raees, where the director’s vision was at times hijacked by the necessities of star power?
And what about those on this side of the screen? Does the average audience, the average Shah Rukh fan, want a reinvention? Do they want Shah Rukh doing a variety of unconventional films with unconventional (for a star of his magnitude) filmmakers? Do they care? But at least for the critic and the serious filmgoer, it’s going to be fascinating to watch where Shah Rukh Khan goes from here. He’s apparently playing a dwarf in the Aanand Rai movie. It feels like a giant leap into the unknown.
An edited version of this piece can be found here. Copyright ©2017 The Hindu. This article may not be reproduced in its entirety without permission. A link to this URL, instead, would be appreciated.
sanjana
February 4, 2017
Sometimes he reminds me of Kamal. Experimenting but not directing himself. Dwarf is also a reminder of Appuraja. Imtiaz film will be like watching hybrid of Ranbir Srk. So it will be like old wine in new bottle. Where is the newness?
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abzee
February 4, 2017
A superbly written piece, if a tad sympathetic to SRK’s own ambivalence and prevarication. He seems to have delayed his reinvention, and as you rightly said, even now with these lineup of films, he needs to be just as sure as his fanbase whether he still chases the 300cr league.
On an aside, this piece and the K-Jo shoutout! Pray how does your past karma bring you to this crossroads of ‘dharma’?
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abzee
February 4, 2017
Btw, as a proud owner of a 1985 Royal Enfield Bullet Classic 350, I take great offence to both the trivializing of the motorcycle engineering marvel to an inefficiently noisy but cool ride (it is blasphemous to use uburban Indian qualifiers of mileage in judging the appeal of a Bullet) and especially the audacity of having it compared with Salman Khan! The Bullet respects the road like no one else 🙂
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Anuja Chandramouli
February 4, 2017
It was Sushmitha Sen who said that SRK could romance a tree I think. And Neha Dupia famously made headlines with the quote that in Bollywood only sex and SRK sells. With that double hex, the King of romance got jinxed and finds himself going through a career crisis of sorts or at least a crisis in terms of a failure to emulate the success of Aamir and Salman.
Even so I think it is a great opportunity for him to go back to his roots when he did those amazing anti – hero roles in Baazigar, Darr and Anjaam. Even Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa saw him play a loveable character with shades of grey. There was something very raw and intensely appealing about him in those days. Unfortunately, Karan Johar, Yash and Adi Chopra got their claws into a promising actor who needed his rough edges smoothed out to truly shine and made a loverboy of him. Hopefully with some damage control and reinvention he can get his mojo back.
I am really looking forward to the Imtiaz Ali flick. If it’s a role like Randeep Hooda’s in Highway, it will be banging for sure! Fingers crossed for both of them. Looking forward to the return of the King and there is no reason it can’t happen, provided good directors armed with awesome scripts, capable of reining in the ham and superstar both, take him in hand.
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venkatesh
February 4, 2017
But hasn’t this always been the case.
He has always been interesting.
At the early part of his career he started off as the anti-hero and even after being successful, did about 20 small budget films that were anything but hero material. Films like Oh Darling Yeh Hai India, English Babu Desi Mem etc. DDLJ of course catapulted him into the Rahul, Raj phase.
However, he still did a Paheli, Chak De India, Swades, Hey Ram, Fan…. films that are not typical Bollywood star vehicles.
Among the 3 Khans, he has always been the bigger risk-taker.
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brangan
February 4, 2017
Abzee: ROFL. Circle of life, I guess 😂
Venkatesh: How about “BR Discoverer”? 😛
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theartofexpressions
February 4, 2017
Good article BR. Just reminded me of the similar article by Subra Gupta after Jab tak hai Jaan.
http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/what-next-srk-/1034909/0
will write more in next comments
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Aran
February 4, 2017
Following Anuja and venkatesh’s analysis and agreeing with it, I don’t think Shahrukh set out to consciously carve an image for himself. He has always done interesting cinema. It’s just that the Raj/Rahul roles came to be the biggest hits among his fan base, but not like he hasn’t done other types of roles. I think he fell into the romantic hero sort of role, saw it worked for him and somewhat made it a hallmark, but other than that I think he’s been pretty versatile.
At this point in his career, I have to wonder if he’s actively trying to build an image in order to stay relevant or just trying to do interesting cinema that makes him satisfied about his work. The appearance with Alia on Koffee with Karan pointed to this a bit when he said that he is looking to have his films counted among the best in the world.
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sanjana
February 4, 2017
The one film I am looking forward to is Dutt’s biopic which is highly risky. Can Ranbir do justice to Sanjay Dutt who is a living legend? And Tubelight where the 300 crore Khan and the one and only SRK are working together. Who will outshine the other?
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Akhilan
February 4, 2017
Hey BR, um totally irrelevant here, but are you planning to review Kung Fu Yoga…?? (Sorry, but I just couldn’t resist…) 😉
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Kartik
February 4, 2017
Hi, I feel that the prototype followed in Chak de India.. keeping SRK for several short furious bursts, is what may be his future. I am enjoying his evolution, but I feel that this is way ahead for him.
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BR Discoverer (formerly the original venkatesh)
February 4, 2017
@Anuja, @BR: This seems to be it, then.
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Anu Warrier
February 4, 2017
I have never understood the sheer hatred for SRK; these days, it seems all he has to do is breathe and people sling insults at him. 🙂 The guy is talented. There’s no doubting that. What happened to him had happened to Amitabh Bachchan earlier – they became trapped by the image that propelled them to fame. Like SRK, AB had also worked in very interesting films even while he was playing ‘Vijay’. But no one saw beyond his ‘angry young man’ image.
I think SRK is a very talented actor who became a tad comfortable in the niché he occupied. Coupled with his self-admitted insecurity, I think he became trapped in his own mind. If he will give in to his director’s vision (instead of diluting it, like he and Farhan did with Raees, keeping his ‘star image’ in sight), he’s still capable of great work. I hope he does.
I don’t agree that Aamir is a ‘safe’ actor. I think he takes risks within the commercial space that most actors his peers wouldn’t. For instance, he’s the only ‘superstar’ who played a completely negative role in 1947 Earth. (SRK’s negative characters were all given sympathetic shades, reasons for his behaviour, etc.) I can’t see either Salman or SRK playing father to young adult children, or even looking old. (I’m not talking about designer grey streaks, here.)
p.s. JFYI, the Tiger is returning. 🙂 Not ten years from now, but in the next couple of years.
