On the occasion of his 60th birthday celebration this past Sunday (November 2), Superstar Shah Rukh Khan (SRK) articulated the importance of leading actors playing diverse and layered characters, moving beyond traditional heroic roles. He expressed hope that fans would appreciate his upcoming “very dark and grey” character in the movie ‘King‘.
Speaking at a special fan event, Shah Rukh Khan discussed his career philosophy, referencing his earlier films like ‘Darr’, ‘Anjaam’, and ‘Baazigar’, where he successfully essayed characters deemed ‘villain’ or ‘stalker’.
“The distinction between hero and villain is made by people,” Shah Rukh shared. “I just feel if we don’t do interesting in films, then it will be the same shots — the hero comes, sings two songs and fights…. I think for storytelling, and not because youngsters watch movies today, it is important that heroes like me do different kinds of roles,” he asserted, adding that these roles should be a mix of inspiring, aspiring, comic, and romantic.
Speaking specifically about his next film, ‘King’, Shah Rukh Khan described his new character as having many bad qualities: “He is a murderer, ruthless… He is very dark and grey. But it’s a very interesting role and on a big scale.” He acknowledged the difficulty in making big films now and the pressure to avoid disappointing his fans, stating, “we should be careful so that we don’t let you guys down.”
The film ‘King,’ whose first look was unveiled on Sunday, reunites SRK with Siddharth Anand, the director of his 2023 blockbuster, ‘Pathaan’. The script for ‘King’ was written by Anand and Sujoy Ghosh. The film also stars Deepika Padukone and marks the acting debut of Shah Rukh Khan’s daughter, Suhana Khan.
While 2025 saw no new release from the actor, it was an eventful year marked by his first National Film Award and the successful directorial debut of his son, Aryan Khan, with the show ‘The Bards of Bollywood’.
When asked about the advice he gave Aryan, Shah Rukh revealed his belief in granting creative people autonomy. He stated he avoids burdening his children with the pressure of being his offspring. “With Suhana in acting, and Aryan in writing and direction, they do it themselves,” he said.
Despite his hands-off approach, Shah Rukh did advise Aryan to direct the script he had written for the Netflix show himself, rather than hiring another director. “I feel that those who write and then direct themselves become better directors in a sense,” he explained, assuring his son, “‘We’ll see what happens. How bad can you do? We will figure it out’.” The show, which featured a star-studded cast including Bobby Deol and Mona Singh, became an instant hit.
SRK concluded by stating his consistent goal is to create something that sets a trend in the industry and generates new opportunities, citing his attempt to make his career’s first superhero movie, ‘Ra.One’. He noted that while ‘Ra.One’ “didn’t quite live up to those expectations” of revolutionizing visual effects, it performed very well as a film. The superstar also opened the possibility of a sequel to the superhero saga, which ended on a cliffhanger, hinting at future trendsetting ventures.
Shah Rukh Khan remains committed to pushing cinematic boundaries and inspiring the next generation of storytellers.
Key Highlights:
- Role Diversity: Shah Rukh Khan emphasized the importance of established heroes playing varied, layered, and non-traditional roles, stating that his character in the upcoming film ‘King’ is “very dark and grey.”
- ‘King’ Film Details: The film ‘King’ will star SRK, Deepika Padukone, and Suhana Khan, and reunites SRK with director Siddharth Anand after ‘Pathaan’. The actor confirmed his character is a murderer and ruthless.
- Advice to Aryan Khan: SRK revealed he gives his children creative freedom and only offered advice to his son, Aryan, to direct his own script for ‘The Bards of Bollywood’***, stating that writers who direct become better filmmakers.
- Trendsetting Goal: The superstar discussed his continuous aim to create trendsetting films, referencing his superhero attempt ‘Ra.One’, and also teased a potential sequel to the saga.