Bollywood’s Shah Rukh Khan reveals why he hasn’t yet made it to Hollywood at World Government Summit in Dubai

Speaking on the importance of understanding the audience, @iamsrk says his quest for perfection led to innovation but also taught him the importance of understanding the audience. His focus remains on spreading hope, happiness, and love on screen. (Photo: WorldGovSummit)

DUBAI: Bollywood legend Shah Rukh Khan on Wednesday said he has not been in a Hollywood blockbuster yet because the roles offered to him have not been good enough.
“I’ve said this honestly but no one believes it so I’ll say it to you very, very honestly — nobody has ever offered me work crossover of substance,” he told CNN presenter Richard Quest on the last day of the World Government Summit in Dubai.
“I think I still have to learn to be able to deliver to the audience that still likes me, instead of spreading myself too thin.”
However, Khan said he dreams of concluding his career — “which is far from ending right now” — by making a film that crosses continents.
“I want to make that film which is loved by the whole world, so nobody asks me why you haven’t crossed over. That film should cross me over,” he added.
“When I started off I just wanted to survive, but as years have gone past I think my whole job has become more motivated toward bringing new technology into the Indian film industry.”
Among the projects he turned down was the Oscar-winning “Slumdog Millionaire,” a UK film that introduced Western audiences to Indian filmmaking.
Bollywood Star Shah Rukh Khan arrives at the World Governments Summit in Dubai on the last day. (AN photo by Philip Ekladyous)
 

Khan was offered a role by director Danny Boyle while he was hosting the Indian version of the gameshow “Who Wants to be a Millionaire,” but turned down the movie that revolved around a “dishonest” host.
“I just felt in the story that was being told, the guy who was hosting was very mean,” he added. “I was cheating and being dishonest as the host (in the movie), so I just found that it’s very strange that I’m being a host (in real life) and I’m cheating in the film.
“So I explained to Mr. Boyle that I wouldn’t like to do it … and there are way better actors than me. And I think Mr. Anil Kapoor did it and he was fantastic as the host.”
The film went on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2009, grossing over $300 million worldwide.
Khan made a grand comeback in 2023 after a nearly five-year sabbatical, delivering the three blockbusters “Jawan,” “Pathan” and “Dunki.”
Asked what he did in these years, he answered: “I learned how to make the best pizza in the world. I made myself a small kitchen and I started learning how to make pizzas, and I learned perseverance because to get the perfect pizza, it takes millions of square pizzas to make it completely round.”

 
CNN presenter Richard Quest interviews Shah Rukh Khan. (AN photo by Philip Ekladyous)
 

The Bollywood sensation said his family would tell him: “Your pizza is better than your films, so stop making films.”
But he praised their support and encouragement, especially his children’s, for pushing him to return to the industry.
He admitted that he was “licking his wounds” after experiencing several successive big-budget flops, which he said resulted from his failure to listen to his audience.
“I’d become indulgent. I started becoming too innovative. I was looking for perfection, and I started feeling I needed to look for excellence and being unique, while I needed to look at the audience and what they want, and I stopped hearing the crowds,” he added. “People just like to see me giving hope, happiness and love, and I decided to get back to that.”
He touched on his frequent visits to Dubai, where he owns a house and “no one bothers him,” saying: “There’s so much to do here and it’s very close to India.”