Bollywood’s Baadshah; Shahrukh Khan is famous for a numerous amount of achievements, all of which any actor should be proud of. Shahrukh Khan started at the bottom and is now right at the top; what a tough journey for Shahrukh Khan it’s been.
Shahrukh began his career when he starred in numerous television shows including Circus, Fauji and In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones. He made his debut Bollywood film in 1992 with Deewana in which he starred alongside Divya Bharti and Rishi Kapoor. Deewana turned out to be a hit at the box office which helped launch his career in Bollywood. He also won the Filmfare Best Debut Award for the film in 1993. This achievement was then followed by his award winning performance as a murderer in Baazigar and box office hit as an obsessed lover in Darr.
As Shahrukh’s career moved on, 1995 proved to be a historical year for him, in which he starred in my forever favorite film, Adtiya Chopra’s Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge which turned out to be a box-office success; The move is now running for its 12th year in Mumbai Theatres; raking in over 12 billion rupees. It seemed as if Shahrukh only knew his way up the ladder soon after he gave us an outstanding performances in Yash Chopra’s; Dil To Pagal Hai and Subhash Ghai’s; Pardes. Kuch Kuch Hota Hai won Shahrukh him his third Best Actor award at Filmfare. 2000 turned out to be a spectacular year for Shahrukh with Mohabbatein and Josh doing well at the box office. That same year, Shahrukh partnered with Juhi Chawla to produce a production company known as Dreamz Unlimited. However their first production, Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani did not do all that well at the box office; nevertheless they soon made up for the loss as Shahrukh released his second production Asoka in 2001. In 2002, Shahrukh became well known for his phenomenal role in Sanjay Leela Bansali’s Devdas, followed by Chalte Chalte and Kal Ho Na Ho in 2003.
Even though I have seen the majority of the above films, Shahrukh really became my main focus in 2004 in which he began his second production company, Red Chillies Entertainment, which was the banner for director Farah Khan’s debut Main Hoon Na, in which Shahrukh played an army officer in the search of his step brother. Shahrukh then became well known for his Punjabi character Veer who sacrificed years of his life for his Pakistani love in Veer Zaara, which won Shahrukh numerous awards. Shahrukh then tackled the poverty in India as he transformed himself into Mohan Bhargav in Ashutosh Gowariker’s; Swades. 2005 was a quiet year for Shahrukh with only one release, Paheli from Red Chillies Entertainment in which he played a double role.
2006 brought along what I thought of as Bollywood’s most controversial film, Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna. KANK touched upon a subject I felt only the bravest of directors in Bollywood could dare speak out on; extramarital affairs. Shahrukh played the role of Dev, who is a professional football player whose career is cut short after an accident. Even though he is married with a son, happiness isn’t something Dev is aware of until he meets Maya. For me, KANK brought the reality check many Indians of today needed. However not everyone shared the same thoughts and feelings as me. KANK seemed to be one of Shahrukh’s most questioned roles in which he had to defend himself and the movie in numerous amount of ways, including starring on NDTV’s We The People. KANK is definitely one of my favorite all time Shahrukh Khan films. In the same year he brought us a remake of the hit Don, and much to Amitabh Bachchan’s disappointment, Don proved to be a worldwide success.
Shahrukh for me has worked in a wide-range of movies, although many people would disagree. Even though Shahrukh is well known for his romantic hero films, he has managed to wow the crowds at certain points in his career playing various roles.
A major part of me being a Shahrukh Khan fan is his much loved on screen chemistry with Bollywood Actress Kajol Devgan. For me their chemistry is greater than any other couple seen on screen today; starring alongside each other in Karan Arjun, Baazigar, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, DDLJ and Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham. Stupid as it sounds, when I was younger I actually used to think they were married in reality. Their chemistry is sizzling on screen and off. They share a great friendship and I know Shahrukh has great respect for her as a co-star. They are favored by many Bollywood lovers and we await their next movie.
Other than movies, Shahrukh has become popular amongst our TV channels as a host of the third series of Kaun Banega Crorepati. A program I never clapped eyes on until he took over in 2007. As well as becoming a Branding King endorsing products such as Pepsi, Compaq, Tag Heuer, Airtel, Santro, ICICI, Sunfeast and Lux. Lux brought along another controversy for Shahrukh, as he was bashed and questioned about his sexuality when he dared to star in a feminine bathing ad, bringing out his metro-sexual side. I, for one, was very proud that Shahrukh looked past the sexist views of today and realized that guys do take baths and use soap.
He has achieved numeral recognitions such as his waxwork in Madame Tussauds, Rajiv Ghandi award for Excellence in the Field of Entertainment, Padma Shri Award, and Best India Citizen Award. Then again he deserves it.
As well as a great actor, Shahrukh is frequently mentioned for being a great papa. With two adorable kids, who wouldn’t be? He dotes on them, spoils them and always has time for them even with his hectic schedule. 9 year old Aryaan and 7 year old Suhana are really the light of Shahrukh’s life. Lets not forget his wife Gauri as well. Unlike most actors, Shahrukh is settled. Alongside his wife and kids, Shahrukh also looks after his older sister known as Lala Rukh making him what I call the perfect family man.
With upcoming films, Chak De India and Om Shanti Om, I await to see what else is to come Shahrukh’s way.
