Shahrukh Month! Let’s talk stories that we want to see from him, stories we have watched/read and thought “I want to see SRK do that”.
I don’t know about you, but as I go through my day and watch true crime documentaries, or watch American sitcoms, or read heartwarming People magazine stories, or really anything, I find myself thinking “Oooo, I want to see SRK do that!”
You must watch/read different things than I do! Let’s pool knowledge! Tell me about what you have recently read/seen that made you think “oooo, that’s an SRK thing!!!”
I’ll throw one out for you, The Kominsky Method. Michael Douglas plays an old actor and acting teacher, he is a brilliant actor and teacher but never made it big. His best friend is his dry old agent, a terrifying successful agent who softens at home with his sick wife. And his daughter works with him as an admin at his acting school. I would love to see SRK as an aging brilliant acting teacher who has seen his students go on to a success he will never have, eating lunches with his old friend and agent.
Now, what’s yours? Cary Grant movie, evil conman, family sitcom?
dontcallitbollywood 
I LOVED Kominsky and that’s a brilliant choice.
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YES! I would adore watching Shahrukh teaching acting classes and guiding others to personal revelations while being a disaster himself.
On Sat, Oct 9, 2021 at 9:35 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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When I watching Shershaah, the thing that kept on coming on my mind was how good a younger SRK would be in the role. Don’t get me wrong I thing Sid did a great job with the role but at certain scenes SRK can give that edge which a lot of other actors can’t. Like when he’s saying goodbye to his fiancé, that slight regret or when he’s carrying out missions that kind of anger. That I feel only SRK could’ve done.
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I was thinking of Doosra Aadmi with SRK the other day. He’s Raakhee, Anushka is Rishi, and maybe Ayushmann is Neetu? The only problem is that sex isn’t as taboo anymore, so maybe it would be a superfluous remake, unless it takes place in a small town and SRK is the guy returned from the big city.
In other news, I just found a TV show with Maddy from 1997?? With Satish Shah, Mandira Bedi, and a whole bunch of well-known faces. No subtitles found yet though:(
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If Anushka is Rishi, who is Shashi? Can we make Karisma be Shashi and Kareena be Rishi? Just for the lols?
I would say, even if sex isn’t taboo exactly, there’s still the “honeymoon” effect. Maybe Kareena and Ayushmann are live-in boyfriend/girlfriend and then decide impulsively to get married so they can travel together overseas for Kareena’s new job? At first all is fun and extended honeymoon, but then Kareena gets caught up in her job and Ayushmann is trying to be a supportive stay at home husband, and truly doesn’t resent giving up his career for her dreams, but he does resent it when she is never home and starts drifting away.
And I don’t know why, but I am feeling “film editor” as Kareena’s career? Either that or music producer. So Shahrukh can be artistic and genius but in a back office kind of way. And Mandira Bedi can be the old friend who knew Shahrukh when Karisma was alive and sees through his Kareena fantasy and challenges him.
What do you think?
On Sun, Oct 10, 2021 at 7:37 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Ooh this is great! I admit I was thinking of Kajol/Rani as Shashi, but I’ve also wanted to see more SRK/Karishma movies, so yes to that! And Kareena is perfect as well, especially because you can tell she is too young for Shahrukh. She usually doesn’t have the gravitas Anushka brings to her roles with Shahrukh.
With Kareena, you’d need someone who can look like they can’t fit into her glamorous, glitzy film world, so Ayushmann would be a good fit, but also Maddy! (there’s that movie of his. Um. Something with London? And he’s a chef from a small village?).
Mandira is good (and finally, Preity from DDLJ gets SRK!). She could be someone who works at a rival company as well, so they’re friendly competitors and equals. Shahrukh would never have to mentor her, because she doesn’t need it and challenges him in all the ways.
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What about Arjun K? Sort of a Ki & Ka redux? Back in Delhi, they had their group of hang out friends and fun in the apartment and stuff, but after the move to Bombay, she starts dressing fancier and going to fancier clubs and things and he just wants to stay home.
On Sun, Oct 10, 2021 at 11:56 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I love it!
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Breaking Bad
SRK as Walter White
Kareena Kapoor as Skyler White
though, that’s a T.V. show but still, that’s my choice and nobody except Kareena Kapoor would be a better choice, because Anna Gunn is similar in facial features to that of Kareena.
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Breaking Bad, The GOAT and my personal favorite!!!!
