India’s Khan dreams of global B’wood hit – ‘I like James Bond’

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MUMBAI, Nov 23, (Agencies): Indian screen icon Shah Rukh Khan has starred in dozens of Bollywood blockbusters and is adored by millions, but there’s a movie he still dreams of making — one that’s a truly global hit.

“I would like to be a part of that one Indian film, as an actor, as a producer, as a gaffer, as a sound recordist, as a production manager, whatever, which becomes famous all over the world,” Khan told AFP in an interview.

“That’s my ‘Make in India’ dream. I’ve had this since 25 years,” he added, borrowing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s much-trumpeted slogan for boosting manufacturing in the country.

The Asian giant’s Hindi film industry churns out hundreds of movies every year, raking in billions of US dollars in ticket receipts, but is yet to release a blockbuster that really takes Western box offices by storm.

“I hope to achieve that but I don’t sit down with people (and focus on) ‘What is the crossover film that we can make?’ No, I think it will happen because I believe in it,” said Khan.

The actor known in India as “King Khan” or simply “SRK” to his legions of fans is arguably Hindi cinema’s biggest and most-recognisable star of the modern age.

He shot to stardom in the mid-90s as the hero of romantic dramas such as “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge” (“The Bravehearted Will Take Away the Bride”) and “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai” (“Something Happens”).

Khan is also known for lead roles in high-octane thrillers like “Don” and this year’s “Fan” while other major hits include the 2013 comedy “Chennai Express” and 2010’s “My Name is Khan”, in which he played a man with Asperger’s syndrome.

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The 51-year-old boasts 22.2 million Twitter followers and regularly sees hordes of admirers gather outside his mansion by the sea in India’s commercial capital of Mumbai, the home of Bollywood.

His next film, called “Dear Zindagi” (“Dear Life”), hits cinema screens on Friday.

But Khan admits he initially had misgivings about playing the role of Jehangir Khan in the comedy-drama directed by Gauri Shinde.

“I’d be honest, I didn’t think I’d like the film. Not because it’s not a good film… But it’s not my genre of film. I like bad boys. I like James Bond,” he said.

Khan says his character plays the role of a “mentor, friend, philosopher, guide” to the much younger Kaira, played by upcoming Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt, 23, in the film which he says is “sweet” and “funny”.

He described “Dear Zindagi” as a feel-good movie about life and how to cope with it “not only as a youngster but as a parent, as a middle-aged person.

“It deals with all of them without being preachy,” he explained.

Khan, whose career as one of Bollywood’s most bankable actors spans three decades, says he doesn’t see himself as a real-life mentor to young actors, but will give advice if asked.

Also:

LOS ANGELES: The producers of “Lion” will oversee a social impact campaign designed to help children in India.

See-Saw Films is partnering with The Weinstein Company (TWC) and The Charity Network to launch #LionHeart, which will provide financial support to the over 11 million children who live on the streets of India. As part of the effort, Dev Patel, the star of the upcoming drama, is appearing in a video that discusses some of the issues in the country and to urge viewers to donate money. “Lion” recounts the story of Saroo Brierley, an Indian boy who got separated from his family and was later adopted by an Australian couple. As an adult, Brierley used Google Earth to find his biological family and reunite with them.

“Unfortunately, stories like Saroo’s are all too common. Over 80,000 children go missing each year and there are over 11 million children living on the streets in India alone,” Patel said in a statement. “There are organizations on the ground doing amazing work to help kids like Saroo. And the best way we can help is by giving them the financial support they so desperately need.”

The partners say that more than 80,000 children in India go missing every year. The non-profit organizations that #LionHeart will support include Magic Bus, which educates at risk children and provides them with life-skills necessary to move out of poverty, as well as Railway Children, a charity that works with kids living on the streets and railways stations in order to prevent them from being exploited or abused.

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