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chhotesaab
February 4, 2017
As a big SRK fan from his early days, his recent films have had a similar trend – very interesting when announced but disappointing after release. As other comments have pointed out, he always did more interesting films of all the stars ( well, Aamir definitely changed himself and started doing interesting films after 2001 but he himself plays the same role/character over and over again in all his movies – hero/protagonist who is super confident in his opinion/ skills/ beliefs … he has never done a role where his character is sort of vulnerable, unsure, under confident, like Paheli for SRK) but as far as execution was concerned, it was not upto the mark , especially last few years – RaOne, JTHJ, Don 2 (though I had liked Don) Dilwaale, Fan and Raees. This is where, IMO, Aamir has overtaken him – execution and the final product. This is why I feel Aamir has a much bigger hand and lot of input into how the film is made. While SRK seems to choose more interesting projects but either leaves it upto the director or gives input and fails to execute like Aamir. Salman, on the other hand, seems to have just found his niche thanks to Prabhudeva’s Wanted and solidified by Abhinav Kashyap’s Dabangg. And obviously, Akshay Kumar has really made a conscious effort to do really varied roles , fairly successfully too.
So, will hope that SRK’s next with Imtiaz Ali and Anand Rai are as interesting AFTER release as now. I had read about Vishal Bharadwaj doing or wanting to do a movie with SRK … hope that is true and happens. Also, very interesting that Munnabhai MBBS and 3 Idiots were first offered to SRK (not sure if they would have turned out such huge hits). I personally would want SRK to keep selecting and doing interesting roles but with better execution.
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Senthil S
February 5, 2017
I agree with Anu. I don’t get the hatred for SRK. IMO, he’s the most talented and versatile among the three Khans and not afraid to pick different roles. What other big star would sign a surreal film like Dil Se, or a deconstruction of their career like Fan? The range in the man is also admirable. Compare the passion of Amar from Dil Se, the innocence of Sunil from Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa, the idealism of Mohan from Swades, the regret of Aryan Khanna in Fan. The same audience that tells him to make different cinema is the same audience that refuses to accept different cinema (BO failure of Swades, Paheli, Fan, Dil Se).
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Meyyappan Subramanian
February 5, 2017
There was one variation of Raj/Rahul that worked big time when he skewed the humor quotient greater than the dramatic or romantic one, Chennai Express… fans loved it too but yes he is not number 1 and he must mind this a lot but i am glad he is going down this path and as you said is very interesting but i hope he doesnt fade to the back seat like Naseerudin or other great actors, surely that cant happen srk wont let it happen,lets hope he finds himself and can carter to multiple audiences like akshay kumar, he does have the acting ability. Better uncompromising scripts like aamir with lots of humor in his persona, something that he is very adept at and fast screen plays like salman khan templete ones with varying genres could be his success mantra with his fans, commercially,as an actor, star and most importantly to himself.
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MV
February 5, 2017
SRK is happy doing what he does.
We can call it interesting, disastrous, delayed, diminishing returns, dramebaazi – but he seems genuinely happy : Be it dancing with Ilayathalapathy Vijay in Vijay Awards, replying to arbitrary fans on Twitter with so much love, doing low-wattage cameos (ADHM DZ), sounding deliberately pompous in interviews, charming even the elusive Rajnikanth into doing a cameo (note: Rajni apparently refused to dub for Dangal’s tamil version), making all his heroines feel special one way or the other (the most recent being Sunny Leone) etc
There is so much more to his persona than the net collection his movies make. That way, his movies may fall short of expectations, not him.
(Someone compared him with Kamal – well, I think BR had written something like this (though not much on BO returns, more on creative returns) after Anbe Sivam. And Papanasam released last year, enough said 🙂 )
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Sandhya
February 5, 2017
BR- I wonder how many of your readers remember a show on Doordarshan called ‘Doosra Keval’. This was SRK’s first foray into TV…pre-Fauji, pre-Circus. My mom would let me stay up late just to watch it since we were riveted by both the story and this scrawny unknown fella’s performance. Just that memory, for me, offers a clue into his audience and his lasting star-power.
I see Shah Rukh essentially operating in four mind-zones, the studied theater actor who worked with Mani Kaul, Pradip Kishen, Ketan Mehta and the likes, the ‘dilli ka launda’ (his own words), the geek-businessman who loves tech and Harry Potter, and of course, the Raj-Rahul uber-lover.
It seems to me that he picks films that appeal to one or more of these four hats at any given time. If it’s a cornucopia-type film that checks off more than one of these boxes, like the YashRaj-KJo canon or the Rohit Shetty-Farah Khan mega-masalas, it’s an easy choice. But even with his non-traditional choices, be it Chak De India (the one SRK movie that all the men seem to like) or Fan, he ensures there are enough elements to keep his female audiences engaged, even at the expense of narrative integrity.
I recall laughing out loud while watching DDLJ, when, during the ‘Ho Gaya Hai Tujhko’ song, he practically willed himself to appear irresistible, all deep stares, snuggly sweater and dimples. With that movie he tasted blood, figuratively…you think he would have done the misogynistic, abusive Darr character had it been offered to him post-DDLJ? Or Chak De India if he had to play coach to the mens’ hockey team?
Amir and Salman have long stopped thinking of the female audience in particular terms; even Salman’s shirtless scenes have this asexual, perfunctory quality to them. (the Bhai moniker doesn’t help either!). For this very reason, I also think Shah Rukh will delay playing father to grown up kids a-la Amir for as long as he can help it and aim for some sort of aging-but-sassy image like the late Feroz Khan in the long run. His interviews always betray that fear (‘I look sexy in a pathani’). Fun fact – Shah Rukh has worked with not one or two but four women directors…not that this automatically correlates to an increase in female footfalls but it does offer insights into his thinking. Visit Madam Tussauds in London where the wax likenesses of all our Bollywood stars from Amitabh and Salman to Hritik and Shah Rukh are lined up in the same area – guess where the most women are queued up? You don’t just give up on that hard-earned equity lightly.
There is a scene in Fan where Gaurav, the look-alike fan, performs at a rich NRI’s daughter’s wedding and starts feeling up/molesting the women he’s dancing with…which is basically an unsubtle fourth-wall-melting message that I, dear ladies, would NEVER do that to you!
As for Raees, it is yet another example after Don and Devdas of Shah Rukh casting himself in the Bachchan-Dilip Kumar mould, which he loves to do from time to time. So many obsessions, so little time 🙂
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Garvit Sharma
February 5, 2017
@Venkatesh However, he still did a Paheli, Chak De India, Swades, Hey Ram, Fan…. films that are not typical Bollywood star vehicles.
Man,you nearly mentioned all his unconventional roles and like everybody on this planet including SRK, forgot Asoka(2001). It seems Asoka is our “Once upon a Time in America” upon release murdered at the hands of editors. There are two peculiar memories of my childhood I have related to movies. One is the delayed transmission of Satya from 9 PM to 11 PM and the other is splitting up of Asoka the movie as a sort of tele series. Asoka is a “laawaris” of our film industry left weeping at the stairs of the cinema halls.
