Shah Rukh Khan, the Baadshah of Bollywood and a global superstar, recently admitted to struggling with alcoholism after completing the iconic 2002 film, Devdas. His method-acting technique in portraying ‘Dev’ landed him the ‘Best Actor Award’ and catapulted director, Sanjay Leela Bhansali to tremendous success. However, in a recent interview, King Khan revealed how his dedication to Dev’s character had taken a toll on his lifestyle.
Shah Rukh Khan recently joined a chat with the producers of the 77th Locarno Film Festival after being honoured with the Pardo alla Carriera Ascona-Locarno Tourism award. During the conversation, he shared some anecdotes from his 30-year acting journey and opened up about his decision to take on Bhansali’s Devdas. He mentioned how, at that time, he was really eager to tackle grand roles rather than settle for subtle ones, all because he wanted to make his late parents proud.
SRK was determined to take on the role of ‘Dev’, a troubled alcoholic, in Bhansali's adaptation of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's iconic novel, a character that numerous acclaimed actors like Uttam Kumar and Dilip Kumar had previously portrayed.
Considering the gravity of playing such a critical role, Shah Rukh decided to incorporate method-acting techniques for his rendition of ‘Dev’ as a flawed hero, for which he needed to drink alcohol in some scenes. He said:
“I hope I played him less of a loser and more of a non-committing man who had his own reasons to not commit to love… I wanted him to be indescribable… I drank a little on the sets… It must have helped, I think, but I started drinking after the film. So that was one downside to it.”
Shah Rukh Khan, when talking about his acting, explains that rather than immersing himself in believing a particular character, his acting goal is to make the audience believe in it. This was one of the main reasons that he decided to get drunk in some scenes of Devdas to make his audience believe in ‘Dev’ as a real human.
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Earlier this year, in a conversation with Digital Commentary, SRK’s co-star in the film, Tiku Talsania, had recalled how Shah Rukh used to take back-to-back shots of rum before shooting some scenes of the film. When he asked about this, the actor candidly responded, saying:
“Sir, acting toh ho jaayegi. Aankhon mein sharab dikhti nahi hai na, uska kya”
Recalling this event, Tiku couldn’t help but marvel at Shah Rukh Khan’s dedication to his roles and called him a true ‘genius’. He told Digital Commentary:
“Aankh mein sharab dikhni chahiye na. (Acting) kar lenge par woh aankhon mein nahi dikhegi sharab toh kaise hoga?”
These anecdotes serve as compelling reminders of why Shah Rukh Khan is hailed as a true superstar. Despite the initial doubts, SRK’s Devdas, co-starring Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Madhuri Dixit, became a blockbuster hit.
Shah Rukh Khan, known as the ‘King of Bollywood’, is one of the most loved and famous movie stars in the world, with billions of fans seeing him as a true legend. SRK last appeared in Rajkumar Hirani’s film, Dunki, and is set to be seen in Sujoy Ghosh’s King. This movie will also officially introduce his daughter, Suhana Khan as a debutant theatre actor.
What do you think of SRK’s version of Devdas?
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