Shah Rukh Khan says he has a problem with the distinction between an insider and an outsider: ‘I think it’s not important where you come from…’

Shah Rukh Khan advises aspiring actors to be original, reflects on his younger self: ‘I was brash, a bit overconfident…’

Often hailed as the ultimate outsider in Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan’s story is one of the most iconic rises in Indian cinema. The boy from Delhi who arrived in Mumbai with nothing and went on to conquer an entire nation, eventually earning the title of Badshah of Bollywood.

On the inaugural day of the Waves Summit 2025 in Mumbai, Shah Rukh joined Deepika Padukone in a session titled The Journey, moderated by Karan Johar. When Karan asked him about the hunger and drive that fuelled his rise as an outsider, the superstar was quick to push back on the terminology. “There’s a lot of discussion about hunger, ambition… all these are lofty words. It’s wonderful to describe yourself as ‘haan main bohot bhooka tha aur maine bohot mehnat ki’ (yes, I was very hungry and I worked very hard)… but these are lofty words. I don’t believe in them,” Shah Rukh said.

Also Read | Shah Rukh Khan advises aspiring actors to be original, reflects on his younger self: ‘I was brash, a bit overconfident…’

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He added, “I also have a problem with the distinction between the outsider and the insider. I think it’s not important where you come from… aap kahan se aate ho yeh zaruri nahi hai (where you come from is not important). What’s important is that you’ve entered this world… aur jo bhi duniya aap choose karte ho, usme aap apni jagah kaise banate ho (and whichever world you choose, how you create your space in it is what matters).”

Actors @iamsrk and @deepikapadukone join film producer Karan Johar for an unfiltered conversation, tracing their incredible journey📸#WAVES #WAVES2025 #WAVESIndia #WAVESummit pic.twitter.com/UZGMxwRdz1

— PIB India (@PIB_India) May 1, 2025

Expanding on his thoughts, SRK explained, “What happens is that most people start thinking ‘I’m from the outside world, and only the privileged will get a chance… I don’t have a distinguished background, so I won’t get it.’ If you start wallowing in self-pity and thinking this way, you’ll never give your full energy to make a space for yourself in the world you want to be a part of. Yeh jo duniya hoti hai na jismein hum ghusna chahte hain… yeh outsider-insider sab baatein hain (This world we want to enter, these outsider-insider conversations are just talk). This world doesn’t give a damn about you. You’re insignificant. They don’t care where Deepika came from, where Shah Rukh came from, or where Karan came from… whether it’s filmi or non-filmi, rich or poor.. You have to find your space in the sphere by pushing it and working hard.”

Reflecting on his own journey, he added, “Jab main yahan aaya tha, I never thought ki main outsider hoon iss liye main iss duniya ka hissa nahi ban sakta (When I came here, I never thought that because I’m an outsider, I can’t be part of this world). I believed this is my world. And to be honest, everybody embraced me with open arms, like a new son landing on Marine Drive. Mujhe laga yeh duniya meri hai… yeh jagah meri hai (I felt like this world was mine… this place was mine). I think I lost a family in 24 hours and gained a new one in 24 hours.”

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Shah Rukh Khan says he has a problem with the distinction between an insider and an outsider: ‘I think it’s not important where you come from…’

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