In a career spanning over three decades, Shah Rukh Khan has played numerous iconic roles. One of his roles is the portrayal of the tragic hero in Devdas. At the 77th Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland, where the Bollywood megastar was honoured with the Pardo alla Carriera award or Career Leopard, Khan took the opportunity to reflect on the film that not only tested his limits as an actor but also became a personal tribute to his late mother. The actor revealed that his production house, Red Chillies Entertainment, has acquired the rights to Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s epic 2002 film, Devdas.
Devdas, a film that has seen over 18 adaptations across various mediums, was brought to life once again in 2002 by director Sanjay Leela Bhansali, with Shah Rukh Khan stepping into the titular role. Speaking at a masterclass during the festival, Khan shared his pride in securing the rights to this landmark film. “We as a production company bought the rights of this film back, and I’m very, very proud that it belongs to our company now,” he announced.
Shah Rukh Khan delved into the challenges faced during the production, revealing the immense pressure of living up to the legacy of the earlier adaptations, especially the 1955 version starring Dilip Kumar—a film his parents, both avid fans of Kumar, adored.
Khan reminisced about the weight of expectations that accompanied his decision to take on the role. “By the time I got to see the film, I think they’d made 18 films based on the same novel, or 20, and lots of other plays and songs,” he noted. The actor was initially discouraged by peers who felt that the character of Devdas was too different from the roles that had brought him fame. “A lot of actors in Mumbai told me not to do the film. ‘This is not your zone. You are more pop culture,’” he recalled.
Khan candidly discussed the cultural context in which the film was made. “By the time Sanjay Leela Bhansali wanted to make this film, I think the general sentiment in India was that it felt outdated. The country was undergoing a cultural shift towards a more liberalized mindset, with audiences increasingly gravitating towards lighter, commercial fare like college musicals,” he shared.
The production of Devdas was an ambitious endeavor that faced significant financial and logistical challenges. “It was the most expensive film being made in India, so it went through its own share of troubles. Money issues, and producers vanishing, we had to complete the film in a few days. It went overtime, over budget,” Khan revealed.
Despite these hurdles, he found the experience fulfilling, particularly as a tribute to his mother. “I had a great time doing the film because I felt it kind of was a tribute… memory to my mother who loved the film.”
SRK recalled the immense scale of the set, saying, “We used to have 90 gen sets on the sets at one time to light up the area, and there were no generators left in the city of Mumbai because it had to be lit up so much. Very opulent, very lavish, very rich and very big and the costumes and the drama and everything of it.”
Working with co-stars like Aishwarya Rai, Madhuri Dixit, and Jackie Shroff, Khan found himself immersed in a world of complex characters and intricate emotions. Playing Devdas, a character consumed by love and loss, was a departure from Khan’s usual roles. “I was good in it. As you always wanted to play stark characters… an alcoholic and I fitted into the character,” he said. However, the role came with its own set of challenges, particularly when it came to the traditional Indian attire he had to wear. “I had never worn such an intricate Indian garb before,” Khan admitted, humorously recounting the difficulties of wearing a dhoti. “Very difficult to walk, to keep from falling many times. You had to tie it along, and you need a specialist to tie after some times when I couldn’t tie it because it kept falling off in between the shots,” he said. In a candid moment, he confessed to using a zipper as a practical solution, despite it being “blasphemous.”
“It does define a lot of Indian cinema (through) its opulence and its beauty, and it’s larger than life-ness, its theatrics. So, it is a very dialogue-oriented, very dramatic musical film that you will see. And there are some outstanding dance centerpieces, I think, some of the best that I’ve ever shot in the world,” Khan reflected.
On the work front, Shah Rukh Khan will next star in Sujoy Ghosh’s King alongside Abhishek Bachchan and Suhana Khan.
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