February 2 was one of the busiest days for Shah Rukh Khan  when he hasn't been shooting for a film, that is.

From the time Kajol and he rang the bell at NASDAQ opening the New York-based stock exchange for business.

He gave over a dozen television interviews for South Asian channels, attended an hour-long press conference, and loosened his tie and sat down for an interview.

For over 20 minutes he talked about his passion, why he disliked revealing the secrets of his trade, and what it meant to work with Karan Johar.

"He [Johar] is not just a director or producer to me," SRK said. "He is a friend, he is family, and then, he is a world class director who knows how to put together a world class team."

In My Name Is Khan, directed by Johar, SRK plays Rizwan Khan, a man with a form of autism that makes him a much misunderstood person.

The 9/11 events indirectly affect millions of people across the globe, and Rizwan is one of them. The movie, SRK asserts, is not about terrorism but how it affects people.

Is doing a film like MNIK a risk for you? I've done about 70 films to date -- including films featuring guest appearances.

I realise that whenever I have taken chances, I have not necessarily succeeded. But whenever I have failed, I have not felt very bad. Whenever I've succeeded, I've felt much better than in a film when I have not taken chances.

On the whole, it is better to try something new, rather than do the same thing. There is no guarantee which film will work. I've always been like that. If you don't change often enough, you will not be able to evolve or do something new. Stagnancy, same place, comfort zone -- I've never believed in that. I come from Delhi and I play films off the cuff. But that does not mean I am flippant.

I often pay movie tickets and see films. Those [the audiences] are the only people I work for. I don't work for the director or the producer. I work for those, who pay Rs 12 or $12. And when I say that I am also aware that I want to work for them in a way, that god willing, I'm able to make them evolve also. It's not just, 'Oh you want this, so I'll give it.' No! I'll give this and a little more. So, in the next one expect a little more, I have been telling my friends and the audiences from my early years.

So, I'll do a Baazigar [in 1993] where I'm a negative guy. Everyone told me, 'Oh this won't work!' But it became a huge hit. And then everyone told me that doing a love story [Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge] for me after Baazigar won't work; but Dilwale is still running after 25 years.

Everyone told me that Darr won't work. But my audience told me otherwise. If I count the last eight films of mine, you will find yes, they are Hindi films; that's the only common thing in them. Otherwise, inherently, there is a new kind of hero; but I don't make a big thing about it.