Shah Rukh Khan holds a hefty reputation as Bollywood’s “king,” yet the actor has willingly distanced himself from heading west. The Devdas actor has graced Hollywood’s talk shows and media often, occasionally venturing to compare himself with Tom Cruise to effortlessly spotlight his own lavish life and career in India.
That’s not to say Khan has ever lacked tantalizing offers from Hollywood. In 2009, Danny Boyle, director of the Academy Award-winning Slumdog Millionaire, eyed him for the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire host role. Khan politely declined the part, hinting at his reluctance to chart gray or negative parts at that stage in his journey, and was replaced with Anil Kapoor.
However, SRK did resurface at Boyle’s invite during the Slumdog Millionaire promotional push, even helming its intro at the 2009 Golden Globes, as is the general practice for all Best Picture nominees. Accurately announced as “The King of Bollywood,” he stood with the film’s lead actress, Freida Pinto, becoming the first Indian actor to present at the salacious ceremony.
“Thank you very much, everyone,” Khan quipped, beginning his speech, “all you beautiful people, for your graciousness to the Indian film fraternity. Thank you, Danny [Boyle], for coming and shooting the film in Mumbai.” He then went on to congratulate some of the winners, including his countrymate and the Best Score winner, A.R. Rahman.
The Pathaan actor, who has hosted the Indian rendition of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire on one occasion, joked in his signature humor, “I would do a pelvic Indian dance for you, but they’d shoot me off the stage.” Khan, usually at the receiving end of awards, sported the hairdo of My Name Is Khan, then shooting in the U.S. He described the Dev Patel-starrer as the “rags-to-riches tale” as “a love story brought to life by its amazing cast.”
The flamboyant presentation by Shah Rukh Khan proved far from wasted, as Slumdog Millionaire eventually clinched the title for Best Picture Drama later that night. And it was yet another global superstar, Tom Cruise, who bestowed the award on Danny Boyle and the entire production team.
Cruise had graced the Golden Globes ceremony as a Best Supporting Actor nominee for Tropic Thunder alongside Robert Downey Jr., a category that saw Heath Ledger posthumously winning the Globe for his turn as The Joker in The Dark Knight.
The latter trophy was accepted by Christopher Nolan and presented to him by Demi Moore for Ledger’s family, rendering the fervent night emotional, deservingly taking all limelight away from the juncture that briefly tied Bollywood and Hollywood.
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