DON’T COMPARE. DON’T BELITTLE.
Shah Rukh Khan plays down his recent achievement of becoming the second wealthiest star in Hollywood and Bollywood
Shah Rukh Khan is having a fun week. As his daughter, Suhana celebrated her 14th birthday yesterday (May 22), the actor’s recent achievement of earning the second spot on the Wealth X list has got everyone talking about him.
The list, which features the 10 wealthiest Hollywood and Bollywood personalities, states that Shah Rukh’s fortune is pegged at $600 million (around ` 3,500 crore), second only to comedian Jerry Seinfeld. Not only is he the only Indian on the list, but it’s also noteworthy that he has been placed above global stars like Tom Cruise and Johnny Depp.
This is the latest in a long list of international achievements for the actor, who featured on the cover of a noted global magazine a few days ago. In the past, he has even been on a power list and been named the sexiest Asian male, both by reputed magazines.
Currently eager to wrap up a 10-day shoot and head home to his kids, Aryan, Suhana and AbRam, the actor speaks exclusively to HT Café.
How does it feel to be considered powerful, desirable and rich?
I do feel happy, but these are just names given to somebody who is doing something that people feel is special. These are standard measures. They don’t define you.
But how does it feel to be richer than the likes of Cruise and Depp?
Such comparisons are needless. I don’t know why we have to belittle the importance of great international stars like Tom Cruise and others by comparing. Hopefully, we can have cinema with equal reckoning as theirs. Being compared to them as a star is odious; it’s not right. I just hope I can create cinema of the magnitude of what they have done already.
It feels nice to be part of something that we always thought of as a Hollywood star’s domain. More than for me, such international presence speaks volumes for Indian cinema. Today, our richness is compared, Insha Allah, tomorrow our collections will be compared. This means that we are [getting] more responsible towards making bigger, better films and becoming the most prolific film industry in the world. I hope all this will happen when AbRam will grow up.
How much do such titles mean to you today?
Honestly, I don’t understand them. All I know is [how] to get into my car, come to the [film] sets, put on make-up and work and get back home after that. In between, I have to keep some social commitments. I find solace in my work. I have no idea what money I earn or whether my endeavours break even. The worthiness comes from a few things together — Indian Premier League (he owns the team Kolkata Knight Riders), my production house, my acting career and the VFX studio etc.. More importantly, your success is not yours alone. I have a set of people who says ‘Chalo karte hain’, and we do it.
I think I am rich because I have beautiful children. They like only the simplest things in life. In Urdu, the word ‘raees’ is not material related. It refers to someone who has love, happiness and satisfaction, and I think that is most important.
Suhana turned 14 yesterday. How did you celebrate it?
Yes, she has grown up. Earlier there used to be party at home, but now that they’ve grown up, they like to be on their own. Her exams are on, so we celebrated it by studying together. I like being with her; she is sweet.