Journalism of Courage
There is only one King Khan of Bollywood, and that is none other than Shah Rukh Khan. On June 25, SRK – as he is fondly known – started his illustrious career in the Indian film industry. Not many would have predicted his meteoric rise of the young ‘Fauji’. Ever since his first movie Deewana release on this date in 1992, Shah Rukh has gone on to play a fabulous villain, to be dubbed as the King of Romance. Now, SRK is not only an actor, he’s a brand. Here’s a look at his journey from Deewana to Fan, which was released this year. His voice will be next heard as Rocky in the animation film Koochie Koochie Hota Hai, while fans are really awaiting his 2017 release, Raees.
Shah Rukh Khan studied acting under theatre director Barry John at Delhi's Theatre Action Group (TAG). He bagged his first role in television series 'Dil Dariya'. However, it was delayed and 'Fauji' (1988) became his television debut, where he played the leading role of Commando Abhimanyu Rai. He went on to star in 'Circus' and had a minor role in English-language film, 'In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones.' A still from 'Fauji'.
After the death of his mother in 1991, Shah Rukh Khan moved to Mumbai and got his first film offer to star in Hema Malini’s directorial debut 'Dil Ashna Hai.' However the film was delayed and 'Deewana' (1992) opposite Divya Bharti released first.
The film took the Box Office by storm and also earned Shah Rukh a Best Male Debut Award.
He also featured in Mani Kaul's ‘Idiot’, which debuted at the New York Film Festival in 1992. Later that year, He also played the lead in 'Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman' alongside Juhi Chawla that went onto become a major hit. Shah Rukh was next seen in Ketan Mehta's 'Maya Memsaab', which led to a major controversy due to Shah Rukh's 'love scene' with co-star Deepa Sahi.
Shah Rukh Khan's career further catapulted in 1993 with his performance of a possessive lover in 'Darr' and a murderer in 'Baazigar' respectively.
'Darr' marked the first of many collaborations that were to come between Shah Rukh Khan and director Yash Chopra.
1995 proved to be a fabulous year for Shah Rukh Khan with two major blockbusters - Rakesh Roshan's 'Karan Arjun' alongside Salman Khan and Kajol. The film revolved around the topic of reincarnation and became the second-highest grossing film in the country.
Next came Aditya Chopra's 'Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge' - a film that changed everything for Shah Rukh Rukh. His pairing with Kajol is till date seen as the best onscreen jodi. The film became a major commercial and critical success, becoming the year's top-grossing production in India and abroad. It also remains the longest-running film in the history of Indian cinema and won 10 Filmfare Awards.
Things slowed down for Shah Rukh Khan in 1996 with two disappointing releases - Praveen Nischol's 'English Babu Desi Mem' and Mahesh Bhatt's 'Chaahat', both of which failed commercially. However, the following year – 1997 saw Shah Rukh Khan in Subhash Ghai's 'Pardes'. SRK's role as Arjun, a musician, earned him a nomination for the Best Actor at the Filmfare Award ceremony.
Shah Rukh Khan then featured in Aziz Mirza's 'Yes Boss' opposite Juhi Chawla, which did relatively well. The last release of that year was another romantic favourite, Yash Chopra's 'Dil To Pagal Hai'. Shah Rukh was seen playing the role of a stage director, who falls in love for his lead actress played by Madhuri Dixit. The film went on to become a major hit and he won his third Best Actor Award at the Filmfare.
In 1998, Shah Rukh Khan appeared in a double role in action comedy flick, 'Duplicate' with Juhi Chawla and Sonali Bendre. The film marked Shah Rukh Khan's first collaboration with Yash Johar's Dharma Productions. However, the film failed at the Box Office.
Next, SRK starred in Mani Ratnam’s 'Dil Se…', playing the part of Amarkant Amar Varma, an All India Radio correspondent, who develops an infatuation for a mysterious terrorist, played by Manisha Koirala. Though the film failed in India, it was successful internationally, becoming the first Indian film to enter the Top 10 at the UK box office.
