3. Shah Rukh Khan (Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi)
Whereas Chak De India and Om Shanti Om dominated 2007, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi wasn’t quite the same monster success this year – but Shah Rukh still made an impact with his dual role in the movie and it did introduce us to the lovely Anushka Sharma. Shah Rukh’s influence on the industry, however, still continued to stretch far and wide, beyond the confines of a single movie. Still adored in his home country, he is also revered in Germany and in Poland his biography was a major bestseller. He was selected by Newsweek magazine as one of the Fifty Most Powerful People in the World – and he loves it all! “I’d die if people didn’t recognize me,” he’s said, “I would not be able to walk on the road if people didn’t mob me. That’s what I work for!” His spat with Salman Khan doesn’t seem to have done him any harm at all, even though Salman has his own loyal fan following, and at least kept everyone’s attention focused. All in all, however, this was a year in which Shahrukh was treading water preparing for another major onslaught next year with Billu Barber, My Name is Khan and Koochie Koochie Hota Hain. There’s much more to come from the man who once said, not entirely tongue-in-cheek, “There are only two Khans in the world – Genghis Khan and Shah Rukh Khan.”
