'Eyes like Devdas': Shah Rukh on why Bhansali insisted he play the role

New Delhi: Superstar Shah Rukh Khan says he thought he was too cool to play "a loser and an alcoholic" like Devdas but filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali insisted that he would make the film only if the actor agreed.

"'I will not make this film if not with you because your eyes are like Devdas'," Shah Rukh said recalling Bhansali's words during a Q&A session at the 77th edition of the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland where he became the first Indian film personality to be honoured with the Pardo alla Carriera award-Locarno Tourism.

"Devdas", one of the most popular stories in Indian literature and cinema, is adapted from Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's 1917 novel. Its previous iterations in Hindi cinema featured stalwarts like K L Saigal in a 1936 movie and Dilip Kumar in a 1955 film.

Recounting his memory of watching Dilip Kumar's "Devdas" in a theatre with his mother, Shah Rukh said he could not relate to the character at the time as it was "about a guy who is an alcoholic, doesn't commit to a girl, and goes away".

Calling Bhansali "one of the most talented filmmakers of our times", the actor on Sunday said the director approached him to play the role years later.

Bhansali told him, "I want you to do Devdas." The 2002 movie also starred Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as Paro, Madhuri Dixit Nene as Chandramukhi, and Jackie Shroff as Chunni Babu.

"I said, 'No, he is a loser, an alcoholic, I am too cool to be Devdas'. Before leaving, he just said one thing that still sticks with me. He said, ‘I would not make this film if not with you because your eyes are like Devdas.’ For a year, he didn’t cast anyone. Then, we met again and I said yes to the film," he said.

"I said, 'Okay, if you can't find eyes like mine, I'll do the film'. I was again privileged to work with Aishwarya and Madhuri. It was one of the most wonderful experiences of my life to play that character," he added.

Shah Rukh, who in previous interviews has spoken about how his mother loved Dilip Kumar and thought he looked like the acting legend, was happy that he finally did the film.

The 58-year-old said he normally doesn't like playing characters that "demean women", which is why he didn't want his version of Devdas to be liked.

"I wanted him to come across as a person who's a bit spineless. It's not something you should look up to (him). The enactment might be nice, I think but Sanjay made the film really beautifully.

"It's not a negative character. I just didn't want a character who has commitment issues with women to become popular. I think I achieved that under the tutelage and guidance of Bhansali. It was also really nice because I wanted to do it for my mom and I loved it." Shah Rukh, who normally doesn't drink, revealed that he consumed a lot of alcohol to play the character.

"I would have alcohol, and then one night Madhuri would be dancing, one night Aishwarya would be dancing, and I would just be drinking there with Mr Jackie Shroff. At the end of the day, people would tell me I put in a lot of hard work and did a great job," he recalled.