Love. Shah Rukh Khan. That is it. Shah Rukh Khan somehow equals to love. For fans, that is how it is. Fans after all only love and respect SRK. They never criticize him. They applaud him. But then there are some fans who dare to criticize him. Then they get tagged as Shah Rukh Khan haters. But are they really hating SRK? Let's think...
Majority of SRK critical fans want him to do roles that are eccentric. He needs to get rid of the trademark mannerisms. Stop working with Karan Johar and such directors. They sound concerned about Shah Rukh's #1 spot. Other fans who make up the majority say no, he is still #1, they'll watch all movies SRK makes, no matter how they are. Now, are we sure that if Shah Rukh continues to romance girls half his age will continue to make him #1? Then what's the difference between him and Salman? Salman also does commercial movies, he never even attempted to do anything different. But I agree, Shah Rukh did attempt different roles. But it is just not enough I guess. I mention his age because age is definitely a factor when it comes to the film line. Especially in India. Somehow, toward male actors, audience are lenient than towards female actors aged beyond 30. Shah Rukh, Aamir, Salman, Sanjay, etc. are lucky that the audience still watches their movies. Had they been females, they would have retired ages back.
Anyway, coming back to critical fans, I will agree that Shah Rukh should work with more different directors. We need him in more critical-ac-claimable movies like Chak De! India and My Name Is Khan. He has to step aside from the commercial aspect of entertainment. Directors have to push him out of his comfort zone. However, I don't agree with him not working with Karan Johar because I believe Karan is the first director who pushed the envelope with Shah Rukh in My Name Is Khan and in some sense, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna as well. I can expect another MNIK caliber movie from Karan with Shah Rukh as the main lead. Karan is one director who goes to the next level always with each and every one of his movies that he directs.
Shah Rukh is at an age when we, the fans, will applaud him for starring in a movie with a leading lady half his age but others won't. And it is a fact that we fans are outnumbered by the "others". If we want SRK to get more fans in the upcoming time period, it is in his best interest to star in movies that not only sets a different trend but also pleases a minority or majority. He tried to please a majority with Ra.One but failed to do so because he, himself focused on wrapping the movie in a never before seen coating and left the inside to his team who failed him. Yes, now I have to say it that Ra.One lacked in terms of scripting and other ways. But technically it was a perfect movie, thanks to its world class VFX. It had a too simple script which seemed more dependent on proverbs and quotes rather than original dialogues.
Shah Rukh has to go back to his roots, as the actor who proved to the world that yes, the main lead of a film can be an anti-hero too. I am not saying he should do more anti-hero roles which is not bad either, considering how much people liked him in his last release, Don 2. But what I am saying is he needs to do different roles. Of course he does a variety of roles, none of his past roles are the same but the tag is the same, "Romantic Hero". He has to get rid of that tag. I want him to get the tag of a "Versatile Hero". He has to do more Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani (has a loose romantic track), Swades (same), Chak De! India (no romantic track at all), One 2 Ka 4 (again a loose romantic track). Money is not everything now. As his own dialogue goes, "Kabhi kabhi kuch jeetne ke liya kuch haar na parta hai aur haar ke jeetne wale ko baazigar kehte hain." We need our Baazigar Khan back! Swades and Dil Se were examples of how Shah Rukh was a baazigar, they bombed at the box office in India but won hearts instead.
I know, I contradicted myself. But I cannot ignore the fact that I cannot be selfish and take away from Shah Rukh's potentiality by never ever suggesting him to do this and that or criticizing him. Over the past few weeks, I have come to understood that truly, critics are one's biggest lovers. A person who tells you about your flaws is not your hater but he/she just wants you to do better. Bigger is not always better. I am sure Shah Rukh knows that and I don't have to tell him that.
At the end of the day, it is not me, who Shah Rukh will listen to, he will continue doing what he wants to. He hates criticism that are given in bad tone but I am not using a bad tone nor do I intend to. I, being one of his neutral fans, want him to do better and yet want him to do movies which give him pleasure. He has to balance between pleasure and differentiability, meaning he has to find fun and excitement beyond his comfort zone.
