“How can you push a limitless actor like Shah Rukh beyond a limit?” – Karan Johar

By Bollywood Hungama News Network -

February 13, 2010 - 5:12 PM IST

Now this is one bond which is stronger as ever and (thankfully) doesn't threaten to break away. Karan Johar and Shah Rukh Khan have been a team and it is their coming together in My Name Is Khan which has given cine goers a reason to celebrate. There were always great expectations from the film and with My Name Is Khan opening to huge critical and commercial acclaim, it is clear that this 'jodi' is not going away anywhere.

“How can you push a limitless actor like Shah Rukh beyond a limit?” – Karan Johar

However, one wonders though that after being in the business for 20 years, where does an actor of the calibre of Shah Rukh Khan go from here? With films like My Name Is Khan and Chak De India behind him, does he have anything new left to explore? Also, given the fact that time and again film makers talk about pushing the limits of an actor, how further can he be pushed from here?

"How can you push a limitless actors beyond a limit", shoots back Karan, "There is no limit to some actors and Shah Rukh is one such actor. He has no limit and no limitation. He can give a role much more than what you can dream of. He can do anything and be anyone. He can be Mohan of Swades to Kabir of Chak De India to Rizwan of My Name Is Khan and show the same amount of dedication and commitment. Also, what really makes him stand apart is the fact that he goes by the tonality of the character. For example Kabir and Mohan required him to be restrained and he succeeded in doing that to perfection. Now Rizwan requires him to stretch himself further and he has done that with aplomb. Come on, he is somebody who has no boundaries."

As Rizwan who suffers from Asperger's syndrome, Shah Rukh Khan has come up trumps and won all around appreciation. Still, one can't help but ask Karan if there really was any requirement of having a central protagonist different from other people. Wouldn't the story have still remained as effective even if Shah Rukh had played a regular guy?

"After watching the film, don't you think that his character does everything because he is so 'different' from other human beings", Karan questions back, "See, Rizwan Khan sees the world from one point of view and he takes things quite literally. There is a certain level of innocence in him as he thinks black and white. He doesn't understand layers and if you tell him that 'Go to Hell', he won't think that it wasn't meant in a literal sense. Just like the film, his point of view is defensive, not offensive. When you understand him and his belief in humanity, you further grasp the heart and soul of the film."