Will the SRK magic work this time?

 

Shah Rukh has been on a promotional spree leading up to the release of his superhero flick. For the past few days SRK is everywhere, doing what the audience love to see him do- giving the Big B a massage on 'Kaun Banega Crorepati', talking about how reel and real life blurs at times with Barkha Dutt on NDTV, telling his biggest fan, Farukh about his childhood on UTV STARS' 'Live My Life'.
Love him? Hate him? But you just can't ignore him. The thing about SRK is that he is total 'paisa vasool'. He might turn up late for every promotional event but he is sure to entertain once he arrives, saying the right thing, giving the right sound byte and ever ready to break into a dance or do the 'Chammak Challo' number wherever possible.

I am not sure how seriously Shah Rukh takes himself as an actor but he sure does take himself seriously as an entertainer. While a lot of Bollywood actors might refuse to do commercials and dance at weddings, SRK has no problem breaking into a spontaneous jig on demand. In his own words Shah Rukh had once said that he's 

like the 'madari', ready to perform anywhere.

RA.One releases today and it's interesting how King Khan responds to question about why the film is important to him. He talks about the time he has invested, he talks about the technology used, he talks about how superhero films are important for Bollywood but he never talks about the Rs 175 crore that has been spent on the making of the film. When asked about the budget, he nonchalantly dismisses it, as if it's no big deal. He says that it's more important for him to have tried something new and different from what he has been doing all these years. It's safe for him to play a romantic hero but can he be a convincing superhero?

King Khan wears his '45 years' on his face

AT 45, Shah Rukh Khan is looking like he is, well, 45. Which is not a bad thing unless you consider he helms glamour- driven Bollywood where the hero must always look fighting fit and young, at a time when rival contemporaries of the same age group, Aamir and Salman Khan, are miraculously looking not a day older than 30.

 

Shah Rukh has of late been frenetically occupying every public space available to promote his ambitious production Ra. One. One overhype that SRK has unleashed, however, they are also talking of the fact that SRK has been looking rather aged and haggard in his promotional activities.

 

Probably, the aged look could have to do with the niggling back problem that has plagued the superstar over the past few years.SRK has undergone multiple major surgeries and shot Ra. One through his painful stint.

 

"Huge blue screen... 100 cars... cranes wires... gawd i am making a film beyond my means. Now working with my doc on my back. Time to scream out ouch... ooh... aah... no pun intended ( sic),"Shah Rukh tweeted some time ago, about braving his back woes to wrap up Ra. One . It could be a reason why he definitely looks old in certain scenes in the film’s promos.

 

The superstar incidentally has been under the effect of anaesthesia more than once over the past decade, having undergone minor surgeries for knee, ankle and stomach ailments. Heavy medication and its side effects over the past years could be a reason why SRK may have been forced to avoid the popular showbiz option of Botox to keep looking young as many of his rivals are rumoured to do.

 

That, combined with a hectic lifestyle — the superstar reportedly sleeps for only about three to four hours daily despite all problems — perhaps has taken its toll.For now, Shah Rukh needs to think and stay young, even if he doesn’t look as much.