Shah Rukh Khan was reunited with his 'Simran' Kajol onscreen once again in Karan Johar's directorial debut 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai' (1998). The movie also had Rani Mukerji in a vital role. The film saw Shah Rukh Khan play the role of a man who falls in love with his best friend after the death of his wife.
'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai' became a blockbuster with a worldwide gross of over Rs 1 billion. Shah Rukh walked away with the Best Actor trophy once again.
In 1999, Shah Rukh Khan was seen in a detective comedy 'Baadshah' for which he earned a Filmfare Award nomination for Best Performance in a comic role. That same year saw Shah Rukh collaborate with Juhi Chawla and Aziz Mirza to set up his own production company, Dreamz Unlimited. Their first film 'Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani' opened to mixed reviews from fans and critics.
Shah Rukh Khan's next release was Mansoor Khan's 'Josh' also starring Aishwarya Rai as his twin sister. Set in Goa, the film emerged as a box office success in both India and abroad. Next he starred in Kamal Haasan’s 'Hey Ram' in which he played a Muslim archaeologist, beaten to death during the unrest following the partition of India.
His final release for the year was Aditya Chopra's ‘Mohabbatein’ co-starring Amitabh Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. His role as a music teacher in the film earned him his second Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor.
In 2001, Shah Rukh Khan gave a brilliant performance in Santosh Sivan's historical epic, 'Asoka', which was an adaptation on the life of Ashoka the Great. The film also starring Kareena Kapoor was screened at the Venice Film Festival and the 2001 Toronto International Film Festival.
Shah Rukh then appeared in Karan Johar’s multi starrer 'Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham' with Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Kajol, Kareena Kapoor and Hrithik Roshan. The film went on to become a major success and the top-grossing Indian production of all-time in the overseas market until 2006, earning over Rs 1.17 billion worldwide.
The following year, Shah Rukh Khan played the lead in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Devdas' with Aishwarya playing Paro and Madhuri Dixit as 'Chandramukhi'. SRK's performance as a rebellious alcoholic lover garnered him a lot of appreciation and the film became the highest-grossing film of the year in India and overseas, earning a revenue of Rs 84 crore worldwide.
'Devdas' also won numerous awards including 10 Filmfare Awards and received a special screening at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival.
Next, Shah Rukh produced and starred in Aziz Mirza's 'Chalte Chalte' opposite Rani Mukherjee. The film that dealt with the problems of a married couple did moderately well. This was followed by 'Kal Ho Naa Ho', with Preity Zinta and Saif Ali Khan.
SRK received immense praise for his performance of a man with a fatal heart condition.
2004 was a great year for Shah Rukh Khan both commercially and critically with two successful releases – Farah Khan's 'Main Hoon Na' and Yash Chopra's 'Veer Zaara'. 'Main Hoon Na' saw Shah Rukh playing the role undercover Army Major. The film went on to become a major hit with a worldwide gross of over Rs 940 million.
Yash Chopra returned to direction with 'Veer Zaara', which had Shah Rukh playing the role of an Indian Air Force pilot in love with a Pakistani woman, played by Preity Zinta.
That same year, Shah Rukh Khan received acclaim for his performance in Ashutosh Gowariker's social drama, 'Swades' also starring Gayatri Joshi. Many consider this as Shah Rukh's best performances till date. He won the Filmfare Best Actor Award for all three of his releases in 2004.
The following year, Shah Rukh teamed up once again with Karan Johar for 'Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna', alongside Abhishek Bachchan, Amitabh Bachchan, Preity Zinta, Rani Mukerji and Kirron Kher. The film was the tale of two unhappy married couples and tackled the issue of extra marital affairs.
In 2006, Shah Rukh Khan starred in Farhan Akhtar's action thriller flick, 'Don', a remake of the 1978 film of the same name. The film opened to mixed reviews and Shah Rukh Khan's performance was compared to Amitabh Bachchan's from the original. However, the film became the fifth-highest grossing film of the year in India and the highest grossing film of the year in the overseas market. It grossed a total of Rs 1.04 billion worldwide.