SRK as Walter White.
Kareena Kapoor as Skyler White.
though,that’s a T.V. show but still, that’s my choice.
and Kareena Kapoor would be an apt choice considering his facial features tremendously match with those of Anna Gunn, at least that’s what i think.
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An Indian version of “To kill a mockingbird” with ShahRukh as Atticus.
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Thanks, I needed this fantasy-casting distraction from the real-life events surrounding him! I think we’ve established that he’d fit well in most Cary Grant roles. Lately, I’ve been on a spree of Joseph Cotten movies; he plays cold and charming and everything in between and I’ve been imagining Shahrukh in almost all the roles. I don’t know how familiar you are with the movies so this might turn out long! Most of these are roles younger Shahrukh could’ve played, but some of these he can still play now.
First up, Uncle Charlie in Shadow of a Doubt is a perfect fit for him – charming the whole world while being a serial killer who also has creepy sexual tension with his niece – SRK will nail it, even now!
Farmer’s Daughter – young politician from powerful political family who falls for woman working as temporary maid in their house. She came to the big city to train as a nurse, got duped out of her money, took this position to earn back the money. She has strong political opinions, sometimes clashing with that of the family, but his mother respects and mentors her and she ultimately becomes a candidate for the rival party. He is angry at first, but then supports her, decides to leave politics because of dirty games being played on her, in the end they fight back together and both are elected. It’s the woman’s story with the man supporting her and being cute – would’ve totally suited 90s SRK.
Half Angel – Silly plot where a prim and proper nurse outwardly resents a hotshot lawyer but secretly has a crush on him which she won’t even admit to herself. When she falls asleep at night her subconscious takes over, she dresses up glamorously, sleepwalks to his house and seduces him. He falls for her but she has no memory of this during the day, behaves rudely to him when he tries to act familiar. Confusion and hilarity ensue. SRK can play this now opposite someone like Vidya.
I’ll be Seeing You – A sweet story of a soldier suffering from PTSD and a woman serving a prison sentence connecting while trying to hide their true selves, ultimately finding strength in each other. I would’ve loved a younger SRK-Rani in the roles.
Since You Went Away – I thought I’d just watch his parts in this 3 hour long saga but I ended up watching and liking the whole thing. He plays a Navy officer, very charming, who carries a candle for his best friend’s wife (Claudette Colbert), while her daughter (Jennifer Jones) has a crush on him. The friend’s gone off to war. Everyone is open with their feelings, he knows she’ll never feel the same way, Claudette sees him as a very good friend, they are jokey about it. He treats Jennifer with kindness but never encourages her. It’s basically a tailormade Shahrukh role, with Juhi as Claudette.
Yup, this was long and I forgot to mention Gaslight! I think the actors I tend to fall for all have certain common qualities which appeal to me, which is why I can see one in place of the other.
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Thank YOU! I’ve only seen Shadow of a Doubt out of these so I very much enjoyed your summary.
Shadow of a Doubt: Yes YEs Yes! And it is the PERFECT SRK-Alia movie, right? And Alia’s Mom can play her Mom/Shahrukh’s indulgent older sister. I don’t remember it in detail, but I don’t think we want to remake it in detail, do we? Just the perfect sunny happy town (which could be an apartment complex or a village or anything) to which darkness comes, and the innocent young woman who has this strange semi-sexual drawing to her “bad” uncle.
Did not know that was the plot of Farmer’s Daughter, LOVE IT! If this was 90s SRK, I would cast Madhuri opposite him for sure. If it was modern day, I think it would be interesting to see him with Nushrat Bharucha as the maid. There would be the age difference as one more gap between them.
I’ll be seeing you sounds like SUCH a soaper! I love it!!! Agree, has to be SRK-Rani. I wouldn’t do soldier with PTSD, because it should be something more every day, as PTSD would have been in 1944. Maybe addict? Yeah, that works. severe alcoholic who has destroyed his life and driven away everyone he loved, finally succeeded at rehab but his doctor wants him to try being out in the world with all his triggers. Rani can still be a killer on parole. Shahrukh lies because he is ashamed of his addiction and wants to forget everything he lost because of it. Rani lies because she is ashamed of her past. And then blah blah blah.
Uff, Shahrukh as supportive friend and gently appropriate crush object! YES! This is perfect. Again, slight update needed. Husband in Dubai? Yeah, that works. Husband working overseas in one of those scary rock solid contracts so he can’t even come home for visits. Maybe the family had some huge economic disaster, so the husband took a 5 year contract to solve it and in the meantime asked his best friend to watch out for his family.