It had been nearly a decade since SRK produced anything of note barring Chennai Express till Fan again brought the spark back to his promotional efforts, though he has always been far ahead of the two other Khans as a salesman for his movies. With Raees,he went all in again. The biggest disappointment for me of his lost decade was Don 2 as it had Farhan Akhtar at the director’s seat. How could the man who started it all with Dil Chahta Hai go so awfully off-course from Don. The trash that Karan Johar,Yash chopra and Farha Khan made for him no longer sells with the audiences. IMO where SRK completely lost plot of what was to follow in cinema was Om Shanti Om. The first film if I am correct to break the 100 crore hurdle was this pissworthy movie. Did Shahrukh ever contemplate how audiences felt cheated after all the marketing about the Diwali release thrown at their faces or he seriously believed in this mirage of a success ?
There is no reason why Shahrukh cant deliver a 300 crore movie, he has still got the acting chops, a knack for dialoguebaazi exchanges and sililoquies absent in any other star today. Fan and Raees are welcome though flawed movies and it seems at present he is in just the right direction
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csimumbai
February 5, 2017
Great piece Rangan. And what wonderful similes – Ambassador, Bullet. The Hindi film lyricist compares the female protagonist to a flower, rose bud, dew drop, moon etc. The film critic equates heroes to iconic automobiles. Allow me a cheap shot – both a male view of gendered difference!
And yes SRK is certainly the most complex of all his contemporaries. He also doesn’t shy away from revealing his contradictions and complexes. If his reinvention means a big star is willing to push the envelope a little bit further, then more power to him.
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Madan
February 5, 2017
” IMO where SRK completely lost plot of what was to follow in cinema was Om Shanti Om.” – Agreed and this was the first film where I felt SRK looked a little tired and sort of laughing too knowingly at the inside jokes. It made the whole thing feel a little cynical. Besides, since the whole film was about a throwback to 70s Bollywood including lifting plotlines from some of those films, it didn’t connect at all with the times in which it was being made and so at least I wouldn’t think of OSO as one of the memorable films of the noughties.
In terms of the comparison between the three Khans, I don’t get Salman Khan at all and am unlikely to ever watch his films. Between Aamir and SRK, I do agree with those who have said SRK is the more talented actor. But somewhere he’s been too driven by box office. Sure, he had bad luck with failures but then Aamir too went through a lean patch before Lagaan. It’s not that Aamir is not driven by box office but he has carefully positioned himself as the star who makes films of substance on issues that resonate with a large audience. SRK hasn’t yet discovered what his second innings is going to be, by the looks of it.
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Aditya (Gradwolf)
February 5, 2017
I am Team Venkatesh, SRK has always been the interesting actor to me. It’s a fascinating journey as a theatre person having acted in creations of Arundhati Roy and Mani Kaul, with a snobbish outlook towards Hindi commercial cinema to being the biggest commodity of Bollywood. I wonder how and when he made that transition. It sure wasn’t easy for him and I think that reflected in his anti-90s choices in his early films with Ketan Mehta, Kundan Shah or even the negative roles that he surely didn’t think twice before taking on. It would have been particularly difficult because the parallel movement was practically dead at that point and he grew up during those times, for he was a teenager or in his early 20s at the height of it. And what happens when he enters? He is hit with the crudest times in Hindi cinema, the 90s, which even today makes some annoying people go – “Oh it is Bollywood, what do you expect!” And you could see those old streaks returning to him from time to time because who can let go of something that got ingrained at during one’s youth – Dil Se, Hey Ram (recently Kamal tweeted how SRK was a big reason the film actually happened and it was 2000, possibly the zenith of SRK’s stardom), Paheli. But as someone said, he got trapped in his own image and someone like Aamir moved pretty fast and made a violent transition that caught everyone unaware – the tripe he was acting in before that point – Mann, Mela, Ghulam, Ishq, Raja Hindustani, Akele Hum Akele Tum (the exceptions are Earth which is valid, Sarfarosh is debatable, my friend calls it a slightly decent Captain film and of course, Rangeela). I am also tired of easy and simplistic extractions of the SRK image – the hamming star acts or hey look the outsider made it so big.
Having said all that, I do understand where this article is coming from and why SRK will be fascinating to watch going ahead. Also in the recent AIB interview (which is very good) he said how he never planned for Fan, Raees, Dear Zindagi to all come together. I think only Fan came as per schedule. So this whole phase is something probably even he didn’t plan and that was his point, he wasn’t consciously planning a transition or to stay in an image etc.
PS
I find this post 2005 (or so? Or may be post Wanted) obsession of fans to talk numbers, box office figures, which film has the record, which film took how many days to reach 100 crores, terrible. Suddenly everyone has become a trade analyst and I have noticed how that creeps into discussions about a film’s quality – suddenly Aamir’s becomes the better film because hey look how it was not only good but it also made so much money. I am sure that is a fact and we can talk about merits of what worked and what didn’t but in the long run it seems to be an unhealthy direction to take while talking of a film’s quality. Such memorable days talking of Kamal Haasan’s biggest flops as greatest films (lol!). Thankfully it hasn’t happened in Tamil cinema fandom yet. We are still about which trailer, teaser, one minute song intro, first look (I saw a 4 minute video review of the first look of new Ajith film, complete with predictions of plot and reading of patterns in Ajith’s cargo pants. God save us), motion poster got how many views and in how many hours or days.
PPS
SRK touches upon this too in that interview. He was like people tweet to me about my film’s numbers. I am like dude, I am the fucking (my addition) producer. I know what my numbers are, how much my film earns every hour, I get that update from my guys, who are you to tell me my own numbers.
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sanjana
February 5, 2017
Why srk is hated the most among the Khans? there are so many theories going around. His boasting. Alleged award manipulation. Media manipulation and having PR done by some mediawallahs. His hamming instead of acting and getting away with it. Playing minority card to get sympathy. Too much air and little substance. Ego.
Yes, he is working very hard. But that hardwork is not always about acting and doing good cinema. He has got some charisma and that charisma is working till today.
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Anu Warrier
February 5, 2017
Aditya, the funny part is SRK is obsessed with numbers; he has the brain – he’s obviously taken his Economics classes to heart. Aamir is the one person who doesn’t care about numbers – (SRK once referred to him as being totally incapable of keeping tab of the box-office) – in an interview, he once asked if anyone knew the box-office figures of Mother India or Mughal-e-Azam or even Sholay. To him, the films that are long remembered are not the ones that make 100,200, 300 crores, but the ones that connect with the people the most, and are remembered fondly years later. He’s fond of pointing to Andaz Apna Apna, which was not very successful when once released, but is not a cult favourite.
I must confess to really loving SRK’s interviews. He’s an intelligent man, and a humorous one. I hope, I really hope that he finds his way back.
Madan – it is interesting that you should say that about Om Shanti Om (that he seemed drawn and tired): I always felt that his journey to getting his ‘six-pack abs’ so he could take his shirt off for Dard-e-disco was the beginning of the end. Whatever he did to attain that body really ravaged his face at the same time. I think it is only now that he seems to have regained some of his earlier looks. (I thought he looked really good in Chalte Chalte and Kal Ho Na Ho.) At least, he looked relatively human again in Dear Zindagi.
