"Biology was my favourite subject" - Shahrukh Khan

Shahrukh Khan was conferred an honorary doctorate in the United Kingdom for his contribution to arts and culture by Bedfordshire University at a ceremony in London last week. In a brief chat from London, SRK reveals what the doctorate means to him. Excerpts...

Buzz up

o Doctorsaab, how does the new tag feel? Very, very cool. It's an honour which would make a boy's parents very happy, so I am sure my mom and dad must be very proud.

Other Indian stars to have been given honorary doctorates in the UK, including Shilpa Shetty, Akshay Kumar and AR Rahman. Do you think your doctorate has come too late?
Everyone gets what they deserve… and when they deserve it. I am an immensely satisfied and happy person with my life and achievements and always appreciate the achievements of my colleagues.

Is an honorary doctorate better than the many awards you have received as an actor?
The race I run doesn't have a finish line. There are no bests in the standards I set for myself. This doctorate is an absolute delight and matter of pride for me and my family and so are all the other awards, but the fun is in running not finishing the race for me.

The university received your nomination from Routes 2 Roots, an NGO that works towards people-to-people contact across the subcontinent, especially India and Pakistan. Are you aware about what they do?
Yes I am. They explained to me all the work they do and why they felt they should nominate my name.

You've said that you aim to use the award to help educate underprivileged children. How will you do that?
First comes the thought of making your life more meaningful, then the direction you want to take to fulfil the thought. The plans and modalities will follow after that. It is too early to give you the system and processes of the same but I will try and create an environment in my office and people to bring about education opportunities especially for little girls — and do it with as little show and publicity as possible.

Though you got the best student award from one of Delhi's top schools with you never finished a Masters degree. Do you regret not having gone in for higher studies?
Studies and trying to figure out things never end. It would have been good to complete my Masters degree but unavoidable circumstances led to it not being finished. But I don't regret it though.

What subject did you love and hate the most in school?
Biology was my favourite and so was English (Shakespeare). Mathematics was a horror especially as I was terrible in it. I did very well in Physics, Chemistry

What does true knowledge mean to you?
The belief that the more you learn the more you know, the more you know the more you forget, the more you forget the less you know, the less you know the less you forget, the less you forget the more you remember, the more you remember the more you know… and the cycle keeps on going. There is no end to seeking and absorbing knowledge. True knowledge is unfathomable, uncapturable, unknowable… like life. but we got to keep living and just like life that we have to live, we have got to keep striving for knowledge without knowing what it leads to.
and National Income Accounting.
Source: oneindia entertainment

SRK waxes eloquent about the doctorate he received

Mumbai: Shah Rukh Khan was conferred an honorary doctorate in the United Kingdom for his contribution to arts and culture by Bedfordshire University at a ceremony in London last week. In a brief chat from London, SRK reveals what the doctorate means to him. Excerpts... 
 
So Doctorsaab, how does the new tag feel?
Very, very cool. It's an honour which would make a boy's parents very happy, so I am sure my mom and dad must be very proud.

Other Indian stars to have been given honorary doctorates in the UK, including Shilpa Shetty, Akshay Kumar and AR Rahman. Do you think your doctorate has come too late?
Everyone gets what they deserve… and when they deserve it. I am an immensely satisfied and happy person with my life and achievements and always appreciate the achievements of my colleagues.  
 
Is an honorary doctorate better than the many awards you have received as an actor?
The race I run doesn't have a finish line. There are no bests in the standards I set for myself. This doctorate is an absolute delight and matter of pride for me and my family and so are all the other awards, but the fun is in running not finishing the race for me.  
 
The university received your nomination from Routes 2 Roots, an NGO that works towards people-to-people contact across the subcontinent, especially India and Pakistan. Are you aware about what they do?
Yes I am. They explained to me all the work they do and why they felt they should nominate my name. 
 
You've said that you aim to use the award to help educate underprivileged children. How will you do that?
First comes the thought of making your life more meaningful, then the direction you want to take to fulfil the thought. The plans and modalities will follow after that. It is too early to give you the system and processes of the same but I will try and create an environment in my office and people to bring about education opportunities especially for little girls and do it with as little show and publicity as possible.
 
Though you got the best student award from one of Delhi's top schools with you never finished a Masters degree. Do you regret not having gone in for higher studies?
Studies and trying to figure out things never end. It would have been good to complete my Masters degree but unavoidable circumstances led to it not being finished. But I don't regret it though.
 
What subject did you love and hate the most in school?
Biology was my favourite and so was English (Shakespeare). Mathematics was a horror especially as I was terrible in it. I did very well in Physics, Chemistry and National Income Accounting.
 
What does true knowledge mean to you?
The belief that the more you learn the more you know, the more you know the more you forget, the more you forget the less you know, the less you know the less you forget, the less you forget the more you remember, the more you remember the more you know… and the cycle keeps on going. There is no end to seeking and absorbing knowledge. True knowledge is unfathomable, uncapturable, unknowable… like life. but we got to keep living and just like life that we have to live, we have got to keep striving for knowledge without knowing what it leads to.

“My Name is Khan” is based on post 9/11

Mumbai: Karan Johar's next coming movie "My Name Is Khan" is based on post 9/11 situation in US.

It's all about a Muslim who suffers from the Asperger syndrome, a form of autism that impacts social interaction abilities.

The guy is arrested as a suspected terrorist in post-9/11 Los Angeles after authorities mistake his disability for suspicious behaviour.