Obviously Gaslight, it’s a classic. Anushka should star and also produce, classic Anushka feminist plot. Oh heck, let’s redo Baabul, Rahul Bose can be the evil husband.
On Sun, Oct 10, 2021 at 8:08 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Yay I’m glad you liked them, it’s not just me imagining these are perfect Shahrukh roles!
Alia is the obvious lazy choice and I was trying to think of someone else, but no dice! The plot details don’t matter much, what stands out are the interactions, and how her view of beloved uncle slowly changes leading to her fearing for her life. Also, this and Since You Went Away made me ponder about actors’ nebulous on-screen ages. Cotten and Teresa Wright’s age difference was 13 years (like SRK-Rani), so they technically could be uncle-niece, but for an audience that’s a perfectly acceptable age gap for love interests too, and Hitchcock deliberately plays with that expectation to ramp up the creepiness. It’s the opposite in Since You Went Away, where Cotten and Jones again have a similar age difference, but the movie totally sells that avuncular relationship, even though she is openly crushing on him. Made me realize that the actors and directors were really good at their job. Funnily, both Cotten-Wright and Cotten-Jones went on to play romantic partners in later movies, which I’m yet to watch! I’m imagining SRK and Rani in these scenarios and I don’t know if I would’ve ever bought them as uncle-niece, no matter how good they were!
Oh I like SRK-Madhuri for this! I liked that in the movie no one was opposed to their relationship, the mother and butler actually saw that they were falling before they themselves realized. There are a couple of funny physical comedy bits that I can totally see SRK-Madhuri in – they are skating together, he’s trying to show off but falls into the freezing water, then he’s lying in bed with cold and pain, she is giving him an aggressive massage when his girlfriend walks in!
It’s Ginger Rogers, they worked so well together! And I loved that her only family – aunt, uncle and cousin – are firmly behind her being supportive and they bring him into their fold. He comes clean to her early on, but she doesn’t until the very end. Addiction is interesting, it will be viewed differently from PTSD, which resulted from doing something brave and noble.
You mean Bulbul I assume and I like the Anushka-Rahul casting, it’s perfect!
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With the age difference thing, something I find fascinating is that Hollywood films are much more willing to let their heroes grow up. In Hindi film, Shahrukh has to play a college boy in KKHH meaning the age difference between him and Rani is erased. But in Hollywood, you can be an adult man without being married yet. You can be mature and useful in the world and all of those things and just never happen to have gotten married.
I think it has to be SRK-Alia, because she has such a baby face. Someone like Dips would be great in that role, but you lose the feeling of her being so very very young and innocent. Right? You need this starry eyed untouched youngster against this super charming older man she worships. And we probably don’t want to go there, but in South India, your mother’s youngest brother actually would be/could be the person you marry. So it’s culturally accepted, not taboo.
I like the idea of addiction, because with PTSD there’s that shame of not being brave, of leaving the war too soon, etc. etc. Yes it’s not your “fault”, but then addiction isn’t necessarily your fault either. I want that tinge of “this is something I know some people will judge me on, but other people will understand, and I’m not sure which you are yet”.
On Mon, Oct 11, 2021 at 1:13 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Very true!
I wasn’t thinking of any of the established actresses, but someone young and fresh-faced and really except Alia no one fits the bill. Maybe Mithila Palkar?
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Oooo, Mithila Palkar would be really good!
On Mon, Oct 11, 2021 at 7:23 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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The new James Bond flick made it to our small town, despite the actor’s annoying recent comments I’m thinking of taking the family to it. Fun movies that come are extra special (In The Heights never made it here 😢). Anyway just as SRK was the best supervillain (Don/Darr) I think he would be the best secret agent! So I want an SRK James Bond! Especially one with disguises.
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I picture a Shahrukh James Bond as Harry crossed with Don. Fragile on the inside, tough ont he outside.
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He could play it two dimensional spy guy like most actors have, and it would be awesome. But he isn’t that good at two-dimensional characters is he?
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Nope! He would do it all conflict-y. What I would REALLY love is to see him play a desi James Bond. That is, an British Indian who has to deal with prejudice and the whole colonial heritage and all of that and figure out where his loyalties lie and why.
On Tue, Oct 12, 2021 at 11:59 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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