Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has contributed greatly to cinema over his three-decade-long career. However, at a time when several Indian stars are tapping into international markets and landing roles in Hollywood films and series, SRK is staying close to home.
The actor, who was in Switzerland over the weekend, was honoured with a career achievement award at the 77th Locarno Film Festival. At the festival, he interacted with the media and candidly shared his thoughts on his recent ventures into the action film genre and his meticulous approach to selecting roles.
In an interview with Variety, the actor was asked about the possibility of taking on roles in Hollywood. Candid in his response, Khan acknowledged Hollywood’s global influence and said, "I think it’s the world’s greatest and biggest cinema in terms of reach and how people watch it."
However, he emphasized that any role he would consider must be "worthy" of the immense respect and adulation he has received from his Indian audience.
"I don’t want to sound uppity, but it should be a role worthy of the status the Indian audience has given me. It should not let them down," Khan said, expressing the deep sense of responsibility he feels towards his fans. Expressing his gratitude for the love and respect he has garnered over the years, from people around the world, he also admitted that he has not actively pursued Hollywood roles, nor does he have an agent in the industry.
However, he hinted that he may not have already starred in a Hollywood project, simply because, "I don’t think anybody’s offered me that kind of role yet. I’ve not also gone looking for it, to be honest." Khan went on to add that his true passion lies in seeing an Indian film achieve the same level of global recognition as a major American or French production. "My dream is to get that one Indian film to be seen with the kind 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. I just want an Indian story to be accepted worldwide, and hopefully, I can be a small part of it," he said.
On the work front, Shah Rukh will be seen next in the upcoming action film 'King' he described as a "cool, massy, action, emotional film". The production will see him sharing screen space with his daughter Suhana Khan for the first time. The movie will wrap its shoot in 2025, and will also star Abhishek Bachchan as the antagonist.