Majority of SRK critical fans want him to do roles that are eccentric. He needs to get rid of the trademark mannerisms. Stop working with Karan Johar and such directors. They sound concerned about Shah Rukh's #1 spot. Other fans who make up the majority say no, he is still #1, they'll watch all movies SRK makes, no matter how they are. Now, are we sure that if Shah Rukh continues to romance girls half his age will continue to make him #1? Then what's the difference between him and Salman? Salman also does commercial movies, he never even attempted to do anything different. But I agree, Shah Rukh did attempt different roles. But it is just not enough I guess. I mention his age because age is definitely a factor when it comes to the film line. Especially in India. Somehow, toward male actors, audience are lenient than towards female actors aged beyond 30. Shah Rukh, Aamir, Salman, Sanjay, etc. are lucky that the audience still watches their movies. Had they been females, they would have retired ages back.
Anyway, coming back to critical fans, I will agree that Shah Rukh should work with more different directors. We need him in more critical-ac-claimable movies like Chak De! India and My Name Is Khan. He has to step aside from the commercial aspect of entertainment. Directors have to push him out of his comfort zone. However, I don't agree with him not working with Karan Johar because I believe Karan is the first director who pushed the envelope with Shah Rukh in My Name Is Khan and in some sense, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna as well. I can expect another MNIK caliber movie from Karan with Shah Rukh as the main lead. Karan is one director who goes to the next level always with each and every one of his movies that he directs.
Shah Rukh is at an age when we, the fans, will applaud him for starring in a movie with a leading lady half his age but others won't. And it is a fact that we fans are outnumbered by the "others". If we want SRK to get more fans in the upcoming time period, it is in his best interest to star in movies that not only sets a different trend but also pleases a minority or majority. He tried to please a majority with Ra.One but failed to do so because he, himself focused on wrapping the movie in a never before seen coating and left the inside to his team who failed him. Yes, now I have to say it that Ra.One lacked in terms of scripting and other ways. But technically it was a perfect movie, thanks to its world class VFX. It had a too simple script which seemed more dependent on proverbs and quotes rather than original dialogues.
Shah Rukh has to go back to his roots, as the actor who proved to the world that yes, the main lead of a film can be an anti-hero too. I am not saying he should do more anti-hero roles which is not bad either, considering how much people liked him in his last release, Don 2. But what I am saying is he needs to do different roles. Of course he does a variety of roles, none of his past roles are the same but the tag is the same, "Romantic Hero". He has to get rid of that tag. I want him to get the tag of a "Versatile Hero". He has to do more Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani (has a loose romantic track), Swades (same), Chak De! India (no romantic track at all), One 2 Ka 4 (again a loose romantic track). Money is not everything now. As his own dialogue goes, "Kabhi kabhi kuch jeetne ke liya kuch haar na parta hai aur haar ke jeetne wale ko baazigar kehte hain." We need our Baazigar Khan back! Swades and Dil Se were examples of how Shah Rukh was a baazigar, they bombed at the box office in India but won hearts instead.
I know, I contradicted myself. But I cannot ignore the fact that I cannot be selfish and take away from Shah Rukh's potentiality by never ever suggesting him to do this and that or criticizing him. Over the past few weeks, I have come to understood that truly, critics are one's biggest lovers. A person who tells you about your flaws is not your hater but he/she just wants you to do better. Bigger is not always better. I am sure Shah Rukh knows that and I don't have to tell him that.
At the end of the day, it is not me, who Shah Rukh will listen to, he will continue doing what he wants to. He hates criticism that are given in bad tone but I am not using a bad tone nor do I intend to. I, being one of his neutral fans, want him to do better and yet want him to do movies which give him pleasure. He has to balance between pleasure and differentiability, meaning he has to find fun and excitement beyond his comfort zone.
