Shah Rukh Khan

Superstar on your doorstep
Diganta Guha
In the year 1988 a soap called Fauji on DD had become very popular. I remember the ladies of my family getting hooked on to it leaving everything else aside. “I love Abhimanyu. He is so cute,” was the familiar refrain of my twenty- something cousin every time he came on screen. Added my mother, “Mark my words, this guy is going to be a star”
Abhimanyu Rai was certainly not the best-looking guy in the serial. But he was the one who made the maximum impact. Thanks to Fauji, an actor called Shah Rukh Khan who played Commander Abhimanyu Rai was born, destined to be the Badshah of Bollywood as he is now known as. Watching Shah Rukh enacting the character of a talented young army officer with dreams in his eyes (yet a bit naughty at times) was like imagining oneself. That’s SRK for you — an image that everyone can relate to. Wikipedia writes, “The character played by Shah Rukh Khan (Abhimanyu Rai) gained instant popularity due to its charm, peppiness and the exuberance with which Khan essayed the role.” And the unprecedented popularity that he has got over the years can be attributed to this trait in the man, off-screen too. Yes, he is a son, brother, husband, friend and father that we all see in him.
“Walk on with hope in your heart, and you’ll never walk alone,” Shah Rukh had said once and this probably sums up the attitude with which he has gone about planning his life and career. Anupama Chopra in her book King Of Bollywood: Shah Rukh Khan and the Seductive World of Indian Cinema writes that Shah Rukh during his early days in Mumbai had told one of his friends that one day he would rule the city. That was years back. And truly he has lived up to it.
Confidence and determination are the two keys to Shah Rukh’s rise. Fighting odds come what may is his forte and that spirit continues unabated. In one sense, Shah Rukh redefined superstardom in Hindi films. And you can draw a line of comparison with Amitabh Bachchan, the person he is generally believed to have succeeded on the throne of the King of Bollywood. The rise of these two actors to superstardom belies the age-old archetypal concept of film heroes. Bachchan had to gain ground in the industry at a time in the early ’70s when the entire nation was crazy over Rajesh Khanna who was churning out hits after hits cashing in on his romantic image. Similarly, there were He-Man Dharmendra, Jumping Jack Jeetendra and the versatile Sanjeev Kumar who had their own audiences to enthral. They were handsome, smart and had all the ingredients that a Hindi movie buff looked for. But Big B broke that myth and raced ahead of his contemporaries to reach a stage, which nobody before him had come even close to.
If we look at SRK’s progress, we find a similarity with that of Bachchan. When Shah Rukh was making his debut in Bollywood in the early ’90s, the industry was riding on the wave of chocolate boys — Aamir Khan and Salman Khan had rewritten history with two of the biggest ever romantic hits in Bollywood — Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak and Maine Pyar Kiya. The period was hailed as the return of romance to the Hindi screen after the action-packed ’70s. However, SRK strode a different path — he redefined anger in films like Deewana, Baazigar, Darr and Anjaam
(he played the anti-hero in the last three). A star had arrived.
But SRK didn’t get stuck to one image. Just when he was running the risk of being stereotyped Shah Rukh came up with Aditya Chopra’s Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), a love story between a young NRI guy and a simple Indian girl. It gave the concept of love in Hindi films a new meaning. Shah Rukh soared to new heights with films like DDLJ, Dil To Pagal Hai, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham and Mohabbatein between 1995 and 2001. These movies made him a household name and helped him reach out to masses. Critics had derided his style of acting and his mannerisms, but those went well with the public, and made him what he is today. His acting is imbued with a power that is compelling and which distinguishes him from the others. And it in this context that he has taken superstardom to an all-together new zone.
To an average Indian fan, Shah Rukh is our very own boy who lives next door. He is accessible and media savvy. He will accept every award he gets not judging who is giving it. He doesn’t hesitate to mix with the crowds and is everywhere on TV, in print, on web, on the streets and so on. Truly, Shah Rukh has broken the ‘not-to-be-touched demi- God’ type of image of the older generations of Hindi film stars. He has never moved away from his middle-class values despite making rapid strides towards the zenith of success. He has endorsed everything from Cola to biscuits to cars, and he is in our homes. He is jumping on the stands like a child to cheer for his Indian Premier League team Kolkata Knight Riders, something that you would not normally associate with an actor of his stature. He is no Mithun Chakraborty who had to live with the title The Poor Man’s Bachchan or Govinda who is still haunted by the ghosts of his prime days when critics had described him as The Poor Man’s Mithunda. SRK’s missionary school background is reflected through the way he carries himself. The best part about Shah Rukh is his self-confidence and a shrewd professional approach that has made him what he is today. So confident is he of himself that he doesn’t hesitate to tread a path belonging to Bachchan (TV show Kaun Banega Crorepati and film Don).
Coming back to his lovable image, his choice of roles is an evidence of his endeavour to connect to the masses as well as classes. On one hand he is Raj Mathur who comes to Mumbai from Darjeeling to make a mark (Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman), on the other hand, he is a modern hunk studying in Mumbai’s St. Xavier’s College (Kuch Kuch Hota Hai). And what about the NASA scientist Mohan Bhargava who finds a new meaning out of life when he comes down to meet his nanny in a remote Indian village? SRK’s latest portrayal of an ordinary middle-class person who undergoes an image makeover to win his wife’s heart in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi has been a huge hit with the audiences. In all these films he has maintained a magic touch in his inimitable style that has gone on to endear him to fans cutting across sections.
Compare him with his closest rivals Aamir and Salman, and you find a definite pattern that draws a line of demarcation between them. While Aamir loves maintaining a distance from the media (he has become a bit savvy of late though), Salman has always been on the wrong side ‘courtesy’ his freakish lifestyle. Shah Rukh on the other hand has maintained a consistency that has prolonged his stay on top. He is conscious of his image and will never cross the line. For example, in the latest clash of words between Aamir and Shah Rukh, it’s the former who has been doing all the talking while Shah Rukh has maintained his composure and dignity throughout. Who gains in the process?
However, one may not be totally mistaken to think that Shah Rukh is yet to do true justice to himself as an actor. But time is not running out. It is not without reason that Time magazine called him the most recognisable actor in the world and UK’s The Guardian newspaper hailed him as the biggest film star. He has been chosen more than once as the most powerful man in Bollywood by Filmfare. And talk of more global accolades, National Geographic had him on its cover for a special feature on Bollywood. Yes, he is a mover and shaker who has taken the country by storm.
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