MUMBAI: Indian screen icon Shah Rukh Khan has starred in dozens of Bollywood blockbusters and is adored by millions, but there's a movie he still dreams of making -- one that's a truly global hit. "I would like to be a part of that one Indian film, as an actor, as a producer, as a gaffer, as a sound recordist, as a production manager, whatever, which becomes famous all over the world," Khan told AFP in an interview.
"That's my 'Make in India' dream. I've had this since 25 years," he added, borrowing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's much-trumpeted slogan for boosting manufacturing in the country.
The Asian giant's Hindi film industry churns out hundreds of movies every year, raking in billions of US dollars in ticket receipts, but is yet to release a blockbuster that really takes Western box offices by storm.
"I hope to achieve that but I don't sit down with people (and focus on) 'What is the crossover film that we can make?' No, I think it will happen because I believe in it," said Khan.
The actor known in India as King Khan or simply SRK to his legions of fans is arguably Hindi cinema's biggest and most-recognisable star of the modern age. He shot to stardom in the mid-90s as the hero of romantic dramas such as Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Khan has appeared in around 80 Bollywood movies and collected numerous accolades since travelling to Mumbai on a train from his hometown of Delhi in the early 90s with the clear intention of becoming a superstar.
"I always wanted to be famous, I wanted to be recognised, I want thousands of people outside my house, I don't want to go on the beach and relax. If I want a McDonald's I'll open it in my house," he said. "When I was 25 I wanted to be like Madonna said: rich, famous, well-known, hard-working, recognised and get all the awards possible. I really enjoy being a star, I would not exchange it for anything."
SRK describes his own fame as being like an out of body experience. "I'm extremely grateful and I don't even understand how I've become what I've become. Does it even belong to me? I say this again and again, I'm just an employee of the superstar called Shah Rukh Khan. I have no idea how he does it."
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