I wish he wouldn’t over-expose himself so much, or go dance at weddings or whatever, but I do like that fact that he’s unapologetically honest about why he does what he does. He had once – oh, a long time ago – likened himself to a madari’s monkey: pay him his price, and he will dance; and I think he’s what he is, and the devil take the hindmost.
Also, I must be amongst the minority – I like all three Khans. 🙂
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brangan
February 5, 2017
Aditya: No discussion of a star can be complete without the numbers he brings in. That is the ONLY concrete determinant of a star, whether he or she has the clout to open a film, sustain a film, bring people in to see a film irrespective of quality. The other criteria — quality, charisma, etc. — are subjective.
I am not saying that a film should be evaluated only by numbers. I’m saying that a STAR’s stardom is indicated by numbers. And while discussing a star, numbers are very much part — in fact, they HAVE to be part — of the conversation. That’s what this piece is about.
SRK himself keeps talking about numbers. He knows it’s a big factor in stardom. That’s why he keeps talking about even his domestic disappointments like Dilwale have made blockbuster amounts overseas.
Also, about the “interesting actor” bit, this piece is about how — RIGHT NOW — his is the most interesting career. Not about whether he has done interesting films in the past, which he definitely has.
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Madan
February 5, 2017
” Whatever he did to attain that body really ravaged his face at the same time.” – Yes, it seems to have been the case since it was the first film where I felt he sorely lacked the freshness to carry off the role. I didn’t like Chalte Chalte at all but it was not because of how he looked.
Re the overexposure, well, he built this mansion of his dreams (or rather acquired it) called Mannat and ever since has been under tremendous pressure. IIRC he did say once he needs to do all these wedding appearances just to stay afloat.
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csimumbai
February 5, 2017
I like the three Khans too, and Akshay Kumar, Sanjay Dutt, Ajay Devgn, Saif Khan and the others. Within the constraints of the politics and economics of the industry, and the times they were working in, still are, they carved out careers for themselves and remained relevant for a long time. Why and how they remained relevant is a different story and probably at some point Rangan you’ll help us think about it.
I’ll be interested to know what models of longevity they all worked with once they realized they will have long careers. For instance after SRK transitioned from TV to films and became a marquee actor (probably after Baazigar and Kabhi Haan Kabhi Na) how did he plan for the next few years? He played obeisance to Dilip Kumar in his early interviews, but probably channelized more of Dev Anand in practice after Baazigar and aspired to Amitabh’s iconicity in fact.
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Aditya (Gradwolf)
February 5, 2017
Rangan: “lso, about the “interesting actor” bit, this piece is about how..”
Of course I did get that, that’s why made the “Having said all that, I do understand where this article is coming from …”
Get the point about the numbers being very much part of the conversation when it comes to stardom but don’t think “SRK himself talks about it” is a defense for that. Well, he needs to! My pet peeve about it is really besides the point (of the piece) – when fans deal with it in a very skewed and disproportionate manner and make it about quality of film. Even if it is not besides the point, I thought we are talking about the actor SRK and not the star 🙂
PS (this is also besides the point but I say this at every opportunity)
Andaz Apna Apna is the most overrated Hindi film. God how do people find it funny! Tamil cinema in the 90s was making better comedies almost on yearly basis. Also Ullathai Ali Thaa >>>> Andaz Apna Apna
(BR: use this comment, got some server error on previous one)
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MANK
February 5, 2017
Rather than saying that SRK is the most talented among the 3 Khans , i would say he is the most technically skilled and well trained. having come from a theater background and being a disciple of Barry John. he also had experience of working in television. So he was fully formed as a performer by the time he made his film debut . And hence SRK in his earlier films, didnt come across as a debutante when compared with the other 2 Khans. i wouldn’t feel like this about any other debutante until the emergence of both Ranbir and Ranveer who are perhaps even more well groomed than SRK. I think Salman was a model before he became an Actor and Aamir was an asstd director. so they hardly have any technical knowledge or experience in acting. they have to learn it on the job and Aamir over the years have become a damn good actor.As for Salman, i dont think being an ‘ACTOR’ was ever his priority, but since Dabangg , he has acquired an effective star signature which i find very appealing in certain movies.
And If i have to compare my favorite SRK performances- Kabhi haan Kabhi Naa,Dil se,Asoka,Swades , CDI or the superstar in Fan with Aamir’s – Rangeela,sarfarosh,1947,Lagaan,RDB, Talaash,PK, i would say i like SRK’s best performances better than Aamir’s. at his best, SRK is electrifying, mesmerizing and spontaneous. Aamir’s performances are subtle, understated , but perhaps too methodical to be electrifying . but the difference is that Aamir is consistently good in every role he does.there are layers to his performance that goes beyond the script. even his worst performances – Dhoom3, Mela,… i find him inoffensive. but in the case of SRK, beyond his great performances that i have mentioned , i find him simply intolerable . the main reason for that i believe is their natural instincts as actors and also as men.. SRK’s natural instinct is to be spontaneous, OTT, super energetic,hammy, too eager to please. he does not stop to think over his performance. under a bad director he could just get carried away with his instincts and end up making a fool of himself .but on the other hand if the director can just about hold him in check, he could be is wonderful, like in Dil se or Swades, he is very controlled on the surface, but you could feel that intensity that energy just boiling underneath . that creates a terrific effect IMO. while for Aamir , its always been subtlety and nuance. he depends a lot on silence and understated histrionics to get the emotion across.He is thoughtful and introspective by nature and he doesnt need much help from the director to shape his performance. And for that he never makes a fool of himself
And again Regarding each Khan’s attitude towards their careers, i would say Aamir is cold bloodedly professional as any actor should be . he never shortchanges his audience for his friends or relatives. i read somewhere that he refused to do even his fathers film because he didnt like the script. he has a great sense of script and the marketing acumen to take the film to its target audience.
While Salman is exactly in the opposite end, who makes films only for family and friends, which is reason why his career was in such a hole for the longest period of time.
SRK on the orher hand is a mixture of both of them. there is a great lover of cinema inside him that want to make different films.But there is also a coterie to whom he feels beholdened to for his career and stardom and to whom he cannot say no , i would say this, if Dil se was a superhit and KKHH was a flop or PBDHH had succeeded and Mohabbatein had flopped then SRK’s career would have been completely different
One thing that pleases me about SRK’s current line up is that he is staying away from the coterie of Kjo\AdiCho\Farah Khan – who have no idea how to use him as an actor and simply keep exploiting him for his star status
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MANK
February 5, 2017
What happened to him had happened to Amitabh Bachchan earlier – they became trapped by the image that propelled them to fame. Like SRK, AB had also worked in very interesting films even while he was playing ‘Vijay’. But no one saw beyond his ‘angry young man’ image.
