Shah Rukh Khan says 'if I play a bad guy, I make sure he dies a dog's death'. Is he taking aim at Animal?

Shah Rukh Khan was honoured with Indian of the year 2023 award at an event. In his acceptance speech, he talked about playing a villain in films.

Shah Rukh Khan opened up about playing a villain in films in his recent speech. At News18 event, he talked about his responsibilities in society and said that if he gets to play the role of an antagonist, he will make sure that his character doesn't get away with it. While he did not mention any movie as examples, his views arrived amid the success of Ranbir Kapoor's Animal, which has been criticised for glorifying violence and misogyny.

Shah Rukh Khan on playing negative roles but responsibly. (Photo by SUJIT JAISWAL / AFP) (AFP)

Shah Rukh on playing villains in films

Shah Rukh said, “I am a guy who is hopeful and tells happy stories. The heroes I play do good things, they give hope and happiness. If I play a bad guy, I make sure he suffers a lot, he dies a dog’s death, because I believe goodness begets goodness. And I believe badness deserves a kick in the back side. I should play honest roles that give people courage to dream. I should keep working hard quietly with the hope that life doesn’t topple my apple cart anytime soon.”

Interestingly, Shah Rukh Khan, besides being called the romance king, is also known for his negative roles in films like Darr, Baazigar and Anjaam. However, he has stayed away from negative roles since then. At the event, Shah Rukh received the Indian of the Year 2023 award.

Animal and its controversy

Animal is directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga. It starred Ranbir Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Rashmika Mandanna and Triptii Dimri. Bobby Deol played the antagonist who clashed with Ranbir in the film. Animal became one of the top Indian Hindi films of 2023, despite heavy criticism over its portrayal of toxic relationships, misogyny and violence. In fact, it earned over ₹900 crore at the worldwide box office.

Besides Animal, Shah Rukh also delivered two blockbusters last year. Starting the year with YRF's Pathaan, followed by the success of Atlee's Jawan, Shah Rukh saw back-to-back releases. His last release was Rajkumar Hirani's Dunki which also partly clashed with Animal at the box office. While Dunki received mixed reviews from fans and critics, it is still continuing its run at the ticket window.

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