Shah Rukh Khan says the West never offered him good work; talks about rejecting Slumdog Millionaire – ‘If you've not been offered a job, how do you take it?’

Shah Rukh Khan has been one of the most trending celebrities across the world after he made his comeback in 2023, post a five-year hiatus from the big screen. The actor, who gave not one or two, but three big releases in just one year, reclaiming his throne as the Badshah Of Bollywood, has given us too much to be in awe of him. While his filmography is long and keeps on growing as he counts more years in his already 33-year-old career, one question that everyone has is why he has never worked in a Hollywood movie. Well, the man himself has now spoken about rejecting Slumdog Millionaire and also how Hollywood never offered him work of substance.

Shah Rukh was at the World Government Summit 2024 in Dubai where he spoke about a lot of things. When the host asked King Khan why the crossover with the west had not happened with him in the center, SRK was quick to reply how he was never offered substantial work from the West. As per the viral videos on the internet, King Khan said, “I've said this, honestly, but nobody believes it. So I'm gonna say to you very, very honestly. Nobody's ever offered me any work, crossover of substance. I mean, I've 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. You know, I hear actors talk about, ‘Oh, yes, I want to crossover, I want to take Indian cinema.’ I think I still have to learn how to be able to deliver to the audience that likes me.”

“And you know, instead of spreading myself too thin, and then yeah, of course, if you've not been offered a job, how do you take it? So really I've never been offered a film in Hollywood or in England,” he added. Shah Rukh Khan also went on to address how he was offered Slumdog Millionaire back in the day but he chose not to do it because he was hosting Kaun Banega Crorepati in India. He even revealed how he did spend some time with director Danny Boyle and found him very sweet.

ALSO READ: Dunki on OTT - When and where to watch Shah Rukh Khan's film online after its theatrical run

“But I was doing who wants to be a millionaire (Kaun Banega Crorepati) on television successfully at that time, and I just felt in the story that was being told, the guy who was hosting was very mean, in the story that was being told. I'm like, you know, I'm doing Slumdog Millionaire. And the guys who are producing the show wanted me to do the film. I just found out, you know, this guy was cheating and being dishonest as the host.”

Watch Tejas, Expendables 4, Australian Open, Cubicles 3, and more on OTTplay by subscribing to the Jhakaas monthly pack, which provides access to 22 OTTs for just ₹249 for the first month.

“So I just found that it's very strange that I'm being a host, and I'm cheating in the film. So I explained to Mr. Boyle that I wouldn’t like to do it, please. And there are way better actors than me. And I think Mr. Anil Kapoor did, and he was fantastic,” Shah Rukh Khan added.

Shah Rukh Khan was last seen in Dunki and is yet to confirm his next project. He will reportedly be seen with daughter Suhana Khan in director Sujoy Ghosh’s next. Stay tuned to OTTplay for more information on this and everything else from the world of streaming and films.

ALSO READ: Dunki Review – Shah Rukh Khan’s magic meets Rajkumar Hirani’s world building only to migrate us to a cursed second half