His The Throne

The music grows to a crescendo. The girls dance with more vigor.The mom looks behind her back, with a knowing look in her eyes. And then, the jet black helicopter, starting from its whirling blades, slowly comes into full view. Shah Rukh Khan, by then the son every middle aged woman in the movie hall wishes for, sprints to his eager mom. A teardrop doesn't fail to roll off her eyes.Behold. Her son has arrived.

Or if this is not classy enough, picture this. Lush green lawns in the foregrounds of a huge academy. A white, marble, dome shaped structure somewhere . Chilly winter. And on one single black chair inside that marble dome, Shah Rukh Khan romanticizes the world with his violin. Love is in the air. Why just the three students, the whole world suddenly falls in love.

Just another shot from K3G or Mohabbatein, but one which is typical of Shah Rukh Khan. Grand entry, larger and full of life attitude, and captivating the viewers to such an extent, that it instills hope and excitement about themselves when they watch him. And I have not even started mentioning DDLJ.

You know how those statements are, about how the world is divided into two parts..blah blah. Well, in this case, the world is actually divided into 3 parts. Ones who like SRK, ones who do not, and the ones who do, but cannot show that they like him ,for some reason. We do not know where Karan Johar lies, but that apart, the third category is interesting, and surprisingly pretty big. Guys often hate SRK because its not a guy thing to like his mushy movies, or some engineers often hate him because its not a engineer's thing to be sentimental. Why don't people accept it ? Probably some disturbed childhood trauma makes them run away from sentimental and emotional stuff. But I have had a guy confess, that he actually does like him, but "log majak udate hai, isliye main batata nahi hoon". While I was writing this blog, I came across another one, about our typical (read "desi") characteristics. A totally sarcastic and hilarious take on our habits, I cannot but help mention this specific article from it - "I hate SRK".

I have myself often thought, why do I like him? The arguments people make against him are not entirely baseless, then why does he have a ridiculous fan following ? Well, I think,may be because we all secretly do like him. "Har kisi ke dil mein, kahi na kahi, ek SRK chupa hota hai". A Delhi guy. Rose to fame with his own efforts. Started with television initially, so lets accept he knows a thing or a two about acting. His first love ,Gauri ,pulled him to Mumbai for the first time. But then , there was no looking back. Since then, he has been romanticizing every heroine, and giving one movie per young generation, for them to dream with, to dance with, to get nostalgic with, and to carry the "Rahul" in them forever.

"Kabhi Haa Kabhi Na", was one of my first movies ever ,seen in the theatres. And may be, that is the reason SRK is my favorite. But apart from his on screen presence, I think I am probably a fan of his persona in general.It might seem ironic, but I think SRK is one of the most honest guys around, as far as his role as an actor is concerned. He has accepted that he is a peoples' man. And he gives it back to them, the way they want it. Being an actor, he realises that media is what helped make him, and media is what he can connect to the masses with. He never shuns the media. Nor does he shun any award functions. He has willingly accepted the commercialness of his profession. And he uses it to his benefit , instead of cribbing about it, and trying to be intelligent about it, and complaining about things such as absence of personal life. He has willingly accepted that he would have very little personal life, and that is the price he would have to pay for his stardom.Never into politics, and never into controversies relating personal relationships. Nevertheless, I think he has been pretty successful family man too. He is intelligent and smart when he talks. Listen to any of his interviews.They are exciting and one would appreciate his ready wit, sharpness and body language. Technically savvy himself, he is constantly endeavouring to bring technical skills to the Hindi film industry, and is constantly taking his production house,"Red Chillies" to the next level. No wonder, he is known as the most powerful person in the industry, and the only one to be adored by Dilip Kumar, Amitabh Bachhan both and envied by all the newcomers alike. Everyone wants to debut with him. Everyone wants a clip with him.

One interviewer described his meeting with SRK pretty dramatically. He mentioned , that when SRK gives an interview, albeit only for 5 minutes, he makes sure that the interviewer is the only person in the world that matters to him. He treats the interviewer like a king. But when the 5 minutes are over, all that is left is smoke from his cigarette, and you can see SRK fade away in that smoke back to his world. Do not get me wrong, I do like Amir Khan movies. He is an excellent actor in his own realm. But given a choice, to meet any one , just for 5 minutes, I would choose SRK.

I recently commented to a friend, that it is difficult for me to completely hate a movie. I am a hardcore movie buff. The director would have to try really hard to make such a film that I would totally not approve of. Which essentially means I watch any movie that is being made, or comes my way. But still, the anticipation of a Shah Rukh Khan movie, is something different. The anticipation is not of 3 hours of entertainment, but a ride into the world, where you might play a character. May be , you dare to play him.

We can see the transition from Rahul to the character roles that he plays these days. I think he has proved beyond doubt, to the people who even doubted, that he can act. He has been a actor who is capable of delivering "hangover" movies. Meaning, movies,which leave you thinking about them long after they are over. Movies , which leave you dreaming long after they are over. Well, as I write this, I am craving for a similar movie from him again. And I really wish , like a true fan, that there is enough reason, for everything that happened at the Newark airport recently. And that it was not a cheap publicity stunt. Because SRK has a lot at stake to resort to this cheap stunt. Because it took a real long time and hard work to reach where he has. Because he is far too intelligent to use the minority card. And because I have not seen Chidambaram and Sashi Tharoor speak up for anyone so directly and immediately. I do not know what has been not told, but , unless proved otherwise, I believe SRK.

Is it only his movies that we enjoy, or is it also talking about him that we fans enjoy more? Oh, we love to hail him, and oh, we love so much to argue for him. I could have become a millionaire by now, if SRK gave me 1c each time I spoke for him. We love to hear the ignorant Amir fans. We love to see how close we are to the truth, but we are also disappointed to see that the world needs awakening. We are appalled to see the fruitless pursuits of the thinking masses. We ache to see that the rightful king, has to condescend to the likes of "others" to claim his throne. He is the Tendulkar of the entertainment industry. Amir is like Dravid. Probably better techniqued. But SRK is whom I would pay to watch. Because somehow, I get a feeling ,that when Dravid plays, its his mind which is involved, but when SRT plays, or when SRK performs, its a matter of the heart. And I would always like to put my money on the heart, rather than on the mind.

On a serious note, I do not care if SRK hams. I do not care if he seems repetitive in his roles. I do not care if he seems pompous.I do not care if he passes of as vain. I do not care if he got a bag full of cash to get a Filmfare. He gives me what I want from a movie, rather than give me what I think I want from a movie. He is a sure shot ticket to the world of entertainment and fantasy. And that is all that I want. I am aam junta, or "mango people", as Saif puts it in Love Aaj Kal. I do not want to be intelligent about my movies,about whom I like as an actor. I do not want this choice of mine to reflect my thinking in any way.And also because it is hardly of any consequence to anyone else, apart from me. It is not a matter of any big concern, like for e.g our views on abortion, or are we pro choice or not? That is something which would probably shape the future society.Debate on that, think about that. Have a side to choose from on that. But SRK vs Amir? Seriously,whats there to think about ? Why is there even a question?Why is Amir even an option?

Nachiket Mehta

5th Day of Sept 09

Josh mein;hum bhi hai !