Interview with Shah Rukh Khan on Bollywood
  
Q: What’s it like being the King of Bollywood?
  
A: It feels good but I’ve never really understood it. I don’t believe it and I certainly don’t feel like the King of Bollywood. But as labels go, I’d much rather be called the King of Bollywood rather than the pauper of Bollywood (laughs).
  
Q: Why do Hindi films attract billions of people around the globe? Why is Bollywood getting so much attention?
  
A: Maybe in the beginning, it was sheer numbers. There are so many Indians around the globe and India makes the largest number of films in the world. Over the years, several generations got hooked and even non-Indians discovered Hindi films. I believe that entertainment is a passion for us. It’s still not a business. And I believe that this passion seeps through. The West is so mechanized that these films are almost like an antidote. A German fan told me that we have buttons for everything but nothing to make us cry. Bollywood films make us cry. Also, I think when any country is rising as an economic power the world starts to look at its culture and cinema. And that’s what is happening now.
  
Q: Hindi cinema is often criticized for being overtly simplistic and fantastical. What is your response?
  
A: Hindi cinema is like your grandmother’s bedtime story. Now at night, I wouldn’t like my grandmother to be telling me stories about the political, socio-economic situation in the Far East. The simplicity and fantastical element of Hindi cinema is what makes it unique. This is its strength.
  
Q: You are the sub-continent’s great romantic hero but you categorically refuse to kiss your leading ladies. Why?
  
A: I feel shy kissing women in front of a hundred people. Also, I don’t think it’s necessary to kiss to convey romance. Anyway my films usually end before the kissing and love-making begins. So I give you intense romance and then leave the mechanics to your imagination.
  
Q: After so many years of being a demi-God, what do you aspire to now?
  
A: I think acting has become almost spiritual for me. What excites me is being able to touch more people, to make more people smile. I want to bring more warmth and goodness to what I do. Also, I really want to bring something new to the cinema of India. I feel that I’m in a position to do it now. I want to create a studio. I also aspire to create the first Hindi film that the whole world will watch. I don’t want to make crossover cinema. I want to make a true blue Hindi film with songs and emotions that would speak to people across the globe. If I can be part of that film, in any way, as producer, actor, assistant, I will be satisfied.
  
Q: What was it like to read King of Bollywood: Shah Rukh Khan and the Seductive World of Indian Cinema?
  
A: It re-introduced me to myself. It helped me rediscover parts of myself that I had forgotten. I think it’s a must-read for anyone interested in Indian culture, films, and of course, me.