Anu, i do agree with that general perception, but i think there is a big difference between Bachchan and SRK, in the sense that Bachchan was very very good at first playing the angry young man and then being the one man variety entertainment. There was nobody better than him. Ditto for Rajesh Khanna when it came to Romance. I never bought SRK as a romantic hero in any of those superhit KJO\yashraj films. the only film i liked him as a romantic hero was Dil se where he made the madness, the passion , the obsession so believable. otherwise his usual romantic mode is too much hammy stuttering&stammering or too much rona dhona . I mean Devdas was the ultimate embarrassment. i would take Ranbir in Rockstar,YJHD,Tamasha or Ranveer in Ramleela,Lootera,Bajirao over any of SRK’s romantic escapades.it just that those films became successful and the image struck. he has gone on record to state that he does not enjoy romantic characters and i think its true.
I always felt that his journey to getting his ‘six-pack abs’ so he could take his shirt off for Dard-e-disco was the beginning of the end. Whatever he did to attain that body really ravaged his face at the same time.
Oh yes, i read an article in HT around the time about this were it mentioned this without taking his name that he was using fat burning steroids for his 6 packs and he was finding it impossible to even go to toilet because it would burn him so much. Farah would go on to commit even more torture on him in Happy New Year where i think SRK looked his worst.
OSO was also the beginning of SRK starting to create ‘PROJECTS’ instead of movies so that it would cross so and so [Insert number] hundred crores.. HNY, Dilwale all followed this procedure of creating Project . lets get SRK and Kajol Back. lets get a young star pair to appeal to the youth audience, just keep referencing all their old hits one after another, yada yada
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MANK
February 5, 2017
Andaz Apna Apna is the most overrated Hindi film. God how do people find it funny!
Aditya, WTH man . i just love that film . i am yet to see anything that betters it in Hindi cinema. Both Aamir and Paresh Rawal were simply great. its a terrific whimsical comedy. so i understand how it may not connect with everyone- like a lot of Wes Anderson films, of course without that much depth. But come on how could you compare it with Ullathai Ali Thaa. its unpardonable. A film that ran only because of Rambha’s thighs !
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Madan
February 5, 2017
@ MANK: Agreed, SRK was most effective as an anti hero a la Baazigar/Darr where he had the width to express his intensity and where the stutter didn’t sound out of place. When Ajay became Rahul, he found a formula to deliver family movies that would be blockbusters but it also made it increasingly difficult for him to step outside that slot and continue with the Abbas Mustan/Azeez Mirza films. I personally preferred both Yes Boss and Baadshah to DDLJ/KKHH but you can’t argue with the numbers; the latter were much bigger blockbusters. And when PBDH, Asoka tanked, SRK lost confidence even more in his choices
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Aran
February 5, 2017
MANK, I think you’re selling the romantic avatar of SRK a little short there. The same mesmerizing intensity he got to roles in Dil Se, Asoka, etc., he also brought to the DDLJ, KKHH. God knows I don’t like him to that extent (or much at all as a romantic hero), but the mania he was able to create within an age group of mainly girls and women was incredible – comparable to Rajesh Khanna at his best I would say. He was extremely effective in playing an intense lover, who was respectful of women. Plus I think his roles were also able to bridge the gap between an old school kind of love presented in a fresh, NRI-packaged way. But that is other than the issue you have raised, about his OTT acting filled with hamming. I would ask you, how different is that from the general young Indian boy who considers himself in love – sending letters written in blood or such OTT behavior. God, they’re all Shahrukh Khans in love. He was able to tap into an avatar that ran too deep in our psyche, I would say, because of all the OTT-ness rather than despite it. Indians are by default emotional, OTT and full of drama. Shahrukh’s depiction of the loverboy came from a sense of a connection to everyman than the more studied performances of other stars.
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Rohit Sathish Nair
February 5, 2017
Where’s Punee when you need her?
As I recall the argument we had at the ‘Mohenjo Daro’ comment space, I now see why she made of those points. I still say ‘Swades’ isn’t the culprit, and now I guess its the ‘Don’ films which he shouldn’t have done. These are two films which stand now as completely useless in his oeuvre.
Is it true that an actor’s talent can only be spotted and not gauged, and it can only be measured if he/she has covered the whole gamut (like say, Mammootty, Mohanlal or Kamal?)
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BR Discoverer (formerly the "original" venkatesh)
February 5, 2017
@MANK: “SRK’s natural instinct is to be spontaneous, OTT, super energetic,hammy, too eager to please. he does not stop to think over his performance” – this is almost exactly what Naseerrudin Shah had to say about SRK when they both acted together in Chamatkar.
Apparently after one shot , Naseer said : “Agli shot mein kya karoge”
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Anu Warrier
February 5, 2017
I don’t think SRK is a ‘better’ actor than Aamir. I do think he has that inexplicable thing we call ‘screen presence’. And like MANK, if I compare Aamir in his worst films (Mela, Mann, Love Love Love et al) to SRK’s, the films may have been trash, but I could watch Aamir. SRK tends to ham, and become insufferable. I doubt I have seen an SRK film between My Name is Khan and Dear Zindagi. I just couldn’t bear to. All that said, I do think he’s a talented bloke, and with a good director and a strong script, is extremely watchable.
I never bought SRK as a romantic hero in any of those superhit KJO\yashraj films.
Ah, but MANK, you were not his target audience. 🙂 Ask the ladies. Most women and teenage girls I knew swooned over the gazebo scene in KKHH. While I didn’t swoon, since he was not my ‘type’, I must confess to a tiny flutter myself. 🙂
Aditya – Noooooo! Andaz Apna Apna is a laugh riot. 😦
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LS
February 5, 2017
This is particularly in response to Aditya who feels that Andaz Apna Apna is over – rated.
Andaz Apna is a hilarious film that I love, love, love. What I find really inventive about this film is a song that few care to mention — Ai lo jee sanam hum aa gaye hain — the ghoda gaadi clip clip song which is actually a tribute to O P Nayyar school of rhythmic music. The song is filmed in an intelligent and funny fashion that is actually really sweet and naughty. Aamir as the fake gaadi wala and Ravenna as his passenger. The whole song is a tribute to fifties style films. Aamir is tops in his adaayen and fakery, absolutely charming.
I am a Tamilian who loves Kamal’s comic performances — especially loved him in Michael Madana Kamarajan — which is probably my all time favourite Indian comic film. I also loved Kamal as that Sinhala Tamil speaking ‘bhayam’ filled character in Tenali. Now along with other comic performances and films , these two films would top my list of comedic films. But I feel that Andaz Apna Apna deserves a place on this list. Rajkumar Santoshi did a fabulous job with this comedy, same as he did with his later drama Lajja.
