I read in the loo: SRK

When we met Shah Rukh Khan at an event recently, ever the gentleman, he waited for us to get into the lift first. This was the second time during the course of the event that we met and we got talking about books . He's quite a voracious reader. So, what are his kind of books? Motivational ones? Or fiction? “I read anything and everything, yaar,” he says. “There are these charts na, the popular, top ten charts? Whatever I see topping on them say the New York Times bestseller charts, I buy those books when I am moving in and out of the airports. And loads of times, it is these kind of books that make it to the top seller position – like the Outliers. Of course, the Outliers is very well written,” he says. So now we know what book he's recently picked up ... “Of course, I normally don't finish them, but I do skim through them. Because I like to know how and what people write and more than that, I am interested in knowing what people are reading.” The lift reaches the lobby of the hotel, SRK slows his pace, so we can continue with the conversation. “I like to read actually. And I read anything, from comics to popular fiction to pulp ... everything. Now, I even have a kindle, and so I can have thousands of books in them. So now, even when I am in the plane, I open my kindle and read.” Anything that he likes to read in particular? “I like what Dan Brown writes, it also helps me understand certain aspects of the religion that he writes about, so that's good. And besides that, ya, of course, I always pick up a Harry Potter for the kids,” says Shah Rukh. “My favourite is Artemis Fowl, I don't know if you've heard about it. And I looked forward to books by Douglas Adams when he was alive. They did come up with another book,” and then he looks straight and asks, “Who's the other person who tried to write like Douglas, a big thing, like how they do movies?” And quickly, we try to figure out a name ... SRK looks up, and here and there, impatient with having forgotten such an important name ... “Ian Fleming,” he says. “Ya ... these are a few authors I like reading, unfortunately, most of them are dead,” says Shah Rukh, “I am currently reading another Douglas Adams.” So, the 'well-read' title fits well on his shoulders – who'd have thought he likes Artemis Fowl ... anyway, when does he get the time? When not being conferred with doctorates and datuks (by the way, he's off to Malaysia already), he's attending events... “Thoda sa misnomer hai. It's not that I travel all the time, yaar,” he laughs. “Like the whole of last year. I've been injured. And so, when I am injured, I read up, bas,” he laughs some more. Ah, the injury. How's it now? “In another month, I should be back to shooting. I mean like properly. I didn't start a new film because I wanted it to heal completely. Coming back to the books,” he adds, and this time, he knows he's giving us another headline quote, as he laughs and says, “Anywhere – in the car, in the plane, in the bathroom, in the bed ... I read everywhere. I read three books at the same time.” Hope the writers keep pace, Shah Rukh!