Shah Rukh Khan Talks Brad Pitt’s Jaw, Swiss Chocolate and Bollywood Celebrity at Rollicking Locarno Masterclass: ‘I Wear Stardom Like a T-Shirt, Not a Tuxedo’

variety.com:

Naman Ramachandran Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan took center stage at the 77th Locarno Film Festival for an in-depth masterclass conversation with festival director Giona A.

Nazzaro on Sunday. The wide-ranging discussion touched on Khan’s 30-plus year career, his approach to acting, and his thoughts on stardom and the film industry.

The event was packed to the rafters with fans of multiple nationalities who punctuated several of the icon’s answers with cries of “I love you, Shah Rukh!” Khan began by recounting his early exposure to cinema through his mother, who was a film fan. “We had what was known as a video cassette recorder… it was a big thing to own one,” he said. “My mother’s sister was very rich, so she gifted us one.” The actor described watching films while massaging his mother’s feet, a common cultural practice in India.

His first theatrical film experience came after earning top marks in Hindi-language class, when his mother took him to see Yash Chopra’s “Joshila.” After a stint in theater in Delhi, Khan said he initially came to Mumbai in 1990, intending to work for just one year. “I thought I’d work for a year, earn one lakh rupee (INR100,000, then $5,715), buy myself a house, and then go back and become a scientist or a mass communication journalist,” he said. “And I haven’t gone back yet.” Khan shared an anecdote about his early days in the industry, recalling a meeting with a famous director. “He said, the most attractive part of you is that you’re very ugly, you know, because all these heroes, they look really Swiss chocolate-like.