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praneshp
February 5, 2017
Thank you Gradwolf. I am yet to understand why people love Andaz Apna Apna. It’s one funny scene (the Bajaj one) and 2 hours of crap.
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brangan
February 5, 2017
Not only are there several Venkatesh-s, there are now several “former Venkatesh”-es too 😀 😀
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Rishikesh
February 6, 2017
This article would have been deemed irrelevant had RAEES made the money the makers had intended to. I didn’t find it as experimental as Fan or a niche-film like Dear Zindagi. The guy has definitely opened up after the failure of Dilwale and is perhaps looking at projects that satisfy the actor in him, which is good except the fact that combination of content and commerce is yet to blend perfectly in his films, starting from Swades. But from senseless comedies to movies such as Airlift none has made a transition as big as Akshay, but he keeps it safe by doing more films per year.
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Rishikesh
February 6, 2017
I think with slapstick comedy movies, it has got a lot do with your age and the frame of mind. I was huge fan of AAA, when I was a kind, but do not find it as enjoyable now. Now when i watch it, I tend to look at the coherence, characterisation etc but that was not what the film was aiming at.
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sanjana
February 6, 2017
We can have a comedy special. From Angoor to Herapheri. From Andaz apna apna to Welcome. Amitabh and Govinda also excelled in comedies. Any good actor must have atleast one good comedy film in his kitty. Here the ladies lag behind except giving good support to their male leads in comic roles. As for liking one movie over another, it is pasand apni apni.
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sanjana
February 6, 2017
It was amusing that you compared him to ambassador car. Thank god, it was not with bullock carts! He is somewhat like that serious and studious guy who was made fun of in 3 Idiots. In real life, Aamir is somewhat like that guy plus Rancho.
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Santa
February 6, 2017
I second @Anu on Aamir. I don’t find his choices safe or predictable in any sense. Upfront, I find his choices highly unconventional (for a star, that is). They may seem safe when we view the critical and box-office success of the end product, but I cannot imagine the same level of success for his films with any other star.
I would go one step further and say that he is perhaps the most self-secure and confident star in Hindi cinema at present, this conclusion being based on how he is not dominating screen-time in quite a few of his recent films, but more or less sharing it equally with his other co-stars – something in stark contrast to SRK (with the exception of Dear Zindagi) and Salman.
Finally, not so sure about the Ambassador analogy. Sturdy, reliable – yes. But certainly not as boring.
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Radhika
February 6, 2017
@ Anu >>instance, he’s the only ‘superstar’ who played a completely negative role in 1947 Earth. (SRK’s negative characters were all given sympathetic shades, reasons for his behaviour, etc.) I can’t see either Salman or SRK playing father to young adult children, or even looking old. (I’m not talking about designer grey streaks, here.)
I thought Earth also had a justification for Aamir’s villiany – that he saw his family (sister?) massacred in the train – not to mention jealousy – seems to be on par with SRK in Baazigar killing of innocents to avenge his mother’s tragedy – or the obsessive in Darr. Also wasn’t SRK the first star to play a father with KKHH? in DZ I felt he was playing reasonably his age, not acting like he was frozen in time.
Bechara Saif – he doesn’t even figure in the Khan-counting 🙂
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Anu Warrier
February 6, 2017
@Radhika, there’s a reason for him hating the ‘other’, yes. But no one justified it. He was seen as primarily evil. And Aamir played him chillingly. I still shudder at the scene where he walks away after letting the mob know that Nandita Das is hiding inside. Unlike in Baazigar, Darr or even Anjaam, where audience sympathies were slanted in the lead’s favour.
Also, I’m not talking about playing father, per se. But father to adults? To show him actually old and greying and paunchy? Yes, in Dear Zindagi he played a character closer to his age, and I was glad for that, but even there. he’s the sophisticated, designer-stubble-wala ‘old’ guy. Divorced, but the son is much younger.
I like Saif. Always did. Even when he looked like a male version of Sharmila Tagore, and played second fiddle to Akshay Kumar. 🙂 But he has never been in the league of the other three Khans, who have really ruled the marquee for the past 25 years, and shows no sign of slowing down.
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Anu Warrier
February 6, 2017
p.s. Aamir played father to a kid in Akele Hum Akele Tum, which came out in 1995, well before KKHH.
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sanjana
February 6, 2017
In KKHH, the daughter was the reason for his second love affair and marriage. It was not a handicap but an advantage. Even Salman played a father in Jab pyaar kisise hota hai and Abhishek played father in Paa.
In Earth what Aamir Khan character did to the girl was completely terrible. He handed over her to a mob knowing well what will happen to her. It was coldblooded. Thank god, he stopped doing such films. Fanaa is something else. A terrorist’s death. I did not feel as revolted watching Darr or Baazigar. It was fearful and creepy but entertaining in parts.
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Honest Raj (formerly 'V'enkatesh)
February 6, 2017
Not only are there several Venkatesh-s, there are now several “former Venkatesh”-es too
Not really. 🙂
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Aditya (Gradwolf)
February 6, 2017
Hmmm. Not sure about Aamir allowing other actors to shine or giving up on screen time. Almost every Aamir film revolves around Aamir. Wasn’t the criticism against TZP, that shot where we had to applaud Aamir the kid’s savior? Or Dangal where the father is locked up and all focus is on his pitiable state when an all important final is on?
PS
Btw this is not a criticism. Just wondering out aloud how this is a fact or – to use a better word – perception. And it is also not a bad thing if an actor is taking “too much screen time”. If you are a good actor, oh well, take it all!
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Anu Warrier
February 7, 2017
Aditya, I don’t know about ‘screen time’ but one thing that I have noticed in an Aamir film is the attention paid to even the minor characters. I still remember the police informer from Sarfarosh, for instance, or Gracy Singh’s father from Lagaan, or Millimeter from 3 Idiots… and in Rang De Basanti, the focus was more on Siddharth than on him.
One thing that SRK and Aamir have in common – their costars say they are very generous colleagues, aiming for the betterment of the picture than just giving the best shot themselves. And this is not just from colleagues who you suspect may be fawning, but from veterans like Naseeruddin Shah.
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Anisha
February 7, 2017
I think Aamir’s boldest movie choice in recent times was Talaash. It was a dark, dark film, and his character had nothing likeable or really massy about it. I don’t know if SRK would agree to do a film like that, where there is no room for him to do his dimpled smile in a single scene.
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sachita
February 7, 2017
Shahrukh might be the more talented actor out of the three khans ( liked Aamir for a longer time) but he isnt innovative once he started becoming a star. Paheli/ swades but they happened after lagaan. I dont have to remind what they did to Aamir’s career after his flops.
SRK even referred to how he tried to make Paheli mainstream but Amol Palekar stood in the way
But he is more of a star that is why movies like Main hoon na run. Karan Johar somehow gets the worst out of him eg. Kank – a pretty good character even yet I suppose Karan’s own heroship stood in the way of getting some good from him.
