Shah Rukh Khan on not glorifying negative characters: “If I play a bad guy, I make sure he dies a dog’s death”

Shah Rukh Khan, the famous Bollywood actor, won a big award called “Indian of the Year 2023” because he made awesome movies in 2023 like Pathaan, Jawan, and Dunki. In a special speech he gave in New Delhi, he talked about his exciting and tough times as an actor over the past few years. Hope that’s easier to understand!

At a News18 event, Shah Rukh Khan said, “I am a guy who is hopeful and tells happy stories. The heroes I play do good things, they give hope and happiness. If I play a bad guy, I make sure he suffers a lot, he dies a dog’s death because I believe goodness begets goodness. And I believe badness deserves a kick in the backside.” He added, “I should play honest roles that give people the courage to dream. I should keep working hard quietly with the hope that life doesn’t topple my apple cart anytime soon.”

Shah Rukh Khan has always said that he doesn’t like movies that make bad guys look good. Even before there were lots of movies with mean guys as the main characters, he said on a TV show that he makes sure none of his bad characters are treated like heroes. Shah Rukh Khan said, “Ek beech ke roles hote hain. Main unko human characters kehta hoon. Main unko negative character nahi kehta. Nahi main unko positive character kehta hoon. Yeh black and white nahi hai… Maine jo filmon mein kiya usme maine basically love angle use kiya – ki main is se pyar karta hoon, iss intehaan tak pyar karta hoon ki main pyar mein jaan le loon… Aur har film ke akhir mein humne kahin par bhi aisa nahi dikhaya ki kuch sympathy uske sath jati hai (These characters are humans, they are not negative or positive. It is not as simple as black and white. I have played characters that can even kill for love, but they have never been rewarded or gotten a sympathy for doing bad things).”

Shah Rukh Khan had male negative roles in Baazigar, Darr, and Anjaam. He said, “Glorification tab ho jab woh yeh sab kar ke nikal jaye. Lekin agar aap inn filmon ki ending dekhe, toh mujhe itna mara hai end mein… itni buri tarah pitai hoti hai. So I don’t think kisi jagah pe glorify kiya hai (violence)… It is entertainment… I have never had a negative response… Aage bhi main joh aise roles karunga woh sirf audience ki bhalai ke liye hain (It would have been glorification if the character faced no consequences, but I have been beaten badly in all these films… in future too, I will continue playing such roles for the audiences’ sake).”

Meanwhile, on the work front, Shah Rukh Khan is yet to announce his next project. However, he will be working with his daughter Suhana Khan in Sujoy Ghosh’s next.