Shah Rukh Khan Rejects ‘Insider vs Outsider’ Debate: ‘It Doesn’t Matter Where You Come From

Shah Rukh Khan Rejects ‘Insider vs Outsider’ Debate: At the WAVES 2025 summit, Shah Rukh Khan offered insightful reflections on the much-discussed insider-outsider topic within the film industry. He joined Deepika Padukone for a session titled The Journey: From Outsider to Ruler, moderated by Karan Johar.

Perhaps for the first time ever, he spoke about the ongoing ‘insider vs outsider’ debate in Bollywood and said it doesn't matter where one comes from.

Shah Rukh Khan began by saying, “I have a problem with the distinction between insider and outsider. It is not important where you come from. What is important is how you want to make a place in the field of your choice. Most people start assuming, ‘I am from the outside world. Only the privileged will get a chance. I don’t have such a distinguished background. Hence, I’ll not get (the chance)’. If you start wallowing in self-pity and have such thoughts, you’ll never give your full force of energy to make a space for yourself in the world that you want to be a part of.”

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He continued, “Also, let me tell you that the world that you want to be in, doesn’t give a damn about you! You are very insignificant. Unko koi fark padta hai ki Deepika kahan se aayi, Karan kahan se aayaaur Shah Rukh kahan se aaya. They don’t care if you are from a filmy or non-filmy background or whether you are rich or poor. It's your choice. You have to find a space in that sphere by pushing it and finding out how the world works. Then, you give your best to it.”

SRK further said, “When I came here, I never thought that I couldn’t be a part of the world because I am an outsider. I believed, ‘Yehi meri duniya hai’. To be honest, from day 1, everybody in the film industry embraced me with open arms, like a new son landing at Marine Drive! In 24 hours, I lost one whole family and I gained a new family.”

Shah Rukh Khan ended his answer by saying, “Ambition, hunger, pain, problems etc. are just lofty words. You need to be determined. I had the ability and a little bit of skill as well. Itna talented nahin hoon main! But I did a lot of hard work. That’s all you need to make a place as an outsider.”

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About WAVES 2025 Summit

WAVES 2025 was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and was attended by several stars, The event, being held in Mumbai, will continue over the weekend and conclude on May 4.

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