Shah Rukh Khan’s films may not be fetching the kind of numbers that a Salman Khan or an Aamir Khan film can generate but he remains one of Indian cinema’s biggest exports. His value outside foreign shores can be judged by the fact that whenever someone from Hollywood enters India, SRK is always around. Whether it’s the Apple CEO or Will Smith, Khan is always in the picture.
The Hollywood actor and producer, in India to promote his upcoming Netflix film War Machine, talks to Shah Rukh Khan about the changing landscape of the movie business, experimental films and Bollywood.
Shah Rukh Khan’s films may not be fetching the kind of numbers that a Salman Khan or an Aamir Khan film can generate but he remains one of Indian cinema’s biggest exports. His value outside foreign shores can be judged by the fact that whenever someone from Hollywood enters India, SRK is always around. Whether it’s the Apple CEO or Will Smith, Khan is always in the picture.
The most recent example of this can be found in the fact that when Brad Pitt flew out to Mumbai to promote his Netflix feature film, War Machine, Shah Rukh Khan was one of the people he got together with.
At a promotional event for War Machine, Shah Rukh Khan and Brad Pitt engaged in a discussion which was moderated by film critic and journalist Rajeev Masand and included topics like their diverse careers and how the film business is evolving with the emergence of Netflix.
When asked why he collaborated with Netflix on War Machine, Pitt said, “It’s because the way the studio system is right now in Hollywood. It just can’t support risky films like this, of this budget certainly.”
War Machine is directed by David Michod, and is based on Michael Hastings’ book The Operators: The Wild and Terrifying Inside Story of America’s War in Afghanistan. However, Pitt plays the fictitious Gen. Glenn McMahon in the political satire.
“Even Michael Hastings was frustrated during the release of his book since the discussion was about the dismissal of the general rather than what he was trying to say about the problems with the system,” Pitt explained. “That’s why it’s called War Machine. It’s a 16-year war with no end in sight. We wanted to focus on those questions.”
Agreeing with Pitt that studios are not experimenting as much as they used to, SRK stated, “When I [started my career] 25 years ago, I wanted to make the films I wanted to, but you have to be part of the system. Netflix can be a great opportunity [which can] offer unknown or upcoming directors more chances ... In India every household has a singer, but I think every household also has a filmmaker. You don’t just have an Indian audience but a world audience.”
Khan also spoke about how he respects Pitt for doing films like 12 Monkeys and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. “That’s when I became a fan of you as an actor,” said SRK. “I would ask you to continue with those kinds of roles.”
The conversation veered into different directions including why producing films is natural progression for Pitt and for Khan, who have collectively spent decades working as actors before making the jump to the dual role of actor and producer.
The hour-long session is set to air later this weekend, and should find a following once it emerges online. Watch out for it and while you’re at it, look out for Brad Pitt’s War Machine since it is scheduled to hit Netflix on May 26 (today).
– With information from The Hollywood Reporter
