This article was written on Aug 4, 2000, five months after I joined the Star. Joon Yee, the editor almost gave up on me when I refused to do anything for seven days. I needed the exclusive interview badly. I just had to. This is a chance in a lifetime. My first meeting with the Bollywood King. No one should miss this opportunity especially a fanatic fan like me.
When every attempt failed to get the exclusive interview, I decided to write a small note to SRK and passed it on to Mr Rao. It read something like this ....."I know you are special, I am too. I think two special people should meet." With that note, I secured my first meeting which was scheduled at FRIM Kepong.
The journey to Kepong was a hillarious one. I bullied my way through my sifu Fauziah Samad (Jee) who volunteered to drive me all the way to Kepong. Little did she realise that she had to ferry me for the next three days driving endlessly to many places. Jee finally lost her cool when I pleaded her to be my "driver" for another session with SRK, this time at an exclusive hotel which was attended by more than 100 press including some groupies.
Jee was never impressed with SRK. She described him as "budak comot." I wrote my article and passed it on to her. She scanned through and look out for the mistakes. I think there was hardly any. It made us feel like the old NST days. When I gave her a picture of SRK, she carelessly put it aside on the kitchen stove. When I told her to paste it somewhere, she chose to do it on the side of her fridge which was partly hidden.
It ached me so much to see her doing this. How could she put my dear SRK there? But I just have to watch her. Afterall, she is my sifu and you don't scold your sifu.
When the article came out as the cover of Sec 2, the heading was "Stalking Shah Rukh." My friends call it the "Hair" story. You will never believe how many calls I got from this article. They all want to know where I kept the hair. I got the strand of hair framed by a frame maker in Old Town.
I told the Indian Muslim film maker that I had to frame the last strand of hair of my late husband for sentimental reason. He looked so sad. I am not good at acting but I did not wear the guilty look on my face. Still, my daughter said I wasn't convincing enough. She giggled and almost gave it away. The frame work was done in 10 minutes. Ok, so it was a lie but the late husband bit was true, NOT the hair though.
Eight days, seven nights
Byline: ZIEMAN
MANY call him a great star and an evergreen entertainer; others say he is full of himself, noting his commercialism and tendency to pander to the masses.
Whatever the perception of others, none had ever challenged or engrossed this writer more than when trailing the 35-year-old Bollywood badshah (king) Shah Rukh Khan for eight days during his recent visit here. From the private Bakti concert to the filming along a stretch of Jalan Ampang; the foothill of Genting Sempah, the alps of Genting Highlands; the pride and joy of Malaysia the Petronas Twin Towers and Suria KLCC; an old quarry site; the Tanjung Bidara beach in Malacca; the three-day shoot at the Forest Reserve Institute of Malaysia (FRIM) in Kepong and the press conference in Kuala Lumpur, trailing the Indian actor certainly made one feel more like a stalker than a journalist.
By the eighth day of the filming of One Two Ka Four (One, Two or Four), the whole scenario and the tunes of Rukh Pyar and Dil Sachacha Chehra Jhoota had become so familiar that producer Nazir Ahmed from Glamour Films Bollywood and the main sponsor R.A. Rao from Siva Productions would probably have no qualms about signing me on as the handyman for Shah Rukh's next movie.
The One Two Ka Four shoot
On the set, Shah Rukh exuded the extreme self-confidence that is rare among actors. Repetitive and predictable though he was in Dil To Pagal Hai, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Yes Boss and Dilwale Le Dulhania Le Jayange, his fans simply love him no matter how he tackles his cliched lover-boy roles.
One Two Ka Four tells about a police officer Javed (played by Jackie Shroff), a widower of four children who is killed by a group of thugs. Before he dies, he leaves his children in Arun's care. Arun (Shah Rukh Khan) is a spirited bachelor who regards children as a burden.
He then passes the chore to Geetha (Juhi Chawla). In no time, Arun falls for both children and nanny ... think The Sound of Music and you'll get the picture.
The earlier filming of this movie was done in Switzerland.
During the shoot at FRIM in Kepong, local officials had a field day standing in as bodyguards when throngs of fans and curious onlookers jammed the place during the singing scenes.
Outside the main gate, Shah Rukh Khan and his ideal screen partner Juhi Chawla were acting out a singing scene from the movie. The two were garbed in neon yellow a tad shocking but still tame and stylish by Bollywood standards.