Talking about the movie Karan Johar says, Shah Rukh has played really well in the movie.

Johar says, "Time and again I'm blown away by Shah Rukh. How can he think of so many things about his character when he has so much on his plate?"

"He has done monumental research on his autistic character. I was zapped by how much he knew on the subject. And he brought all the knowledge on the sets." Johar added.

Welcome to Dr.ShahRukh Khan's Blog

Welcome to Dr.ShahRukh Khan's Blog

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I feel old: Dr Shah Rukh Khan

Ironical, it is. Shah Rukh Khan is now a doctor; but he is also very pained.
He has been awarded a doctorate from the Bedfordshire University in UK for his contribution to arts and culture. "The honour brought me a lot of joy,'' says SRK, who is currently on vacation with Gauri and his children Aryan and Suhana. He laughs when he is addressed as 'Dr' and says, "Somehow it makes me feel slightly older when someone calls me Dr Shah Rukh Khan.''

Describing his time on the podium where he received the honour, he says, "Wearing that square cap with tassels tilted to the left, brought images of the heroes of the 70s; it was an oft-repeated thing in films those days. I didn't know whether etiquette required me to take Aryan and Suhana along for the convocation ceremony. So I left the children behind.'' Happily, Gauri was by his side when he received the honour. "I sincerely hope my parents could have watched this... and I hope that it was a proud moment for them wherever they are,'' the Bollywood Badshah says emotionally.

It is five months since he underwent shou

lder surgery, but SRK is still in pain. "I completed a long spell for Karan Johar's My Name is Khan in San Francisco,'' he says. "We got lucky because we had long days and could pack in ample work. However, my shoulder still hurts.'' He recounts how he shot for a song sequence for Dulha Mil Gaya in which he has a guest appearance and strained his operated shoulder. The actor has been in touch with his surgeon in Mumbai and has been reassured that the recurring pain is part of the rehab, so he continues to go about his daily chores with enthusiasm.

"My shoulder makes strange clicking sounds,'' he says. "However, I've been asked to open doors, lift small objects and keep giving it small doses of regular exercise,'' he adds. The actor who lost a lot of muscle mass because he has been unable to do any active bodybuilding, says his main regret is that Anubhav Sinha's Ra 1, Farah Khan's Happy New Year and Farhan Akhtar's Don-2 will be postponed by three-four months.

"However, there is heavy duty action involved in these films and I can't attempt that till such time as my shoulder is completely healed," says SRK enthused by the very thought of being able to participate in the 'filmi action' that he so revels in.

And, since he is just not the type to sit around doing nothing, right now Bollywood's biggest icon is indulging in a game of cricket with his children at Hyde Park in central London. "I also promised the children that I will wear the black cape and square hat and do a repeat of the convocation ceremony for them because they missed the occasion,'' he says.
Source: TOI

Let the sky be the limit Dr. SRK!

Bollywood Mogul Shah Rukh Khan has been conferred with an honorary doctorate in Arts from the University of Bedfordshire, UK, says a press release. At the time of his acceptance of the honour from Professor Les Ebdon, Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive of the University, on July 10, Shah Rukh said, "I am delighted that the NGO Routes 2 Roots nominated me for the Honorary Doctorate in Arts…Today I feel that I am part of the illustrious alumni of this prestigious University. I look forward to doing my bit in providing necessary assistance to the deserving students for higher education in my University."

The doctorate was conferred on Shah Rukh in recognition of his exceptional achievement as a film actor and producer. There is an interesting story behind the award. According to Rakesh Gupta, one of the founders of Routes 2 Roots, "Shah Rukh's mother (Fatima Begum) worked as a social worker and a magistrate while his father (Taj Khan) was an engineer. The couple met propitiously under unusual circumstances when his mother was injured in a car accident. Shah Rukh's mother needed blood which his father who happened to be at the hospital donated without knowing her. So if the story is true then doing social work runs in Shah Rukh's blood, literally. He too looks after the sick and shares his wealth with the poor. But he never talks about it as he feels that if you do charity for a reason, it's not charity."

Shah Rukh does indeed keep a low profile on this aspect of his charismatic personality. According to Gupta, he has funded several charitable causes and has also adopted a few villages for electrification in the Indian state of Rajasthan. Apart from regular donations to organisations and individuals (especially in the case of AIDS and cancer patients), he is behind the creation of a children's ward at the Nanavati Hospital in Mumbai, in memory of his late mother. He is also active with relief funds when the Indian nation faces a natural calamity. It comes as no surprise, therefore, that he was conferred with the prestigious 'Padma Shri' Award for his valuable contribution to Indian art and culture.

Source: Daily Star newspaper in Bangladesh.

Star shadows - Mushtaq Shiekh on Shah Rukh Khan

Mushtaq Shiekh on Shah Rukh Khan
"I ended up finding some Shah Rukhs and losing some"

"I wanted to tell the world that real success didn't come easy to Shah Rukh. There's a lot more that went into the making of Mannat. But what astonished me about him is how deeply he felt about his family. I've seen him fly different continents to be with them. He's transformed from a reckless guy to someone who deals with life cautiously. He told me, 'When you have children, your perspective of life changes. You see life through them.' The challenge was to present his life as honestly as possible. I ended up finding some Shah Rukhs and wound up also losing some Shah Rukhs. SRK was a friend and so it made the situation at my home different. They knew the man as a friend and not  as a subject of a  biography. So they understood my long absences into the world of SRK."


Source: TimesofIndia