Bollywood's Badshah, Shah Rukh Khan has always had a reputation for being utterly candid in his interviews and bluntly stating his opinions no matter the topic. Recently, a throwback video of King Khan addressing the controversy over his endorsement of soft drinks. For the unversed, Shah Rukh was frequently criticised for promoting such products as many argued they were harmful to children in the 2000s. SRK responded to the backlash staunchly as he questioned why actors were condemned for endorsing harmful products even though manufacturers weren't stopped from making them. He also raised a point about cigarette production during the conversation.
A throwback video from 2006 recently surfaced showing actor, Shah Rukh Khan in conversation with Karan Thapar on CNN-IBN. The interviewer told Shah Rukh that many had argued that someone like him should not endorse soft drinks as they were harmful to children. He added that given Shah Rukh's stature, young kids could easily be influenced by him and consume such products. However, the actor had a powerful response to the criticism as he strongly pleaded with the authorities to ban the manufacture of such harmful products, saying:
"I would appeal to any authority like that. Ban it. Don't let it sell in our country. If you think it's bad for children, ban it. Smoking is bad – don't let production of cigarettes go on in this country. If you think cold drinks are bad, do not let them. If it's poisoning our people, do not let it be made in India."
However, Shah Rukh shrewdly emphasised that as long as they didn't cut back their own revenue by taking such a drastic measure, they shouldn't criticise actors who were endorsing it to earn their own revenue. In Shah Rukh's words:
"See, my logic is, you are not stopping it because it gives you a revenue. Let's be honest about it. You're not stopping certain products if you think they're harmful, but they're revenue to the government. Don't stop my revenue. I'm an actor. I'm supposed to do a job and get revenue from it. And very clearly, I mean, if you think something is wrong, stop it. There's no problem."
Shah Rukh Khan also addressed the controversy around smoking in films in the same interview. Calling the health issues that can be caused by smoking much smaller than others, the mega star said:
"The whole larger issue is that today smoking, tomorrow what? And where does it go ahead with this? An art form should be left alone. And I truly believe, that the Indian masses are literate enough to know that there's no more Humphrey Bogart kind of smoking, no more that you will start smoking because an actor does. And it's a very, very small health issue. I think the powers that be should look at bigger health issues than smoking in films."
Watch the video here.
However, it is worth noting that the star has finally quit his smoking habit. On his 59th birthday, Shah Rukh Khan attended an indoor meet-and-greet event called 'SRK Day' hosted by his Bandra fan clubs at Bal Gandharva Rang Mandir hall. During the same, he had a ton of fun with fans, dancing for them and answering their questions in a fun Q&A session. However, he also made a huge revelation when he informed his fans that he had quit smoking. A video from the event captured the star making the announcement as his fans screamed and applauded in delight.
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What do you think about the throwback interview of Shah Rukh Khan responding to criticism about his endorsements?
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