Shah Rukh Khan discusses his break from acting after Zero; shares that Siddharth Anand has been holding onto the Pathaan title for over a decade
Shah Rukh Khan’s impressive career includes a number of blockbuster movies that have become iconic over the years. However, there have also been a few films that didn’t perform well, such as the 2018 movie Zero. Following this comedy-drama with Anushka Sharma, the superstar took a break from leading roles but made special appearances in various projects. In an interview with Variety, he discussed his hiatus.
The Dunki actor clarified that his break was not due to the failure of his films. He emphasized his working philosophy, stating that he has always believed that if he doesn’t feel motivated to work in the morning, he shouldn’t force himself to do so. “It wasn’t the failure of the films, to be honest,” he admitted.
SRK also shared that one day, he woke up and called the producer of his upcoming movie to inform him that he was taking a year off from work, which he acknowledged as “very unprofessional” considering he was supposed to start filming in January and made the call in December. Recalling the incident, the Pathan star mentioned that the producer was taken aback as he had never taken such a long break before. He assured the producer that if he didn’t like the project, he could simply reject it.
After a year and a half had passed, the producer contacted SRK and expressed surprise that he had actually taken a break. “I just didn’t feel like working. I just didn’t feel like acting,” King Khan explained, adding that acting is a very organic process for him.
In the same interview, Shah Rukh Khan discussed his action thriller film, Pathaan, which marked his return to the big screen after the hiatus. He revealed that director Siddharth Anand had held the title for 15-20 years. Sid had told him that if he ever made a film called Pathaan, he would cast him in the lead role, otherwise, he wouldn’t do it.
According to SRK, everything fell into place quickly as they finalized the agreement in just 15 minutes. Reflecting on the 2023 mass entertainer Jawan, he mentioned that it was a genre of South Indian films that he hadn’t explored before. He decided to work on these projects as they were areas he had previously not ventured into. While the public may perceive it as his attempt at reinventing himself after the break and experiencing success, he clarified that it all unfolded naturally rather than being a calculated plan.
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