It has been a hectic schedule for Shah Rukh Khan, who was in Munnar for the past few weeks shooting for Rohit Shetty’s ‘Chennai Express’. Though, when we sat down for a chat, King Khan was his charming, witty and playful self. “It’s amazingly beautiful here when it rains. I can say I enjoyed those days when it rained and we had to halt the shoot more. And I’m so sorry I couldn’t meet you more on the streets of Kerala,” he begins.
Kerala connect: I’ve been to Kerala a few times before and I could sense the love they have for me here. In fact, once Mohanlalji took me on this boat and when we came under a bridge there was this huge crowd, cheering. I’m sure they were cheering for Mohanlalji but I hope some were there for me too. It was really touching. I’ve great memories of the song in Dil Se that we shot there. I didn’t have a costume, so I wore Manisha’s sari. The whole things was romantic and sensual and yes, I remember the oil massage I had too. And now we are in Munnar. Kerala has everything — beaches, backwaters, mountains, tea estates; it’s really God’s Own Country.
I regret not knowing Malayalam: Well, the only two words I know are peru and vayasu; if there is a role which requires the hero or actor to speak only those two words, I will surely take it up! To be more serious, I regret not knowing the language as I don’t understand the films and hate subtitles. I think Malayalam cinema is the most progressive and most evolved of all industries. And of course, there are friends of mine, Priyan Sir, Santhosh Sivan and many more here.
On Chennai Express: Chennai Express has love, action, romance… all on a large scale. To describe its broader aspect, it’s a universal story about love. We have nearly 1600 languages in our country. The clothes change, the dialects change and at times, it can evoke a kind of regionalism. But the beauty of our country is that we can live together, eat together and be happy. If there is one aspect that unites all, it’s love. So what we’ve done here is place the protagonist in a part of the country alien to him and show how he overcomes the cultural and linguistic barriers with the help of his lady love. We’ve also tried to include the culture of the south and it is my hope that people here enjoy the fact that we did it with so much charm and happiness.
Deepika first…: Almost all my heroines are taller than me so their names should come first in the titles. Jokes apart, the idea of having the heroine’s name first was just a thought. It’s not a movement and I know it’s not going to change the world.
