‘I am no hero for my kids’ …says actor Shah Rukh Khan, who’s been in the news for all the wrong reasons…and right (in the end)!

‘I am no hero for my kids’

…says actor Shah Rukh Khan, who’s been in the news for all the wrong reasons…and right (in the end)!

Celebrating his team’s recent victory, actor Shah Rukh Khan is in an exuberant mood as After Hrs catches up with him at his palatial Mannat. “I know people have been talking about my insanity, saying midlife crisis hai, making careers trying to analyse me… but as insane as it actually sounds, to be honest for that one moment I actually believed that I could fly. In fact, I would have taken off the railing, had (wife) Gauri and (daughter) Suhana not pulled me back,” says Shah Rukh, “More than worrying about what they all had to say about my insanity, I’m thinking of working on my cartwheel, as Aryan had pointed out that my landing was not perfect!” But talking about his recent Wankhede fiasco, the actor clarifies that the only people who he does owe an apology to are his children and the audience. “I’m an employee of my audience and there’s simply no justification for abusing in front of them or my children,” he says. The win has come as a breather for the actor, who admits that not just the past few days, but even the past few months haven’t been easy. “Yes, my heart’s broken by whatever has happened in the past six-seven months. I’ve been hurt by my own people,” he says talking about the intense scrutiny and countless speculation surrounding his personal life. “I am no role model, and there’s no ‘grow up to be like papa’ happening at my home ever, but my kids do get affected with all that’s going around. Every day I wake up making a joke about what gets written about me, just so my kids don’t take it seriously. I’m no hero for my kids and they don’t take me as a hero, but I’m still their dad.” That, says Shah Rukh, is also one of the reasons why he’s gone off Twitter. “I don’t want to be explaining myself, and be abused by people who won’t have the guts to say any of it on my face,” quips the actor. “People exist in small boxes of judgement and limitations and when they do not have any power over me, they try to hurt me, whereas all that I’ve done is tried to entertain my audiences and have only wanted to be liked in return! I just wish they would be happy instead of being so cynical all the time.” As for his films, the Badshah will soon be seen on his home turf with a romantic film this year, for which he will be leaving for London soon for the next shoot schedule, but the actor insists that it would be unfair to compare this Yash Chopra film with one of his best ever Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. “I can’t do a Dilwale again. I was 31 then! I don’t think it can ever be the same, it can be better or not, but can’t be the same. I would never want to do the same thing again!” signs off the star.