| Welcome to Global Village Space

Monday, October 7, 2024

Filmmaker Aanand L. Rai sees a ‘newcomer’ in Shah Rukh Khan

News Desk |

Aanand L.Rai, the director of Shah Rukh Khan’s upcoming film ‘Zero’ said he is fascinated to see Shah Rukh possess the energy of a newcomer despite having a career of 25 years in the Indian film industry.

‘I am fascinated to see how a man with 25 years of a career, with so much success, fame, so many blockbusters, can still have childlike energy. He did not burn out.’ ‘He is the most obedient actor I have seen ever in my life. His energy on set is like a young boy doing his first film. I want to say that he is the best newcomer a director will get on the set… In fact, that is something I am trying to learn from him,’ Rai said.

Shah Rukh Khan is playing a dwarf in ‘Zero’. It is a multi-star cast that features Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma in lead roles. Rai said, the shoot of ‘Zero’ was arduous but was made easy by the talented cast.

“Physically the shoot was very exhausting but the whole team had a great time working towards it because of the fact that I worked with a bunch of enthusiastic actors, and Khan Saab is one of them.

Read more:  Shah Rukh Khan declares he does not allow disrespect of women…

‘He surprises me to an extent that at times it scares me to think whether as a director I am able to match up to his level of talent. He is an extraordinary man, not just as an actor but also as a human,’ said the director.

Rai, further said, Shah Rukh Khan as an actor is very humble and friendly and that’s what makes him a wonderful colleague to work with. ‘Well, Khan Saab always has a way to say things, and he never says ‘I don’t do a scene like this’. His approach is always suggestive. He would say, ‘Shall we do it like this?’ His attitude towards people is so nice,’ Rai said.

Rai said the risks have aggravated as the content of the film ‘Zero’ is distinct to the mainstream content with Shah Rukh Khan shedding his long-held identity of a ‘romantic hero’ in this movie. He said, “With experience, I have realized that audience is growing every year to accept more experimental cinema. There is a synergy between audience and filmmakers.”

“As a film director, I cannot say there is no audience for a certain genre of the story because a different group of audience is receptive towards a variety of stories. Now we have an audience to support a film like Baahubali and a content-heavy film like Newton in the same year.”

Read more: Tax department seizes Shah Rukh Khan’s farmhouse

Growing into a Child

A few days back, Shah Rukh took to his social media to express how unique his experience has been so far working on ‘Zero’. In his Twitter post, he wrote: “I am loving and living making ‘Zero’ the film. Thanks, Aanand L.Rai and the whole team for this. The only way to describe it is ‘I am growing up very fast into a child. Very fast’.

‘Zero’ will mark the reunion of the trio from ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’. The movie is expected to release in December 2018.