When Shah Rukh dipped his hand into a bag full of sunglasses to pick the right shades, his fans looked on as if he were in a goldfish bowl.
His hard-core fans came with banners, head bands and posters, and provided the unwarranted extra prop which contributed to the shoot being slightly disrupted by their overzealous antics.
But not once did the self-serving, camera-hogging Shah Rukh, who strikes the right notes and pushes the right buttons in his movies, lose his cool.
He switched his mood in synchrony with the demands of the shoot. One minute he would be flashing those boyish dimples and throwing kisses in the air to his fans. The next, he would be so absorbed doing his own thing that he would shut off his fans much in the same way he stubs out a cigarette butt.
The press conference
Then came the bad news the press conference would be two and half hours late. Patience was petering out by the time the star showed up. Surprisingly, the media people had been waiting good-naturedly.
The crowd poured in, fans came, clamouring outside and yelling to be let in. One teenage girl cried hysterically for Shah Rukh, pinning her face against the door pane of the bar. What a pitiful sight!
Inside the Mezzo bar, the paparazzi had gathered like vultures, cameras at the ready trying to get the best pictures.
The versatile actor confirmed his megastar status when he was escorted in by hordes of bodyguards. It took some time before the way was cleared of anxious photographers who snapped away oblivious of whether their gusto had further delayed the conference.
But before anyone could ask, "Why are you late?'', Shah Rukh displayed his utmost charm. In no time at all, Shah Rukh had the jaded journos eating out of the palm of his hand.
"(The organisers) did not tell us about the PC (press conference) until 4pm. This is my third visit and it's really marvellous. I enjoy coming here because there's so much, and the people are so friendly, is that what you want to hear?'' said an affable Shah Rukh, guzzling a cola drink.
Visibly affected by the overwhelming crowd response, Shah Rukh said, ``It makes me feel like an international star. I feel like Jackie Chan.''
So why don't you get into Hollywood movies like Jackie Chan?
"No, I'd rather rule in hell than be a slave in heaven. I don't desire to be known internationally. I'm happy being a frog in the well. There's so much talent in India as far as directors, technicians and creative people are concerned, more than anywhere else in the world. If they don't acknowledge it abroad, it's their loss, not ours. But, really, the issue here is not about making a name internationally or trying to break into Hollywood. I started in India and I want to remain there.''
According to Shah Rukh, people who do not understand him would perceive him differently.
"Like some people who find it difficult to accept me as a successful, rich and happy man an ideal package.''
Back home, his first home production, his Dreamz Unlimited movie Phir Bil Dil Hai Hindustani (PBDHH) was dismissed as just average.
"We tried a tongue-in-cheek approach to depict politics and the media world. The strongest point is, of course, the media, an important single unit which dictates what rules. The movie didn't do well because the audience, especially those in the rural areas, were not ready (for such themes). It fared better in cities like Mumbai and outside India. But we are not discouraged and we hope to make better films in future.''
He was referring to Asoka, Dreamz Unlimited's second project. This is an epic about the historical and dynamic ruler Asoka who turned a staunch Buddhist after he led his innocent people to war and bloodshed.
The most typecast roles for Shah Rukh are the romantic ones, something which he does not like doing but is forced to because that is what sells.
"Strangely, the films I don't like `click' (with the masses) and the films I like, don't do so well, like Koyla, Ram Jaane and PBDHH. Maybe it's my fault. (Perhaps) there's something wrong with my interpretation of the scenes. (They are) not so well-defined and understood by everybody ... (But) you'll see a lot of me in every film I do.''
What about all the talk pitting him against Bollywood's current favourite, budding actor Hrithik Roshan of Kahona Pyar Hai fame whom the press likened to a Greek god?
"I really pity that boy. I acted with his father, Rakesh Roshan, when he was just a small boy. I saw him growing up. He could never come near me because I am so damned good, really. He only has one film compared to my 30 movies. Let's be fair to him.''
There is other wild talk about his liaison with his screen and business partner, Juhi Chawla. In fact, a writer actually asked why Shah Rukh was smooching Juhi Chawla in the FRIM jungle. Was it part of the act?
