“Shah Rukh is one of the principal characters of my film,” says National Award-winning director Janaki Vishwanathan, who is currently shooting her Bollywood debut flick, Bakra.
Well, before you jump to a conclusion, let’s tell you that the Shah Rukh in question is not SRK, the Badshaah of Bollywood, but the name of a goat that’s part of the film! Janaki elaborates, “The title Bakra refers to two things – its English translation (a scapegoat), and a real goat that’s called Shah Rukh. We auditioned about 1000 goats before selection one. We were shooting in Bidar, on the Maharashtra-Karnataka border, and we learnt from the residents there that names like Salman and Shah Rukh were popular choices for their pets!”
Does SRK know there is a Shah Rukh in the film? “If you ask me if there is a justification to name the goat and the actor, in terms of a parallel, then I’d say no. All I can say is that when he gets to watch the film himself, he will only be happy about it. I admire him as an actor, and I’m sure he won’t take offence.”