'I saw the people who died'

The world was rocked by news of a bomb blast at Shah Rukh Khan's recent concert in Colombo.

The actor was performing alongwith Saif Ali Khan, Preity Zinta, Priyanka Chopra, Celina Jaitley and Zayed Khan.

The blast left two dead and 18 injured. Subhash K Jha spoke to the superstar after his return to Mumbai. Excerpts:

Why did you agree to perform in Colombo when there was a threat?

This is the most stupid rumour I've ever heard! There was no threat at all. It's nonsense to even suggest that I went in spite of threats, because there were none!

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Yes, and it's immensely sad and dismaying. We're entertainers. We went there to make people smile and dance. It's so sad to see people lose their lives during an entertaining show.

I saw television reports, which said we went to Colombo in spite of threats, for the money. Do I need it?

How can you perform abroad when it isn't safe?

It wasn't a personal attack against my show or me. Who is safe? Nobody! Even JFK 's (John F Kennedy, former US President) life couldn't be saved.

When I'm asked what precautions I'm taking to ensure my safety, I wonder what to say. The world's most powerful leaders aren't safe, so how can I be? There's no foolproof safety for anyone. The bad guys only have to get it right once, and you're gone.

Bad guys?

Yes. I don't want to give them a face or an identity. I don't want to give them importance by talking about them.

They will always try to spoil things for people like us, especially in crowds. It's important not to bow down to elements who do terrible things for publicity. These are cowardly people. I'm not scared of them! Nor am I insecure as an actor or a human being. I had never been to that part of the world (Sri Lanka). People paid money, came from long distances to see us…for this to happen! It's shocking and disappointing -- the lowest rung of my life as an entertainer.

But they weren't targeting you.

Yes, but people lost lives. I know no one wants to harm me. And it (the blast) wasn't meant to harm.

I'm just an entertainer. To lose one's life at such an event is really sad. I saw the people who died. It's a terrible thing to happen.

But I'd still go to concerts. Losing one's life during an entertainment event is too high a price. I know people want to see me onstage but I don't want to see people dead.