Shah Rukh is all set to prove himself

For those who think that Shah Rukh Khan cannot play anything beyond stereotypical characters, think again.

Shah Rukh’s close buddy Karan Johar has challenged Shah Rukh’s acting abilities by asking him to play an autistic in his next, My Name is Khan .

No doubt SRK will take inspiration from Dustin Hoffman, who played an autistic in Rain Man (1988). Rain Man is a 1988 film by Barry Levinson, which tells the story of an abrasive, selfish yuppie, Charlie Babbitt, who discovers that his father has left all of his multimillion-dollar estate to his brother, Raymond, a savant, whom he never knew existed.

Shah Rukh did not take long to say ‘yes’ to Karan. Our well-placed source in Bollywood says, “SRK can’t wait for the film to begin. He is very excited about playing this different character.” Autism is a pervasive developmental disorder, which starts off in childhood. It is characterised by impaired communication, excessive rigidity, and emotional detachment.

“However, he will have to wait, since My Name Is Khan has been delayed. Karan had allowed Aditya Chopra to start Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi first, so SRK will first free himself from Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (opposite the 19-year old Bangalorean newcomer Anushka Sharma) and then get on to this challenging role,” our source adds.

A source close to Shah Rukh says, “He’s adventurous and dares to take risks, he dares to be different, and he dares to break all rules. It is a misconception that he is repetitive and does not like to play different characters. His performances in Swades and Chak De! India are the best examples to prove this point. My Name Is Khan will be a trump card in SRK’s repertoire. Playing an autistic person will be challenging. Shah Rukh will have to do a lot of homework.”