Tom Hiddleston Says SRK’s THIS Blockbuster Was The First Bollywood Film He Watched; Can You Guess?

Actor Tom Hiddleston has revealed that his introduction to Indian cinema came through a film deeply rooted in Bollywood’s legacy, Devdas. In an interview with Hollywood Reporter India, the actor spoke

about his long-standing admiration for Indian films and named the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer as the first Indian movie he ever watched.

When asked about the possibility of working in an Indian film, Tom said, “I’ve loved Indian cinema for a long time.” Recalling his first viewing experience, he shared that Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s 2002 period romantic drama Devdas left a lasting impression on him. The film starred Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai and Madhuri Dixit in lead roles, with Jackie Shroff, Kirron Kher, Smita Jaykar and Vijayendra Ghatge playing pivotal parts.

Tom’s fondness for Devdas isn’t new. Speaking to Bollywood Hungama in 2023, he reflected on watching the film at a local cinema and being completely taken by its scale and emotion. “I remember it was quite a long time ago now. I remember going to see Devdas. I mean, that’s quite an old film. I remember going to see that at my local cinema, and it was such an extraordinary. I would say I have never seen anything like that. So, yeah I remember that very much,” he had said.

Hiddleston Reacts To SS Rajamouli Collaboration Buzz

During the same interaction, Hiddleston was asked about his dream collaborations. Pausing to consider the question, he said, “I have to think about that one.” When filmmaker SS Rajamouli’s name was brought up, the actor reacted positively, calling the prospect “excellent.”

Rajamouli, best known internationally for the blockbuster RRR, last directed the 2022 Telugu-language epic period action drama starring NTR Jr and Ram Charan, with Alia Bhatt and Ajay Devgn in supporting roles. The film earned global acclaim and further elevated Indian cinema’s presence on the world stage.

Hiddleston has previously expressed his admiration for Shah Rukh Khan on multiple occasions. In 2023, he famously suggested that SRK would make a compelling variant of Loki. “Shah Rukh Khan. He would be great. He is a good variant, I think,” he had said.

In 2021, during a Prime Video word association game, Tom associated India entirely with Shah Rukh Khan. When prompted with Bollywood, he joked, “Am I allowed to say Shah Rukh Khan again? Shah Rukh Khan again.”

Meanwhile, Shah Rukh Khan is set to appear next in King, directed by Siddharth Anand. The film also stars Suhana Khan, Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachchan and Akshay Oberoi, and is produced by Red Chillies Entertainment and Marflix Pictures.