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'Sometimes ideals have to take a back seat'

In the fourth part of an exhaustive and exclusive interview with Shah Rukh Khan, Savera R Someshwar and Saisuresh Sivaswamy asked him for advice for today's youngsters.

SRK, who thinks he understands their language and emotions, feels very strongly about the youth following their heart.

Audio: Listen to SRK's message to the youth

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The actor also spoke about his setbacks like Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani and Swades.

If you had an opportunity to speak exclusively to younger people, people who are just setting out to achieve their dreams, what will you tell them? And what will you tell those who are not successful and who are despairing, and what will you tell the successful who for whatever reason had forgotten the difficult days?

In some strange way, all that I've done in the last 17-18 years through my work is to speak to the youngsters. I've never spoken to anyone else because I understand their language and emotions. I've been a youngster who's had to grow up too fast because of the (early) death of my parents. I missed out on my youth. At the age of 16, I lost my dad. By 20-21, I had to start getting more responsible than I should have been. By 25, I was completely on my own with a sister to look after. I think I missed on these 10 years where I could have had a chance to be youthfully wild.

I wish I can afford my kids to have a wild youth. When I say wild youth I mean flights of fantasy, have fun. Have no worries. Go wrong because there's a long life in front of you to rectify them. Do things your heart tells you to do, otherwise for the rest of your life you will be doing what your boss tells you to do.

I could never do it. I had to take up a job as an actor and I'm glad I did. I could give a huge speech to youngsters, because I really feel like that. I am re-living my youth now after having achieved a level of comfort where I think I can be on a flight of fantasy.

When I was 34 I said, listen, I am good enough now to go back to being that age between 17 and 27 in my head because I don't have to worry about my future anymore. It doesn't matter if I don't have parents, I have been able to take care of myself.

I'd like to tell everyone that this is a little speech I am going to say on KBC for boys and girls. There are only three things to life that you should remember. Honesty, hard work and humour. These are the three things that will take you through the good times and the bad. Ideals are important and you should stick to them but to be in a position of choice sometimes ideals have to take a back seat. The world is a difficult place, make sure you get into the position of choice. Do not sell your soul but keep it locked for a while if need be. Once you are in a position of choice and you are successful, do not ever sell your soul or make the wrong choices. Then god, or your own conscience will never forgive you.

If you have failed, there's a huge life to go ahead with. I've read too many good books, and I am sure even the youngsters have, to know all the sayings about failure. But I read a recent one, which was very nice: Try, fail. Try again and fail better!

I think that's how life should be. Let me at least try and fail better next time, if I can't succeed.

I know reality is much deeper than just words or a successful guy who is a movie star or a rich middle class guy who's made it big who's giving all this spiel. But this is the experience I've learnt in life. That's what I am writing in my book actually. To be able to tell youngsters that there's nothing special about being special. It's very special to be ordinary.

There was a line in Crorepati which I wanted to tell youngsters ke you are not a crorepati because you come and win on KBC, tum crorepati isiliye ho kyunki tum crodon mein ek ho.

Don't Miss: Part I: 'KBC is not a bolt out of the blue'
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