Shah Rukh Khan returns as TED Talks host, says he will announce next film ‘in a month or two’

TED Talks India is returning on Star India network, and Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan will return as host for the second time. Speaking at the show’s launch, Shah Rukh also revealed that he will announce his new movie in a month or two.

Since his last release Zero in 2018, there have been rumours of SRK featuring in several films including Rakesh Sharma biopic, Don 3, Satte Pe Satta remake, teaming up with Sanjay Leela Bhansali and an action film with Yash Raj Films, to be directed by Ali Abbas Zafar. “Actually, I spoke to Sanjay (Gupta), Gaurav (Banerjee) and Uday (Shankar; chairman of Star and Disney India, and president of The Walt Disney Company, Asia Pacific) and I said, this is the platform where I want to announce it. This is it. I will come here and tell everyone about. Ted Talk will be my new movie.”

He added, on a serious note, “Jokes apart, I am thinking and taking some time. I am working on two or three scripts and, Inshallah, as soon as they are ready, I am ready. Because most of the people with whom I am working are busy so, Inshallah, I will announce it myself. I feel till the time rumours are floating around, it’s good because some of them have given me ideas. There was one film people said that I am going to do -- ‘Tarzan and Jane’. So, I really want to do the role of Tarzan (laughs), But no. I think, Inshallah, in another month or two, I will figure out everything.”

TED Talks India season 2 will be premiered on the actor’s birthday--November 2. The new season is titled Ted Talks India: Nayi Baat and will feature 26 speakers from different walks of life.

Asked about the curiosity around his next film, Shah Rukh said, “I am taking time. I am thinking. I am working on two-three scripts and as soon as they are ready, because I am ready and most of the people working are ready, I will announce it. Till that time, whatever rumours are going around, some of them have given me ideas. There was one film called ‘Tarzan and Jane’, I felt like doing the role of Tarzan,” he quipped. “In a month or two, I will figure out the time and then do it,” he added.

Shah Rukh Khan said in a press statement, “On the show, I witnessed so much passion – people with pathbreaking ideas are disrupting the shackles of the impossible and finding solutions. TED Talks India is a mirror of the new face of India. It is all about being future ready and future focused. I am in awe of the diverse spectrum of speakers this season. On one hand, we have a 13-year-old scientist creating amazing inventions; on the other is a woman from Bundelkhand empowering thousands of Indian girls. This kind of television content is time-defining. It is the need of the hour.”

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The previous season marked the first time that TED had collaborated with any broadcast network to bring on-screen some life-changing talks in any other language than English. The second season is set to be filmed simultaneously in English and Hindi and will also be dubbed in Tamil, Telugu and Bengali.

The selection of 26 “change-makers is about going deeper and finding ideas that matter and that can make a difference in India,” said TED head Chris Anderson. “Investment to do the show in more languages is very exciting for us. I don’t think many other mass-market TV producers in the world have had that vision,” he added. Talking about Khan taking over as the host, Anderson explained, “he helps communicate complex ideas in an easy way. Also, he speaks Hindi and English incredibly well so that enables a massive connect with viewers.”

Other than Star World, the show will air on the networks’ flagship Hindi channel StarPlus, Nat Geo and also stream on Hotstar. The show will be aired over weekends in Hindi, English, Tamil, Bangla and Telugu across Star Plus, Nat Geo, Hotstar and Star World, starting November 2nd.

(With ANI and IANS inputs)