I don't understand scripts: Shah Rukh Khan

Superstar Shah Rukh Khan says he never listens to a script and rather chooses to understand the filmmaker's vision while choosing a film.

"I normally, and even till date -- which might finally, ultimately, 75 years from now lead to my downfall -- never listen to a script. I listen to the heartbeats of people I work with. There are young actors who sit with me and say 'Sir you left that script, it was so amazing!'

"I never understand a script. I can say this openly, cross my heart and say, I've never understood a script. I've understood the script maker or filmmaker at the end of the whole pages of dialogues," he said.

The actor was speaking at a special celebration to mark 20 years of "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai", along with director Karan Johar and co-stars Kajol and Rani Mukerji, Tuesday night.

Shah Rukh said he remembers the first time Karan narrated the story of "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai" to him while he was shooting for "Chahat".

"The story he narrated to me in that hotel, on the steps of 'Chahat' shoot was crap and nonsense. Utterly not like the film you finally saw. He is a man of words so he actually thought he impressed me with that crap story...

"Till date he feels I don't remember that story. Then later when he narrated the script along with Kajol, and both of them kept crying in my room."

The actor said he is glad he never understood the script otherwise he would've ruined it with his inputs.

"I didn't realise the story during 'Chahat' narration, and not when they both narrated to me later. I'm glad I didn't hear the story and just went with it otherwise it wouldn't be as great a film as it is because with my inputs it would be trash," he quipped.

At the event, Karan said he had to struggle a lot to cast for Tina's part as he had written the role for Twinkle Khanna, who turned it down.

"Twinkle's mother called me and said she won't do the film and I was shattered. I had approached all the leading actresses back then but all had refused," Karan said.

The filmmaker then met Rani on Aditya Chopra and Shah Rukh's suggestion and narrated her the first half of the story.

"She called me in the room and said 'How are you going to convince everybody that Shah Rukh likes me over Kajol because they are the eternal love pair.' I told her to trust me and go with it," Karan said.

Rani said though she was a newcomer on set, she was not treated like one.

"I was a newcomer then and the love I got from them was very special. Though there were big stars in the film, Yash uncle and Karan never treated me unequally. That was very special. The kind of love and attention I got from Karan was so touching," she said.