Apart from having phenomenal acting skills, Bollywood’s King Khan is also known for his way with words. Dubbed the King of Romance, Shah Rukh Khan’s performances have set relationship goals for many netizens. Among the numerous romantic films starring SRK is the fantasy romance ‘Paheli’. In the film, Shah Rukh starred opposite Rani Mukerji. ‘Paheli’ is a love story between Rani Mukerji and a ghost, played by SRK. An old interview of the actor is going viral where he praised the film as “woman-dominated.” In the clip, SRK discusses the concept of ‘the perfect man’ and faithfulness in marriage.
In the interview, Shah Rukh Khan explored the central theme of the film. He said, “’Paheli’ was a folktale written about the emancipation of women—the right of women to choose what they want, the right of women to live life as beautifully and as wonderfully as everyone else does. One aspect of the film, which is actually quite controversial, is that sometimes women lead a very servile life within their families without ever taking a stand. When I say a woman taking a stand, I don’t mean she has to burn her bra or go on a protest. What I believe in is just the inner strength with which she makes decisions. So, ‘Paheli’ was a film about that—a woman who is lonely, though she is married.”
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Catch the interview here:
Further elaborating, the ‘Om Shanti Om’ star noted that the storyline involves Rani Mukerji’s character choosing to be with a ghost instead of her husband. When asked if unfaithfulness is implied, SRK responded that faithfulness cannot be forced. He argued that faithfulness comes from love, not from coercion. “We make such a big deal about faithfulness. Faithfulness has to stem from love; it can’t be forced. I think that is the message of ‘Paheli’—you can’t force someone to be faithful to you.”
Moreover, the superstar wittily added that the ghost as the other man serves as a tongue-in-cheek comment on the idea of the perfect man being an illusion. He suggested that the perfect man is an illusion for women; he does not exist.
Also Read: Manisha Koirala reveals why she and SRK never collaborated after ‘Dil se’
Since the video has gone viral on social media, fans have flooded the comment section. Netizens have taken to admiring SRK’s charming wit and his eloquence. The video even reached Richa Chadha, who took to X to praise his eloquence. She wrote, “Is there anyone else as eloquent and intellectually exciting as this dimpled megastar? Wish for more films like ‘Paheli’ so he can do more interviews like this, giving us a glimpse into his worldview. #Mohabbat.”
‘Paheli’ was released in 2005 and starred Rani Mukerji, Amitabh Bachchan, Juhi Chawla, Anupam Kher, Suniel Shetty, and Rajpal Yadav alongside SRK. Shah Rukh was last seen in Rajkumar Hirani’s ‘Dunki’ and had a fulfilling year with three consecutive blockbusters.