In 2007, Shah Rukh starred in YRF's 'Chak De! India', where he played the coach of a girl's National Hockey team. The film became a hit and earned over Rs 1.03 billion worldwide. It became the third-highest grossing film of 2007 in India and won Shah Rukh Khan yet another Filmfare Award for Best Actor.
That same year, Shah Rukh featured in Farah Khan's 'Om Shanti Om' which marked the Bollywood debut of Deepika Padukone. SRK blew the audiences away with his performance of Om Prakash Makhija, a junior artiste from the 1970s who is reborn in the 2000s as a superstar named Om Kapoor. With a gross of over Rs 1.48 billion, 'Om Shanti Om' earned SRK another Filmfare nomination for Best Actor. However, he won the award for 'Chak De! India'.
In 2008, Shah Rukh appeared in Aditya Chopra’s ‘Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi’ opposite then newcomer, Anushka Sharma. The film received mixed reviews from film critics, but was declared a hit at the box-office.
Later, Shah Rukh Khan is said to have turned down Danny Boyle's Oscar winning movie 'Slumdog Millionaire' and began shooting for Karan Johar's 'My Name Is Khan' with his favourite co-star Kajol.
Based on a strue story, Shah Rukh played the role of a Muslim man suffering from mild-Asperger syndrome, who sets out on a journey across America to meet the country's President. 'My Name is Khan' received positive reviews from critics and became the highest-grossing Bollywood film of all-time in the overseas market. SRK earned his eighth Filmfare Award for Best Actor for his heart wrenching performance in the film.
SRK then produced Anubhav Sinha's science fiction superhero film 'RA.One', alongside Arjun Rampal and Kareena Kapoor. The film was billed as Bollywood's most expensive production with an estimated budget of Rs 125 crore. Apart from producing and acting in the film, Shah Rukh was also involved in the writing of the film's console game script.
He dubbed for it, and oversaw its technical development. He also authored the digital comics based on the film's characters.
'RA.One' was a box office failure.
Shah Rukh Khan's s second release that year was 'Don 2', a sequel to 'Don'. SRK underwent extensive preparation for his role, exercising and practicing stunts. The film was a major success in India and it went on to become the year's highest-grossing Bollywood production abroad with a worldwide gross of more than Rs 2.06 billion. 'Don 2' was also screened at 62nd Berlin International Film Festival.
Shah Rukh Khan's sole release in 2012, was Yash Chopra's last directorial venture 'Jab Tak Hain Jaan' opposite Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma. The film received positive reviews from the audience and critics alike. 'Jab Tak Hai Jaan' went on to become one of the highest-grossing Bollywood films of all time both in India and abroad and earned over Rs 2.11 billion.
SRK collaborated with Rohit Shetty and produced and starred in action comedy 'Chennai Express' under his own banner Red Chillies Entertainment. Also starring Deepika Padukone, it became the fastest film to enter the coveted Bollywood Rs 100 crore club.
It also went on to break the record of '3 Idiots' thus becoming the highest- grossing Bollywood film of all time earning over Rs 4 billion in India and abroad.
Shah Rukh Khan celebrated the success of ‘Happy New Year’. Directed by Farah Khan, the film is the first heist-cum-dance flick in Bollywood. ‘Happy New Year’ reached the coveted Rs 100 crore mark in its opening weekend itself and has had one of the biggest openings overseas.
This year, Shah Rukh Khan’s film FAN, in which he plays a double role opened to much critical acclaim. The thriller film, directed by Maneesh Sharma, tells the story of an obsessive fan of a star who looks just like the star — both played by Shah Rukh.
SRK’s voice will be next heard as Rocky in the animation film Koochie Koochie Hota Hai, while fans are really awaiting his 2017 release, Raees.
