Speaking up about his four-year acting hiatus, Shah Rukh Khan discusses what spurred it: “Mujhe laga main aisa laga
Dunki, the much anticipated 2023 film starring Shah Rukh Khan, opened in theaters on December 21. The audience’s reactions to the movie’s premiere were divided. The actor, who made his acting return with Pathaan this year, has now revealed why he took a four-year hiatus from the business.
Speaking on his hiatus from the entertainment industry, Shah Rukh Khan said, “I didn’t really take a break for four years.” To be honest, I felt that I had become more detached from myself throughout the last year and a half. An actor must have a deep relationship with oneself. However, sometimes movies may be so massive and impactful that people lose sight of their own real-life experiences—not in a negative sense. I thus only want to be by myself.”
“I figured I should sit for six to eight months, and to be honest, I didn’t have any film either,” he said. In breaks, I don’t sign movies. I don’t worry about what movie to sign next. Internally, I’m a touch lazy. I believe I took a year-long sabbatical before the epidemic struck, making it four years in all. It was not the result of a deliberate effort or cognitive process.”
He went on to describe his hiatus in more detail, saying, “I saw a lot of movies during that time, in every genre. Because we work on sets, we often don’t have time to watch movies. I reasoned that because I like certain movies a lot but the public didn’t, I needed to work on improving those movies. Thus, such ideas occurred. For all actors, the most important thing is to amuse as many people as possible. Though financially satisfying, I believe that every creative in the film industry wants to know how much they were able to entertain. Thus, I’m overjoyed that I was able to provide so much entertainment this year. The highest high I’ve had this year has been finishing my enjoyable year with Dunki, and I believe the audience will enjoy it immensely. It may keep me entertained for two or three years at a time.”
Dunki, directed by Rajkumar Hirani, is the tale of five friends from Punjab who want to go to the UK but end up taking the illicit road when their legal path to the country fails them. Along with others in significant parts, the film stars Shah Rukh Khan, Taapsee Pannu, Anil Grover, Vikram Kochhar, Vicky Kaushal, and Boman Irani. In only two days, the movie has earned over Rs 50 crore globally and is getting dangerously near to the Rs 100 crore milestone.
