Shah Rukh Khan Breaks Down 'Paheli' Plot in Old Video: 'Perfect Man is a Ghost for Woman'

An old video of Shah Rukh Khan explaining the plot of the film Paheli is all over the Internet and fans couldn’t help but agree that there’s no one like the “dimpled megastar”. In the video, the “last of the stars” highlighted the film’s deeper themes of women’s empowerment and the complexities of love and fidelity. Not only that, but King Khan also digs deeper into the concept of the “perfect man”, offering a thought-provoking perspective that it’s merely an illusion, underscoring that a woman’s quest for such a partner might be unattainable.

“Shah Rukh Khan on Paheli,” reads the caption to the video shared on X (formerly Twitter).

The caption further reads, “The fact that the other man is a ghost is a tongue-in-cheek statement that for a woman a perfect man is only an illusion.”

In the video Shah Rukh Khan explains, “Paheli was a folk tale written about the emancipation of women, about the right of women to choose what they want, about the right of women to live the life as beautifully and wonderfully as everyone else does. And, one of the aspects of the film was, which is actually quite a controversial subject, that sometimes I believe women are leading a very servile life within their families without ever taking a stand. When I say a woman taking a stand, I don’t mean she has to burn her bras. I don’t mean she has to go out in agitation. What I believe is just the strength, just the inner strength with which she takes decisions.”

He then delves into the plot of the 2005 romance thriller Paheli, directed by Amol Palekar: “A woman who’s lonely, though she’s married. And she comes across another personality or an illusion, a ghost, who offers her all the love that she had imagined she should get and deserve. And she makes a choice that she is going to stay with the ghost.”

The interviewer then interrupts him and says, “Without being unfaithful to her husband.”

“In a certain sense, it’s not about, we make such a big thing about being faithful. Faithfulness has to stem from love. Faithfulness cannot stem from force. And I think that is what the message of Paheli is. You can’t force someone to be faithful to you. You can force someone to be servile to you. You can force someone to listen to you and be at your command. But I think faithfulness within children and parents, faithfulness within spouses, faithfulness within friends, within workers, only happens if you sort of create an atmosphere of respect and love for each other. And that’s what Paheli is about. I mean, it’s a more woman-dominated film…,” Khan elaborates.

He concludes with a wry observation: “The fact that the other man is a ghost is a little tongue-in-cheek statement that for a woman a perfect man is only an illusion. There is no real perfect man.”

The interviewer then playfully responds, “Oh we got one in front of me, so…”

Watch the video here:

Actor Richa Chadha reacted to the video and wrote, “Is there anyone else as eloquent, intellectually exciting as this dimpled megastar? Wish for more films like Paheli so he can do more interviews like this, that give us a glimpse into his world view.” Alongside, she posted the hashtag “Mohabbat”.

Check out how others have reacted to the video right here:

“No one like SRK,” posted an individual.

Another added, “Paheli is such a beautiful and unique tale. Glad I finally watched this hidden gem which is not much talked about.”

“Learnt a new word ‘servile’ today,” expressed a third.

A fourth commented, “They don’t make movies like these anymore.”

“Wow, Shah, the man that you are,” wrote a fifth.

A sixth joined, “We know him as the greatest Indian superstar actor & super successful businessman, but I feel SRK deliberately tries to reveal very less of his deep intellectual, spiritual & philosophical leanings, because, more than anything else, he values them the most.”