Billu Barber press junket: Shah Rukh Khan: I don’t know if I’m as good as Sahir Khan
SRK: I don’t know if I’m as good as Sahir Khan
13. February 2009, by Dr. Regine Kleber for AsianOutlook
Shah Rukh Khan who is actually recovering from his shoulder surgery at his home in Mumbai came down to London to promote the latest production of his company Red Chillies Entertainment ‘Billu (Barber)’ in which he also has an extended special appearance in the role of superstar Sahir Khan.
We met the King of Bollywood at a press junket in central London held by the films distributor Eros International where he not only got philosophical about Billu’s release but also addressed the question why Sahir Khan is not like him and divulged his plans to come back to Germany.
How are you feeling now after Billu (Barber) is released?
I don’t know I still get reports from India so I’m down here…
So it’s exciting still or do you feel now the film is released and has to find its own way?
All of it is philosophical when you think of it, but if you nurture something for some time the day you release the film is the day you have to let go all that you thought, all that you put in. You have to detach yourself and move on.
But the day you detach yourself is a very sad day and exciting. You lose something and you don’t know if it’s a good loss or a bad loss, but that day is very important, you can call it exciting, you can call it interesting you can call it everything but it’s a special day.
You are playing Sahir Khan in the movie, a superstar – you are a superstar. Was it kind of a statement about your own status?
No not at all. You’ve seen a movie where we were trying to deal with reality; we’ve tried to make it more real like a regular Hindi film. We were realistic of the way he is treated especially in the small town. So maybe it becomes a bit more realistic if you get an actual movie star into it. You think ‘ok this is the movie star we know and this is the real world’. You get a sensitive portrayal of this small town and then you get this known movie star. But I’m not like this. I don’t know if I’m as good as Sahir Khan, he is a nice guy. I don’t know if I would go to a place somewhere to roam for my friend and start crying. But all the trappings that where shown is the preconceived notion of how/what a big movie star is.
So I don’t have those personally but maybe that’s why I don’t share the goodness he has. It’s very different from who I am. I don’t really use a movie ever to make a personal statement. I make a movie always to personally make everyone entertained.
I think there is something nice in the film, there is this clash of this tow different kind of worlds.
So many times I shoot a film somewhere and I leave that town and go away and I don’t know how I’ve touched the lives of people. About 20 years ago I’ve shot a film in a small town and there was a 13 year old girl who met me and then I came back to shoot ‘Main Hoon Naa’ there, about 5-6 years ago, and she is now a grown up young lady with a child, and she met me and said ‘I became a journalist because when I was 13 years old I came to see you, they won’t let me see you but they where allowing all the journalists to be next to you, so I decided that if you want to meet people who are special for you the best way is to be a journalist.’ So her life was completely changed rightly or wrongly I don’t know. We don’t realise how lives change after we go.
It’s an interesting space to explore that in a film. The director was very keen, Irrfan agreed to play the role, Lara was really keen to make something different. So I said why not we produce different films sometimes, we did Om Shanti Om so we thought on the back of Om Shanti Om lets give this one a shot.
What’s your favourite scene in the movie? Lara said her favourite scene has been cut out?
Actually as a matter of fact as I may say so I’ve written that scene. It was my favourite scene too but the director wasn’t too happy with it so he cut it. And I was happy with the length of the film as is. I don’t like long films I wanted it even shorter so if I would’ve told him to put something back he would not have cut the film further.
It’s a lovely scene where he (Billu) gives her (Bindia) her Mangalsutre – I have written that line ‘lets get married again’ I don’t know why he cut it. The director never wanted these moments in the film. He believe that these people who belong to this set of status really don’t romance like this, you know the whole issue of make believe, they are bothered about is the food ok, have you paid for the school fees. He never wanted to bring this and maybe he was right. He doesn’t want to bring in emotions, which we show in movies and maybe they not really romance like this at this level of life where you have problems about getting a loan, but it was my favourite scene too and I’m sorry and promise the next film Lara does I’ll keep her favourite scene.
When are you planning to come to Germany next time?
I come down inshalla, now first I go for a surgery. I hope to shoot a film in Germany Don II. We can’t shoot in winter they say it’s very cold so we’re waiting for June next year. I think lot of the film is there, I think 60 % of the film is in Germany.
At which towns or areas will you shoot?
I’ve no idea. They’ve gone for tracking now, actually Frahan and Ritesh have gone now but the think it’s the wrong time to go because it’s too cold. They will go now and will go back again in June. So next year June is it. My work will be going to be delayed now for about 3-4 months.
I’d like to come in a little of rectification I want to do in terms of a live show. What these people have done, which is bogus and nonsense; they keep writing in e-mails and all, which I detest. But as far as I’m concerned I know I owe this to myself more then to the German fans that I’ve to go somewhere I’ve never backed out of a commitment and it’s very sad that people who are involved with it are not right. So I’d like to come back to Germany in the right spirit with the right people and make them feel happy that we do a stage show.
I was so keen to do it! I’ve asked Lara to come and Deepika and everybody has agreed, we’ve worked it out. It was really unfortunate what happened and I want to rectify as soon as I’m fit to dance.
Wasn’t it somehow surreal to shoot a film where people pretended to watch a film shooting while the real villagers watched those pretending to watch…isn’t it somehow like a time warp?
Yes it is. Lot of the crowds are actors and in the small village they are very sweet. The innocence and honesty they have in their face when they see the film where shot. Yes it was really strange like you where shooting a film and the film is about people who are watching shooting a film and they are there also it’s strange. So for me it wasn’t I do that every day. I go and shoot a film so it wasn’t like that for me. I’m always waving out to everyone thinking it’s very cool. But for Lara and Irrfan I think both of them did a great job, they are very honestly and earnestly…
I think Lara did very well in the film…
Yes Lara was so good in the film. I’ve gone to her and said trust me this is a good role and she did it so well I’m very happy she did it.
Thank you very much for your time and all the best for you.
Billu Barber is out now in the theatres worldwide.
Produced by Gauri Khan
Directed by Priyadashan
Music Pritam
Lyrics Gulzar and Sayeed Quadri
Cast
Irrfan Khan as Billu Barber
Lara Dutta as Bindiya
Om Puri as Damchand
Raypal Yadav as Jhallan Kumar
Manoj Joshi as Damodar Dubey
Asrani as Nobat Chacha
Mitali Mayakar as Billu’s daughter
Pratik Dalvi as Billu’s son
Jagdish as Madan
Rasika Joshi as Mrs Gahalot
and
Shah Rukh Khan as Sahir Khan
Distributor
Eros International
Synopsis:
Billu Barber is a story of a simple ordinary man who led an extra ordinary life.
Bilas Rao Pardesi was living in his village with his wife Bindiya and two great kids. Life was bitter sweet…we can say more sweet than bitter. One day a superstar came into their lives and everything changed. Life changed, people changed, friends changed, the village changed but one man did not…Billu Barber.
Will this ordinary man redefine the words ordinary? Will the world see the greatness behind his small existence? And most of all, will life ever be the same for Billu Barber again?
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