No other film in recent times would have created as much buzz as My Name is Khan. Not even Aamir Khan’s 3 Idiots pre-release buzz came anywhere close to the hysteria around My Name is Khan. This kind of massive public interest in the film was expected

because it brings back the magical team of Karan Johar, Kajol and Shah Rukh Khan after eight long years.

Talking about his close friend and co-star Kajol, SRK says that her presence in a film makes it easy for him to work. "When I am the only star in the film, then the onus is totally on me. I like it when Kajol is around. But people think differently. They feel if it’s SRK, then he will take care of the film," smiles Shah Rukh. Theirs has been one of the most lauded onscreen pairs in Bollywood history. They have showcased an explosive chemistry each time they have come together. "All our films do well. But had we been illiterates, we would have thought this is just our destiny. But I believe if one does his job with heart and soul and with lots of happiness, then, for sure, results will be good," says SRK.

Extolling the acting calibre of Kajol, Shah Rukh says that the beauty of her acting lies in her originality which is rare to find. "One can never convince Kajol to do a scene just like that. She has to be given an explanation in detail. She is not a technical artist. If you tell her to just laugh, the way you want her to, she won’t do it. That is the beauty of her acting; she is a very natural actress," Shah Rukh lavishes praise on her.

On his experience of working with Kajol, right from Baazigar to My Name is Khan, Shah Rukh says, "After every scene, Kajol would come and ask ‘Was it okay?’ She does not come to find out if she delivered a good shot. She is very original. She never even copies herself. I mean she never repeats the acting style of her previous films. She does not remember what she had done in the previous films. On the sets of Baazigar, she would ask others about me, she wanted to know whether this newcomer (Shah Rukh) talks at all. Since I was new, I always used to be very cautious. Later we became good friends."

While the film has enjoyed a lot of positive publicity, the recent controversy involving Shah Rukh Khan and the Shiv Sena had also brought a lot of apprehension about its release. The pressure has perhaps made Shah Rukh soften his stand, but certainly not his individual ideology. "I am here only for entertainment. But when there are passionate outbursts from any party, I don’t want to say anything about it. If I say one more word, it will create more controversies. Things have been normal now, so it’s better to leave this issue alone," says Shah Rukh when asked to comment. Does he feel he really is being targeted because of his surname? "I am not a believer in that," comes his firm reply but then he adds ruefully, "Sometimes I wonder what is going to happen to us. Americans don’t want us and people here don’t want us to stay in India. Where will we go? The other day, my daughter called me in London and asked ‘Do we have to leave India? I felt sad for her. I don’t want to give explanations to everybody about my being an Indian, after staying here for 44 years."

So is he nervous about the release after all this brouhaha? "There is no anxiety or nervousness," he says categorically, "But I am feeling sad about the whole controversy. I am not a political figure. I want to thank Salman (Khan) and others who have spoken for me and stood by me during these times. I only want my film to release without any stress or tension, not because it is my film but because a lot of people have put their efforts into making it a good film. The masses and the media know me well. I have got a lot of love and they have given me titles like King Khan and Badshah Khan. I accept all that humbly. At the same time I don’t give importance to any negativity."

By Lipika Varma and Soumya Nair