Ad as I said in an earlier comment, out of the three khans, I see only srk capable of doing a transformation like Amitabh.
And SRK and Imitiaz are made for each other. They both have made a career out of romance.
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sanjana
February 7, 2017
No one can be compared to Amitabh or his transformation. Least of all SRK. If he ages naturally, SRK will look like Kader Khan. Even Bachchan’s contemporaries could not do it. Take KBC for example. Or his later films with RGV or even Karan Johar. If somebody can try it, it will be someone like Manoj Bajpayee. Not mainstream actors.
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sanjana
February 7, 2017
No offence to Kader Khan. Actually he is one of the better actors.
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Aditya (Gradwolf)
February 7, 2017
Talaash is probably my favorite Aamir film in recent times, if not all time. I didn’t like it the first time I watched, at least parts of it (that thing Rangan has spoken about a million times, so many things within you and surrounding you influencing your reaction to a film). I felt cheated for some reason with the turns Talaash took, the first time. But in the subsequent watches, I saw it for what it tried to do, it turned out to be a rewarding experience. Gem of a film.
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Abhishek
February 7, 2017
One of the main differences between Aamir and the other two khans or for that matter rest of the industry is that he understands the Indian audiences better than anyone else, as i had said it previously as well that he can make even a documentary about pesticides work with the masses. He knows how a certain story should be told, understands the nuances of film making. Aamir’s approach towards cinema & what it means to him is something you don’t see in many cinema persons (not just actors). For example. SRK in an interview said that he didn’t even know the character’s name he was playing in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, you will not see such a casual approach from Aamir, even if it were for a special appearance. And that’s what sets him apart among many other things. Also i don’t think Aamir’s reinvention happened after Lagaan, i think that’s a common misconception about him. It happened way back around 94/95 when he said no to Mahesh Bhatt. Sure he gave flops even after that but he was in a better state of mind which enabled him to do the kind of cinema he was happy doing. I also don’t think you can predict what kind of film you are going to get from him even broadly & what business they will do, i mean it’s absurd if someone had predicted that Dangal would do 390cr at BO. PS. Speaking of Aamir & Salman in the same breath, i mean come on Rangan. 😉
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Radhika
February 7, 2017
Anu – One must remember that Aamir’s character, did that to Nandita in the heat of the riots – definitely awful, but SRK in Baazigar, has nursed his revenge for decades and kills poor Shilpa and her college friend pretty coldbloodedly. To me his was the more evil and demented role. It’s the madness of the mob compared to the madness of a serial killer. Perhaps it is to Aamir’s credit that he made more people shudder than SRK, who was such a blubbery mass at the end, I wanted to throw him off a building. Anyhoo, to each our brand of evil-preference!
I recall a friend getting pissed when i told him that Rajesh Khanna, for all that he was the original Superstar, was more experimentative in his roles than was Amitabh Bachchan. There was a fugitive in Inteqaam, Bawarchi in which he dresses in quasi-RSS uniform, psychopath in Red Rose, disabled in Avtar, alcoholic in Prem Nagar, no happy ending in Aap Ki Kasam, and pretty progressive roles as a middle-aged lonely father in Amrit, and a patient friend of a married woman in Aakhir Kyon, not to mention the many in which he dies without getting the girl. At the same inflection point in his career, Amitabh was not doing such offbeat roles though he did come around to them later. RK (like SRK?!) is seen as a star full of mannerisms and not given enough credit for his own willingness to look unstarry.
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Snehal
February 7, 2017
@Anu Warrier: Was there any justification in Darr for Shahrukh to be so cruel? I don’t remember. From my point of view, SRK made me sympathize with a creepy murderer guy, but Aamir came across as plain despicable. I don’t know if that was what the actors intended those characters to be. Also, it’s been a while since I have seen either of these movies, this is purely my recollection.
Thanks BR for writing this post. I saw Fan recently and went into a SRK review mode. This post is the cherry on top 🙂
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Apu
February 8, 2017
I am a Aamir fan (except when he acts off screen) so I would remind you again (as I think I did in the “Lagaan” thread) that Aamir did NOT change his image or direction with Lagaan in 2001, but Lagaan happened because he was always trying to do different things except for the initial couple years when he went on a signing spree and did 4-5 romantic films in a year and they all flopped. (I am not too stuck up about confirming this though)
That being out of the way – I agree, it is always interesting now to see what SRK will come up with because he really can surprise and I look forward to the Anand Rai and Imtiaz Ali film. I am not sure if he is a “great” actor but he is definitely a good one, and he has this combination of edgy-but-comfortable image on screen that I would love to watch, especially in a small film.
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sravishanker1401gmailcom
February 8, 2017
CARTOON : THE O.P.S DIARIES – I
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Anu Warrier
February 8, 2017
Radhika, two things. Aamir didn’t do what he did in Earth ‘in the heat of the riots’. He coolly, cold-bloodedly used the ‘heat of the riots’ to get his revenge on the woman who had dared to fall in love with someone else. In Darr, there’s no justification per se; but the audience sympathy is turned by showing why SRK became what he did – the loss of his mother, etc. We were supposed to feel sorry for him even if he was such a despicable person.
Re: Rajesh Khanna – I agree that he did a heck of a lot of ‘different’ roles, and like SRK, had no issues playing second fiddle to his strong women protagonists. I’ve certainly enjoyed his movies, even including his famed mannerisms.
But AB was no different, actually. The problem was that his ‘angry young man’ image was so overpowering, and after AAA, he became a monolith. In his earlier days, he had Parwana where he was the villain, Manzil, where he is an opportunist, Saudagar as the palm-jaggery seller who uses one woman so he can marry another, Abhimaan, where he played an insecure husband, Alaap in which he was a classical singer who chooses to go up against his rich father, Sanjog, where he plays a clerk who abandons his wife to marry a second time, Ek Nazar where he played a poet who falls in love with a courtesan… And with the exception of Ek Nazar, Parwana and Sanjog every other film came after he tasted success with Zanjeer.
Even Kabhi Kabhie, for all its gloss, was not a very sympathetic role. (Team AB all the way – if I had to pick! 🙂 )
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sanjana
February 8, 2017
Now its reinvention of OPS!
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sravishanker1401gmailcom
February 9, 2017
Anu : Thats a wonderful (and insightful) summary of AB’s career. yes AAA (and Deewar) were very overpowering
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sravishanker1401gmailcom
February 9, 2017
Sanjana : Good one ! I think the month after Jayalalithaa’s demise when he handled the cyclone aftermath all by himself must have given him lots of confidence. In yesterday’s interview with Srinivasan Jain of NDTV he looked positively serene.
True life seems to be more exciting than the movies nowadays.
