33 Years of Shah Rukh Khan: Quotes of King Khan That Are Timeless
33 years ago, a young man appeared on our screens with a boyish charm, trembling lips, unruly hair, raw energy and eyes filled with high ambitions and dreams. He mouthed the words, “Koi na koi chahiye, pyaar karne wala…” Cut to three decades later, he is loved not just by his people but all over the world. The film Deewana marked the beginning of Shah Rukh Khan’s journey 33 years ago, and no one could have scripted this. A boy from Delhi, who lost his parents at an early age, came to Mumbai and decided that one day he would rule Mumbai. Little did a young SRK know that he would rule globally someday.
His hard work, coupled with charm, wit and intelligence, not just made him an actor people look up to but also a man one would take seriously. He is known to be the King of Romance, the King of Bollywood and also someone who rules the hearts of women. Over the years, he has given us countless lessons on love, life, success and hard work. He sold dreams, and we bought them.
As he completes 33 years in Bollywood, we look back at some of the most brutally honest, wittiest and powerful things said by Shah Rukh Khan that will be etched in our memories always.
On what it takes to be successful
“I sleep for five hours. I like that. Anything more than that gives me a headache and makes me feel puffy and strange. If you want to be successful, if you want to achieve something, there are a few things you must not do. First, please don’t eat. People get too caught up in what to eat, when to sleep, how to relax. All these things they teach you at five-star hotel spas -relax, rest…you have to give all of that up. There’s no such thing as healthy living, good living, good sleep, food, rest, or relaxation. None of that will help you if you want to be successful. You have to be troubled, tense. You cannot be restful and at peace if you want to be successful. And that is the truth. It’s God’s honest truth. Rest is forbidden. If you don’t know how to sacrifice, you will not be successful. For example, I’m extremely lazy. I like to play video games, be with my children. I don’t like to work. I like to write poetry, read books, and relax. But I sleep only 4-5 hours, get up in the morning and go to work. If I need to get six-pack abs, I work out. And I hate it. But I sacrifice it all. You will experience sadness, pain, suffering. But pain will pass. Success will not wait for you….Success will not come until you are completely restless.”
On gender equality
“In the past too, I have made my stance on equality of genders clear. I strongly believe dues meted out should be according to merit and not gender. Both genders have their own plus and minus points, though I love the women who make work so beautiful. Women make you think and make you want to be a better person, and for ages, and even now sadly, they do not get the dues or credit they deserve. Often they are served the raw deal, which is unfair for the whole society.”
On empowering women
“I would just like to tell women, and I don’t need to actually, but I will still say it- women just be women. There is nothing more equal than that. Because a bully tries to oppress you and two things happen. If you get oppressed, he is very happy. Even if you retaliate, he’s happy because he got to you… The only thing women are looking for is- please don’t define us. We don’t want to be defined by society.”
On the love he gets from the opposite sex
“I am scared of women loving me too much.”
On staying grounded
“Whenever I start feeling arrogant… I take a trip to America. The immigration guys kick the star out of my stardom.”
On fatherhood and friendship
“I love my children not because they are my children, but because I have garnered a friendship with them. I am realising this, as they are getting older, they are my greatest friends. I think my mental age is between 12 to 14, so it is nice to have two friends that I can ever have.”
On his lady love, Gauri Khan
“I think that Gauri has taken care of me a lot. I made a lot of mistakes, was not well-behaved a lot of times, made extremely bad decisions, but somewhere it was Gauri, who stayed silent and protected me.”
On accepting who he is
“As an actor and performer, you have to know yourself. I know who I am; sexy, cool, good-looking, intellectual, smart, and obviously, modest.”
A glimpse of his wit
“I don’t write cheques anymore because I end up signing them, “With love, Shah Rukh.”
On missing his parents
“My parents had passed away by the time I joined films. For some reason, I always felt I’d make films which are very big so that my mom and dad can see them from heaven.”
A line for the naysayers
“I don’t think good of you, I don’t think bad of you… I’m selflessly selfish.”
On his feelings about India
“I remember when we were kids we had to write an essay, ‘My Country, India’. I think that should be changed. It has to be that the country is India and we are the citizens of this country. We don’t own it. Ownership does not mean that this is our India. It is what we have to do for the country.”
On his motto in Bollywood
“I Am Not Here To Compete. I Am Here To Rule.”
On sustaining stardom
“I am the last of the stars”
Also See: In Pictures: Rare Photos Of Young Shah Rukh Khan Surface Online
