Shah Rukh Khan has restored the idea of India to Bollywood, likening himself and his Pathaan co-actors Deepika Padukone and John Abraham to “Amar Akbar Anthony”.

“This is Deepika Padukone, she is Amar, I’m Shah Rukh Khan, I’m Akbar, and John, he is Anthony. And this is what makes cinema. We are Amar Akbar Anthony. There are no differences that any of us have with any culture. We are hungry for your love. All these crores are not important.... The love we receive... nothing is bigger than that,” Shah Rukh said on Monday, basking in the glory of the monster hit that Pathaan has become in spite of initial threats from the saffron ecosystem.

The triumvirate from the 1977 blockbuster movie by Manmohan Desai and starring Vinod Khanna, Rishi Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan once represented the lovable — and rambunctious — face of Bollywood.

In recent years, that idealistic demeanour has been replaced by a menacing and divisive visage that reflected the tectonic shift in the political climate in the country.

In a way, SRK’s Triple-A is far more audacious than the original threesome. If the old Amar, Akbar and Anthony were brothers separated in childhood and reunited in fairytale twists and turns, real life defines Shah Rukh’s characterisation of the new trio.

On Monday, at an event organised by the production banner Yash Raj Films, the superstar sat down with Deepika, John and director Siddharth Anand to discuss the making of Pathaan and his return to the big screen after four years.

Shah Rukh said that for artistes, cinema is a medium to entertain and unify the country without hurting any sentiments.

“To be honest when we make films, be it in north, south, east, west, our aim is to spread happiness, brotherhood, love, kindness.... Even when I’m playing a bad guy in Darr or John is bad in this film... We are just playing characters. None of this is meant to hurt any sentiment. It is just entertainment.”

Pathaan, a spy action thriller, has broken many box office records and has raised Rs 542 crore gross worldwide since its release on January 25.

Shah Rukh said the overwhelming love coming his way for Pathaan has more than made up for his time away from the movies.

He thanked Yash Raj Films’ (YRF) head Aditya Chopra and Siddharth for giving him the opportunity to return with an action film.

“I thank Aditya (Chopra, producer) and Siddharth... they gave me this opportunity. This is an expensive and time-consuming film and to give me a film at a time when I was not working and allow me to be a part of the film, I’m very grateful to them. I have forgotten the last four years in these last four days,” Shah Rukh said.

The 57-year-old star called his fans his safe place and spoke about how greeting them from his balcony gives him strength. Shah Rukh said his fans love him whether his films work or not.

“My elders told me ‘if you are sad, go to the people who love you...’. We will all have things that go wrong in life. Life is like that, it is meant to be like that. There will be good days and there will be bad days and we all have our bad days....

“I am very lucky that I have millions and billions of people who love me. When I am sad, I go to my balcony, when I am happy I go to my balcony. God has blessed me so much that he has given me a permanent balcony ticket,” the actor said.

Ahead of the film’s release, the team, including SRK, Deepika, John and Siddharth, stayed away from the usual promotional activities, but the superstar said there was no specific reason behind that.

The actor thanked the media for supporting the film despite the fact that “there could be things that could have curtailed the release of the film”.

“All of us are extremely thankful to the fans and to the media for all the love and for supporting the film so much in spite of the fact that there could be things that could have curtailed the release of the film,” he added.

Calling the success of the film “a big moment” for him and his family and friends, the actor hoped that whenever there is a Pathaan 2, it will be bigger and better.

“It is a big moment for me and my family and friends as itne saalo ke baad khushi dekhi hai (We have seen happiness after so many years)....”

Describing the experience of working with SRK and Deepika, John said: “Shah Rukh is not an actor but an emotion. Have worked with Deepika before, and to see her growth feels good.”

Deepika said she was overwhelmed with the love they were getting for the film. “It felt amazing. The love that we are getting. To experience this love after what the world has been through. That a film like this can bring in so much celebration, it feels incredible. This feels like a festival. To keep the head down and keep going and then to see all the love, it’s worth it.”