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Shah Rukh Khan says he has a problem with the 'insider vs outsider distinction': It's not important where you come from

Shah Rukh Khan shared his thoughts on the ongoing "insider-outsider" debate in the film industry during a special panel at the WAVES 2025 Summit.

Updated on: May 2, 2025, 07:56:15 IST
By Abhimanyu Mathur
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Actor Shah Rukh Khan was at his wittiest during his appearance at the WAVES 2025 Summit in Mumbai on Thursday. But the charming actor also dropped a few nuggets of wisdom during the session. Perhaps for the first time ever, he spoke about the ongoing ‘insider vs outsider’ debate in Bollywood and said it doesn't matter where one comes from.

Shah Rukh on the insider vs outsider debate

Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan speaks during a session titled The Journey: From Outsider to Ruler at the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) 2025, in Mumbai, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (PTI Photo) (PTI)
Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan speaks during a session titled The Journey: From Outsider to Ruler at the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) 2025, in Mumbai, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (PTI Photo) (PTI)

Shah Rukh was on stage for a session titled 'The Journey: From Outsider to Ruler,' also featuring Deepika Padukone. The session was moderated by filmmaker Karan Johar. SRK, who is often hailed as one of Bollywood's biggest stars despite having no film background, discussed what truly matters when trying to build a career in any field.

“I want to clarify something: terms like hunger, ambition, and hard work often get romanticised. People say, 'Main bahut bhookha tha, bahut mehnat ki (I was very hungry and I worked very hard),' but these are lofty words,” said Shah Rukh.

The actor addressed the insider-outsider narrative, which, according to him, should not matter. “I also have a problem with the distinction between insider and outsider. I think they're just not important. It's not important where you come from. What truly matters is how you hold your ground in the world you aspire to enter, be it business, politics, or acting,” he added.

WAVES 2025 was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and was attended by several stars, including Rajinikanth, Mohanlal, Chiranjeevi, Aamir Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Allu Arjun, Anil Kapoor, Hema Malini, Saif Ali Khan, and Shahid Kapoor among others. The event, being held in Mumbai, will continue over the weekend and conclude on May 4.

 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Abhimanyu Mathur

Abhimanyu Mathur is Deputy Editor, Entertainment at Hindustan Times. With almost 15 years of experience in writing about everything from films and TV shows to cricket matches and elections, he inhales and exhales pop culture and news. Currently, he watches movies and TV shows and talks to celebrities for a living, while occasionally writing about them as well. A journalism graduate of Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, Delhi University, Abhimanyu began his career with Hindustan Times at the age of 20, swapping classrooms for newsrooms at an early age. He began his journey in the early days of digital journalism, later switching to the madness of print journalism. Work has led him to far off places like Japan and Jordan, as well as to the interiors of Haryana and the Indo-Pak border. He dabbled in city reporting in places like Meerut, Gurgaon, and Delhi, covered the Olympics and Cricket World Cups, before finding his calling in entertainment and lifestyle during the pandemic. A Rotten Tomatoes Certified Film Critic, he is equally at home covering stories on ground as he is interviewing celebrities and studios, and sometimes prefers to shepherd teams in delivering traffic through the day. Even as his role has evolved from reporter to supervisor over the years, his first love remains writing (and of late, talking on camera). With a good understanding of cinema and its trends, and a keen eye for detail, he continues to spark conversations around showbiz for readers around the world.

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