“There is a film I am planning to shoot some time in August and September and I will send a team to look around Malacca,” he told reporters at a press conference after receiving his Darjah Mulia Seri Melaka (DMSM) from Governor Tun Mohd Khalil Yaakob at a ceremony in Ayer Keroh yesterday.
He added that the tentative title for the movie is Happy New Year. He noted that Malacca was a beautiful state with many locations ideal for movie-making. He suggested that the state set up at least one or two studio floors and labs here to attract movie-makers. On how he felt about receiving his Datukship, the actor said it was an honour not only for him but also for actors from India.
“I am very happy that I have found a big space in the hearts of the people here,” he added. On plans for his next movie, Shah Rukh said shooting for his film entitled I am Khan will begin in Los Angeles on Dec 18. He said it would focus on the misperception of Islam and terrorists and the stand that people should take.
“The point needs to be made clear of the view as a liberal and educate Muslim that Islam does not in any way tell one to be violent,” he added. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam said the state would send a team to the actors studio in Mumbai to get tips on how to set up a studio floor at the Mediahouse in MITC, Ayer Keroh.
“I hope more movies will be made in Malacca as this will boost the local film industry and draw more people to the state and country,” he added.
Earlier, some 500 guests attended Shah Rukh’s investiture ceremony at Dewan Seri Negeri and they waited patiently for more than an hour for the arrival of the superstar. The actor arrived at about 11.15am in his specially-tailored traditional black Malay baju melayu with a sampin and songkok and he was given a five-minute rehearsal by officials before the ceremony begun. The actor later toured several sites in the city including taking a cruise on the Malacca River, going up the Taming Sari Tower and riding on the Eye On Malaysia ferris wheel before meeting fans at Dataran MBMB in Ayer Keroh.
Thousands of fans, some from Singapore, had gathered at several locations around the city to catch a glimpse of their idol before he left for Mumbai.