Reuters

London, Aug 13: Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has never been offered a role in Hollywood and is not particularly surprised - he doubts he is talented enough.

The heart-throb, one of the world's most famous film actors due to India's huge cinema-going population, is in London promoting Chak De India, in which he portrays a hockey coach in charge of a motley team of girls.

"If there is a (Hollywood) role which is interesting enough, I would do it," he told Reuters in an interview.

"But so far I have never been offered a big role or a good role from Hollywood ... actually, for that matter, never a role from Hollywood - big or small."

Bollywood's biggest stars are often asked to reflect on why they have failed to break into the Anglo-Saxon movie mainstream, with only a handful of personalities enjoying limited success.

"I don't think I am a specifically talented enough 40-year-old actor. I am sure there are a lot of 40-year-old actors there who are more talented, better looking, speak the language better.

"And I don't have a USP (unique selling point) of Kung Fu, I can't do something specific. Unless they start doing Hindi film songs in Hollywood, I don't think anybody is going to cast me.

"I don't think working down there (Hollywood) is the ultimate aim or should be the ultimate aim of an Indian actor."

Bollywood is still dominated by big-cast, bright-coloured musicals that usually fail to connect with Western audiences.

16 Newcomers

In Chak De India Khan plays alongside 16 female newcomers who make up the ragtag hockey team that challenges for the pinnacle of the sport. He said he found the experience of working with untrained performers refreshing.

"I have been acting for so long that I have developed a system of getting things right," he said. "I have fixed expressions, I have a fixed way, a method to the madness that we call acting.

"But you have a set of people who react differently and it still sounds right. I believe in the maxim there is nothing right or wrong when you act."

Khan, whose biggest hits include Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge and Dil To Pagal Hai, said he hoped the film would do something to empower women.

"I hope it does talk about the uplifting of women and the fact that they should be given choices in decision making."

Khan added that he had no intention of following in the footsteps of other movie stars, including Amitabh Bachchan and Govinda, who have gone into Indian politics.

"No. I am not so selfless that I would be able to give up my life for the good of the nation ... If I may use the word, I would screw it up further than it is already screwed."