"Do you want to be part of the act too? But, really, I am a close friend of Juhi's husband, Jai Mehta, and we are family friends. Jai Mehta handles the paperwork and business of our company. Aziz Mirza is the director and scriptwriter while Juhi makes sure we all do our work. So, we are all part of the organisation. That's all to it,'' explained Shah Rukh whose wife, Gauri, has just given birth to their second child and first baby girl, Suhana. The couple has an older son named Aryaan.
Is true that he doesn't give interviews easily?
"People like to believe that. When journalists write me off, I feel they are not being fair. The effect is damaging. I don't like to talk bad about anyone. I'd be ungrateful if I said journalists have not treated me well.
"I do things with a lot of good-heartedness and openness. But if there's anyone who says anything adverse about me, may God punish them because I believe in divine intervention.
"Anybody who does malicious things will have to pay for their acts because I am a very sincere person. I am upfront, honest and I take people at face value. But people like to analyse me and I don't like it.''
Stardom may not have influenced his personality but it does encroach into his private life.
"It's part of the deal ... my occupational hazard. I don't have privacy. But, really, it's no big deal. I chose this life. I'd feel worse if everywhere I go, I'm not recognised on the streets, not served first in a hotel or they don't play my songs; I'd feel terrible. Someone said the other day, actors are the strangest people. They spend all their lives to be known, and spend the rest of their lives covering their faces like wearing (sun)glasses. That's really stupid. I've worked so hard to reach this stage, why should I wear glasses?''
Shah Rukh the actor
Underneath the "I am the best'' bravado which is projected in a majority of his roles from Deewana (1986) to Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani (PBDHH) this year, Shah Rukh is an intelligent actor. Maybe not as intense as Naseeruddin Shah or Nana Patekar but he is a fine actor and a great entertainer without equal.
Up close, the real Shah Rukh Khan is almost like the slick, result-oriented, quick-witted, self-assured television journalist Ajay Bakshi from PBDHH.
What's interesting is that Shah Rukh's screen presence can always be depended on. He is one of the few actors who can afford to have a few flops or even play negative characters and still come up tops.
This he did in Yash Chopra's Darr, Abbas-Mustan's Baazigar and Rahul Rawail's Anjaam or roles with shades of grey like the Jim Carrey take-off in Mahesh Bhatt's Duplicate or the slum-scum in Umesh Mehra's Ram Jaane. He exudes the aura of a bratty scene-stealer in whatever characters he plays, such as the spoofy detective in Badshah.
In fact, he has a timelessness akin to the legendary durability of Rajesh Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan and Shashi Kapoor all rolled into one.
Shah Rukh's massive energy knows no bounds. He eats and sleeps very little but he behaves like a marathon man dancing on the set for 12 hours at a stretch and working till the early hours of the morning, he said.
An absolute charmer, Shah Rukh appeared not in the least cocky, at least to this smitten writer, or plagued by the egomaniac syndrome which many stars have.
"All this (pointing at the hordes of fans around him) doesn't go to my head. It goes to my heart,'' he said.
Up close and the brawl
People clustered around the waterfall site in the FRIM woods, making it difficult to move up the path. Shah Rukh relaxed in a chair with a koleh (steel mug) of teh tarik in his hand. I reached him, fell on my knees and almost kissed the hem of his brown leather jacket.
Someone pulled up a chair for me next to him. Shah Rukh was just six inches away from me. A fantasy had come true.
Out of the blue, he said, "Juhi and I read your article four times,'' referring to this writer's review of their Bakti show.
The admission had an odd effect on me my heart fluttered. Then I chanced upon an inch-long strand of hair on his brown jacket. He followed my gaze and flashed an approving look, granting permission. Mementoes like this won't come by often. I flicked it onto my palm.
Suddenly a brawl broke out behind us. Apparently, a cab driver, envious of the close proximity we shared, wanted to get near Shah Rukh. The cabbie had slapped one of Shah Rukh's men and tried to fling a chair in the style of Tamil movies. A commotion ensued. By now, two groups had already converged the fans versus the bodyguards and FRIM officials.
Like a true hero in Badshah, Shah Rukh got up, said something in Hindi and comforted his aide, all the time holding onto my autographed notebook while I breathlessly clutched that strand of hair. For the record, The Hair is not up for auction! The whole heady, exotic experience will be a cherished memory for a long time to come.
