King is here to stay

If there is ever a face synonymous with Bollywood gold, it belongs to Shah Rukh Khan. Even someone who is a complete film dunce (the diametric opposite of a film buff) will have heard of the man unofficially crowned the King of Bollywood. Having starred in 65 films and having received a career achievement award at the Locarno Film Festival earlier this year, Bollywood's favourite romantic hero of the '90s is as known for his magnetic screen presence as he is for his sharp wit.

Gloriously displaying both wit and banter in full form as he delighted the crowd, Khan recently took to the stage to host the 24th International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards in Abu Dhabi, 10 years after he had last taken up the hosting mantle. As he shared the stage with fellow host and director Karan Johar, The Indian Express reported that Khan brought up the subject of retirement by bringing up fellow masters of their craft who knew when their time was up.

"Legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Chhetri and Roger Federer, they know when it is time to step down," he remarked.

However, the Pathaan actor was quick to shoot down any hint that he would be following in Tendulkar, Chhetri or Federer's footsteps, regardless of his own legendary status. "In this case, I am just like [cricketer MS] Dhoni," quipped Khan. "We'll keep on saying we're leaving, and end up playing more and more IPL despite saying no!"

Co-host and actor Vishal Kaushal, who was also on stage with Khan and Johar, summed it up succinctly with the one-liner that said it all: "Retirement is for legends, but Kings are eternal."

As per the publication, not only does Khan have no plans to say goodbye to Bollywood just yet, he also noted that he has "done it all", and that major projects typically come to him before other stars are considered. Khan remarked that he had his own reasons for turning down many of these offers, although when the conversation turned to Laal Singh Chaddha, which starred Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor in the lead roles, Khan (SRK) joked, "Even Aamir Khan shouldn't have done that film!" Quick to show there was no bad blood between the two stars, Khan added, "I love you, Aamir!"

Touted as one of the most ambitious productions of 2022, Laal Singh Chaddha opened to poor reviews and underperformed at the box office, grossing just INR1.3 billion against its reported budget of INR1.8 billion. [Aamir] Khan's performance in particular faced significant backlash, prompting him to take a break from acting.

Whilst the Bollywood king may have felt no regrets about not being involved in a box office failure such as Laal Singh Chaddha, he added it still "hurt" that he missed out on being a part of the Telegu action thriller Pushpa: The Rise (2021) directed by Sukumar and starring Allu Arjun in the lead role. "Oh my God, you've touched on something that still hurts," he said. Evoking cheers from the crowd, Khan explained, "I really wanted to do Pushpa, but I couldn't match Arjun's swag."

Khan may have passed on the role, but his regret at not being a part of the big-budget project has basis in solid, quantifiable evidence. Pushpa: The Rise was a commercial success and was one of the highest-grossing Indian films of all time, winning several awards in India for acting, directing, and music. The sequel, titled Pushpa 2: The Rule is scheduled for release on December 6.

Meanwhile, on the professional front, Khan will next be seen in Sujoy Ghosh's King where he will be sharing screen space with Suhana Khan. Will it be a commercial success? Time will tell - but Khan is in the happy space of his career where commercial success is not the only factor in determining his favourite projects.

"Some of the ones I love the most are the ones which haven't done well," said Khan in an interview with Variety in August. "And I have a reason for it. Cinema is a mass communication medium. It needs to communicate, very simply, to a lot of people. It should not intellectualise. It should not sermonise. I always keep saying it can't moralise. It should just be simple. Some of these films which didn't do well were so personal that they were not simple enough, or they were so personal they got very shrunk."

And as for whether or not he will ever take on a Hollywood role? Khan has not ruled it out - but only if the film is worth his while and reflects his status on his home ground.

"I think it's the world's greatest and biggest cinema in terms of reach and how people watch it," said Khan. "I don't think I'm in a position to choose and put conditions, but yes, when an opportunity arises - I hope I can speak English well enough. And 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 down."

Whether or not Khan ever gets to tick the Hollywood box, one thing is certain: to his fans, it doesn't matter. His legendary stature in Bollywood is enough.