Shah Rukh Khan, one of India’s most beloved and globally recognised actors, is yet to make his Hollywood debut, a fact that often puzzles fans and industry insiders alike. In an interview with Variety, SRK opened up about why he hasn’t ventured into Hollywood yet and what it would take for him to consider such an opportunity.

“I think it’s the world’s greatest and biggest cinema in terms of reach and how people watch it,” Khan acknowledged when asked about his thoughts on Hollywood. However, he quickly added, “I don’t think I’m in a position to choose and put conditions, but yes, when an opportunity arises — I hope I can speak English well enough.” Khan emphasised the importance of the role, saying, “It should be a role worthy of the status the Indian audience has given me. It should not let down.”

“I come across as very flippant and happy-go-lucky, but I fully respect and realise the amount of adulation I have, how people adore me. People look up to what I do. People have given me too much respect. People have given me and my family everything that I have, people of India and all around the world, Indians and people from the subcontinent,” he shared. For Khan, this respect is something he feels deeply responsible for, no matter what type of film he’s involved in, whether it’s a Hindi film, a regional Indian film, or even a Hollywood production. “There’s a respect that I need to keep when I play a role in any film…So I don’t think anybody’s offered me that kind of role, yet. I don’t have an agent there. I’ve not also gone looking for it, to be honest.”

Despite his absence in Hollywood, Khan’s ultimate dream isn’t about personal fame on a global stage—it’s about something much larger. “My dream is to get that one Indian film to be seen with the kind of audience that a big Hollywood film is seen, whether I’m part of it as an actor, as a light man, as a producer, as a writer, as a presenter,” Khan revealed. “I just want an Indian story to be accepted worldwide, and hopefully I can be a small part of it.”

Shah Rukh Khan will next be seen in Sujoy Ghosh’s King. Talking about the same, SRK said, “It is an action drama, it’s a Hindi film. It’ll be interesting. I’ve been wanting to do a film like that for some time, and I really wanted to do a film like this for seven, eight years. We just felt Sujoy would be the right choice, because we wanted it to be very emotionally correct. We are all coming together to make a cool, massy, action, emotional film.”