My children are my harshest critics, says Shahrukh Khan

London: Describing his children as his harshest critics, Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan says he has become a better film actor thanks to them.

Writing in the magazine of The Mail on Sunday on "The Secrets of my success", Khan wrote, "Now I have kids, I enjoy them more than acting, but it`s certain I`ve become a better film actor thanks to them as well. "They`re my harshest critics. They`re honest and say things like, `That`s no good; you can do better.` If you appeal to their honesty, I think you can be a very good actor," he added. With 70 films to his name, hundreds of millions of fans and 13 Filmfare awards, Bollywood`s equivalent of Oscars, seven of his being for Best Actor, Khan can lay claim to the title of world`s biggest film star, the report said. As well as being a successful actor, producer and TV presenter, he has fronted the Indian version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, and owns the Kolkata Knight Riders, an IPL cricket team. Khan, 44, wrote he never thought he would be an actor. "I wanted to be a footballer, but I got injured, and because I had nothing to do in the evenings I started work on a play. Suddenly my life`s timetable changed, and I began doing theatre; then television came to India, so I did a TV series that did very well. After doing a degree in economics, I went to film school, then went to Mumbai for a year. Just for a laugh and a change of scene, I moved into acting in films." In his inimical style, Khan added, "When I was young I was even more stupid than I am now. I was very self-absorbed and I really thought I was fantastic - I went as far as writing a song called I`m The Best. It sounds pompous to think of it now, but at that point I really thought I couldn`t fail. I`d lost my parents, I didn`t have a home, I couldn`t go any lower. So I tackled the world head-on. When you have nothing to lose it means there`s everything to win. Noting that there`s no secret formula to success, the ace actor wrote, "Life is not about putting everything into place and planning the last detail. No doubt it`ll work fine for you, but it won`t bring magical success." Focusing on the value of one`s education, Khan added, "I never had a house when I started off, but because I was educated I was able to do a lot. It`s nice to have a rags-to-riches story if you become successful. If your story isn`t that, then nobody likes it. But I`m proud that I now have a house that I`ve provided for my children. I know it sounds a small thing but it means a lot to me." PTI