Here’s why Shah Rukh Khan takes two-and-a-half hour bath before release of every film

Mumbai: Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has revealed why he takes a long bath a day before the release of his every film. The 58-year-old actor spoke about this ritual before his films’ release recently at the World Government Summit in Dubai.

Shah Rukh said that the long bath ritual and bath-salt dips are ‘deeply satisfying’ for him. “In India, films mostly release on Fridays, so on Thursday evenings, at my home in Mumbai, a day before my movie releases, I give myself a two-and-a-half-hour bath and rinse myself of all my work,” he said.

The actor further stated that irrespective of his film’s fate, he heads back to work with the aim of making better movies.

“You work hard, thinking you made the best of films, and you’re telling the nicest of stories, expecting the world to love it. But you wake up on a Friday morning and the film that you made with so much love, flops. Oftentimes, you don’t like the film that you’re making and those become the biggest hits. We must not forget that you have to say your prayers and go back to work. So Mondays are dedicated to trying to make better films,” he said.

When a media person said that he doesn’t have to worry about box office numbers, Shah Rukh gave a witty twist to his statement and added “No, I need money. Bath oils are expensive.”

Meanwhile, on the work front, Shah Rukh is currently basking in the success that was 2023 for him. Last year, he cemented his place as the undisputed king of box office as he delivered two Rs 1000 crore hits — Pathaan and Jawan — becoming the first ever Indian actor to do so.

He ended the year with Dunki, which minted over Rs 500 crore worldwide, and was hailed by critics for its social message. It is currently streaming on an OTT platform.

This came during the Bollywood star’s participation in the session ‘The Story of a Star: A Conversation with Shah Rukh Khan’ as part of the World Governments Summit (WGS) 2024, which was moderated by the TV anchor Richard Quest.

During the session, the Indian star said he had to overcome his hardships early on in life after losing his parents at a young age. “Sometimes you don’t have any option but to persevere. I lost my parents early, so I had to continue making the most of what I have.”

He added, “I was a youngish orphan and had to work my way through. It could be the nature of the beast that with dogged determination you keep on working.”

Asked why he hasn’t been seen in Hollywood, Shah Rukh Khan noted that he hasn’t received a good film project.

“I’ve said this honestly, but nobody believes it. So I’m going to say it to you very, very honestly. Nobody’s ever offered me any crossover work of substance. I may have had conversations with people I know lots of lovely people from the west, from the English film industry, from the American film industry. But nobody’s offered me any good work.”

The Indian star admitted having“massive flops” in his career but his perseverance, once again, got him through.

“I had become indulgent. I started becoming too innovative. I was looking for perfection and I started feeling I needed to look for excellence and being unique, while I needed to look at the audience and what they want, and I stopped hearing the crowds.”

“People just like to see me giving hope, happiness and love and I decided to get back to that.”

He said he used his five-year disappearance in “learning to make the best pizza in the world”.

Shah Rukh Khan made his comeback last year with three Blockbuster films, considered the biggest in his career.

He said he still dreams of being the next James Bond.

“I really wanted to do the role, but I think I’m too short,” said Shah Rukh Khan.

Expressing his love and special bond with Dubai, the Indian star said, “I love being in Dubai, I really enjoy it here,” noting that he usually visits with his children, so he can

Also read: Shah Rukh Khan wants to play age-centric roles

(This article is published under a mutual content partnership arrangement between The Brew News and The Free Press Journal)