The children of Shah Rukh Khan, much like other star kids, generate more attention (and controversy) than skilled actors. It is a conversation that remains a big issue in Bollywood with nepotism and privilege at the heart of it.
From Sridevi’s daughter to even Kareena and Saif Ali Khan’s child Taimur Ali Khan, Saif and Amrita’s daughter to Shahid Kapoor’s brother and on and on, the inclination to cast them ahead of unknowns is somewhat growing.
But, in the cover interview with Vogue India, Suhana Khan, 18, has spoken about not only enjoying doing the shoot but growing up around a famous father in India and her relationship with Shah Rukh as well.
“I absolutely loved shooting this cover,” Suhana told Vogue. “Especially the dancing shots; I love dancing. It was so much fun. I was excited when my parents brought it up. I wanted to say yes straight away, but they wanted me to think about it – this is a very public thing. They wanted me to gain confidence from the experience, not lose it. Confidence isn’t something this teenager needs to worry about, at least not in front of the camera,” she added.
The interview on the Vogue India website also features a video where Suhana is dancing and answering some on-the-spot questions.
Speaking about the decision to move away from Mumbai and the shadow of her iconic parents, she told Vogue: “Moving away at age 16 was the best decision of my life. Living in a different environment and meeting so many new people helped me gain a lot of confidence. It’s about being able to do the little things, like walk on the street or take the train – stuff that was so hard to do in Mumbai. But living away also made me appreciate home so much more.”
She hopes to study acting in a university some day, she revealed while her older brother, Aryan Khan is studying filmmaking in Los Angeles as well so the next generation of SRK kids could be entering Bollywood but only after they finish their education, a decision Shah Rukh Khan feels very strongly about and has reiterated more than once.
The Badshah of Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan, as Vogue noted in its story is: “A dad who drops by during her first interview. ‘Pretend I’m not here, I just want to hang out with my daughter,’ he is quoted saying. A dad who massages her aching feet as we talk, completely besotted by his only daughter (‘I told you those shoes were nonsense’).”
Her equation with Shah Rukh, she noted has changed over the years. “I realised quite early on that it was different for us. But I never really thought about my dad being famous. When I was about five, he would come and drop me to school, and people would point and stare. He wasn’t being addressed as Suhana’s dad, which is what I wanted. It confused me. He would want to hug me, and I would push him back in the car. I hated the attention, it made me very self-conscious.”
She added: “I realised if I wanted to hug my dad, he’s my dad – I’m just going to hug him.”
As for Suhana’s future in Bollywood, though she is clear that she wants to be an actor, SRK has different views on how she should begin her career. Said SRK: “Suhana’s not working towards a promise of being cast, she’s working towards being an actor, and she knows that. We have friends who are very well-meaning and think of my kids as their own, and they’re all happy and keen to launch her. Like Karan [Johar]. But I keep insisting that I don’t want them designed as stars, I want them to be launched when they are good-enough actors.”
Note: This is an edited version of the story.
– With information from Vogue India