SRK was recently listed amongst 500 most influential Muslims in the world. The list has been compiled by Georgetown University and also includes Indian Muslims like former president Abdul Kalam and Oscar winning composer A R Rahman.SRK talks about being listed amongst 500 most influential Muslims and says, “I don’t think a list of this nature is of a competitive type to feel proud about. It’s not about a list of awards that I have won. I am a Muslim by birth and because of the kind of cinema I do, I assume must be influencing lives of people across the world. I have been actively working in the film industry for 18 years and my work has gone across the world, my films and done well in many places including Germany, Poland, Dubai, USA, Morocco and South East Asia. People know me well because of my films but I never felt that I was different. I’m in the field of mass communication and am doing my work. That’s it.”
When he was quizzed about the reason he has been chosen, he said, “I think it could be because of the kind of films I do. I try to do films that have variety and are about goodness and hope. They give a direction to a life. I have done films on romances to patriotic dramas like Chak De! and funny entertainers like Om Shanti Om — films that try to give a kind of positive message to people. I hope in this I am able to influence the lives of many, especially youngsters and children. It’s about giving some kind of direction to their lives. Like I might tell my children to study hard or teach them how to lead a good life.”
When asked who is the most influential person in the world, SRK said, “Like every movie star’s influence changes with every B-O release, I think even across the globe people’s influence changes. Today, there is not just one global influence but a collective of influences. I don’t believe the world can be run by one influential person right now. The world has become too intelligent to be demarcated by one person. It’s the good thoughts of many. Like Bill Gates, Mukesh Ambani, Obama are very influential and wonderful in their field of work but collectively, they are fantastic.”
