At the Waves Summit 2025 in Mumbai, Shah Rukh Khan offered a heartfelt take on the ever-persistent insider vs outsider debate in Bollywood. In a rare, candid exchange alongside Deepika Padukone and moderator Karan Johar, SRK—often hailed as Bollywood’s most successful outsider—challenged the very notion of the label.

“I’ve never believed I was an outsider,” he said, dismissing the widely accepted narrative that success in showbiz is a privilege of the few. “The day I came here, I told myself this is my home. I never once thought I didn’t belong.”

Reflecting on his own journey, the superstar recounted a deeply personal moment. “I lost a family in 24 hours and found a new one in the next 24. People in the industry embraced me like I was their own. I felt like a new son on Marine Drive—welcomed, not questioned.”

Khan also took a jab at the idea that ambition alone propels someone to the top. “Hunger, passion—these are nice words. But I didn’t see myself as someone fighting to break in. I always thought I was already part of this world. That mindset changed everything.”

For him, the real obstacle is not one’s background, but the belief that you don’t belong. “The moment you begin to see yourself as someone without privilege, someone who isn’t allowed in, you’ve already given up half the fight. The world doesn’t care if you’re an insider, outsider, rich or poor—it responds to what you bring to the table.”

With a career built on grit, adaptability, and unmatched charisma, Shah Rukh Khan urged dreamers to stop fixating on where they come from. “Forget where you started. The world you want to be in doesn’t owe you anything—but it will make space for you once you prove you matter. That’s all I did. That’s what you need to do.”