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doba
February 10, 2017
As a reviewer and critic, do you see a pattern in aamir Khan movies (dangal, pk, dhoom 3 and 3 idiots)? I don’t. I see some sort of pattern in Salman’s movies but he too is changing things up. My own take is that all three of these guys COULD give these big hits but just a matter of more things falling in place for the two. As in each of them command a very loyal fan base. But as a reviewer who (rightly) shunned giving stars, should you be analysing box office :)?
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Garvit Sharma
February 10, 2017
Just a little trivia.In 1999 and 2005 all songs nominated for Filmfare featured SRK
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woke
February 12, 2017
Shah rukh khan has been doing only one thing bankrolled by D-company- and that is pushing Islam. It’s certainly interesting but not in the way the reviewer wants us to believe.
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Satya
February 13, 2017
Whenever I see such adulation of SRK I feel like I’m on a different planet. Surely this compulsive tic-ridden self-caricature is not the best we have to offer to world cinema. He is a woeful actor that is perpetually labored in his expression and paralyzed by self-awareness. Critics call it overacting – I just call it bad acting. For those that would point to his looks, I don’t even find him appealing in that regard. Just what is it about him that has burrowed into the hearts of Indians? Help me understand.
This goes for others too. I’ve seen wooden crates with more range than Salman and Devgan. Aamir is perhaps even worse than SRK.
I find Ranbir to be the most talented mainstream Indian actor to come around since the greats of past.
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sanjana
February 13, 2017
How sad that worst actors are ruling and the best actor is struggling!
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AK
February 15, 2017
I love SRK, I may not like him all the time but I’ve recently realised I’m a fan. But I find myself really disappointed with the choices he makes. Like you rightly said, Aamir’s films are always a sure bet – and they really do make a difference, his movies. When we look at the masses, films like PK, 3 Idiots, even Dangal have changed perspectives, and that is worth respecting because he’s using his power to do something. Less said about the other bully, the better. I just feel SRK can do so much with his talent and his power. And if he doesn’t want to use that power, it’s fine – at least I wish he put his talent to good use. I want to see him in a negative role, because I think he can do a dark character really well. He has that edge in him that’s just an inherent quality and I can’t wait to see if SRK is going to become the actor we all want him to be.
P.S. His AIB podcast was so damn entertaining and showed us that with whatever he seems to be doing, he’s trying to be better, do better.
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saurabh sharma
September 26, 2018
In Earth, the difference is the setting.. Its more than Aamir’s acting.
First of all, before the scene, we really don’t know the evilness of Aamir. It comes as a shock that he can do this.
He acted merciless only in this scene.
There is a kid in the scene and he broke the friendship and trust of the kid.
So that’s why it becomes pure evil. But he was evil only in climax, which shocks us.
I mean they should him all jealous etc but we don’t know the limit he can go down.
Aamir did take a medium amount of risk with Earth but he also knew its just a art movie and not many people are going to see it. At that time, he wasn’t conscious of his image.
In Darr and Bazigar, SRK is not playing a complete villainous part. There are reasons. Its like a hero playing negative role.
I think only in Anjaam, he plays a villain role but since it was flop, no body discusses it though it got him a Filmfare award.
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saurabh sharma
September 26, 2018
After Lagaan, Aamir has become smart and created a generic/template image of a social conscious, activist, nationalist savior for himself.
Now this is the template image and if you look at his interviews and movies related to him, he is always pushing this image. [Only time he slipped from it is when he gave intolerant comment].
And since this is a template image, it works well in different stories. Example Dangal, 3 idiots, TZP, Rang De basanti, PK.
He is smart in story selection and his off screen image and on screen image gels well together now.
He is also smart in understanding that since the social media evolution, you cant separate off screen from on screen. Its acting always.
Since he carries the image always, people trust him because there is no contradiction. He doesn’t land into controversies and people think of him as secure socialist person. So things worked for him.
That’s why D3 also worked. Only thing that may not work for him now is continuous flop movies but I don’t see that happening.
But from a critics’ perspective or movie buff’s perspective he doesn’t seem interesting anymore as he is always carrying the image. Its like he plays safe.
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saurabh sharma
September 26, 2018
Now coming to SRK,
SRK is currently in transition phase. He is trying different things and but none seems to work out completely.
Also people have lost trust on him after Ra.one particularly because he over marketed that movie. He over markets lot of time without having a perfect movie.
Also his off screen image took a hit. In this social media days, it cost him a big chunk of viewer.
Even earlier a lot of people used to hate him because of his success but they didn’t have a collective voice. But now people have.
He is still the most hated superstar in the country. All of this factor works against him.
It took him a while to understand the game but till then it costed him a lot.
I am not sure how he is going to win the country back. He needs to do pan Indian movies for that with directors with mass appeal.
Anand L rai is one such director. Salute can be one such movie.
If he wants to be on top, he needs to do consistent great movies with pan Indian appeal and with Mass directors.
Also he needs to make grand movies like Salute can be one such.
He also need to work on his Muslim identity image which is the reason why a lot of right wind people hate him. Salute can make a progress in that sense.
It will take a while though.
But since he is in transition phase, he is experimenting a lot. He is not predictable and he seems real, vulnerable, non preachy and human in his interviews. His off screen image is something, a lot of metro living people still find him interesting. (No body is watching his English speaking interviews in small town).
That’s why he looks interesting. He is still charming, attention puller and magician in the way he can entertain the crowd.
And hence critics and movie buffs still look for him.
And I think he should be like that. Being interesting works better in long term. He doesn’t need to give blockbuster but just hits are enough.
But I think that way his movies will remain relevant in long term. Movie buff still discuss Fan or even Raees. They don’t discuss Dangal or even PK.
The way “Dil se” gets discussed or even Swades or even Darr etc.. none of Aamir’s movies are being discussed for some reason.
So I think SRK may or may not become the no. 1 what he was, but I think if he keep experimenting, he will be discussed long term, he will be relevant in long term. He will still considered superstar.
He also should work with great magnum opus directors and should submit to their vision.
For ex Bhansali, Hirani, Rajamouli, Sankar may be Karan as well.. These directors gives Blockbuster movies with Pan india appeal without making movie entirely stupid.
But a lot of time, SRK cant work with strong directors or he will change the director’s vision.
That’s why Raees/JHMS doesn’t become what it could be.
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anonymousviolin20
September 6, 2021
Looks like SRK’s comeback is gonna be with… Atlee? I get that Atlee seems to have an eye for what propels a 200 crore grosser, but I hope SRK doesn’t turn himself into a Salman clone by doing this movie.
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Kaushik Bhattacharya
September 28, 2023
Reading this again a week after watching Jawan was so interesting. I don’t think anyone would have expected even SRK to make such a success of playing an all action star in his last fifties as he’s done in 2023 with Pathaan and Jawan.
As films though, while they’ll add to his legacy and there are some terrific moments in both, in the long run will they line up amongst his most memorable work?
Let’s hope Dunki is better/more interestingly written as a film and not just another star vehicle….
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