Celebrating 30 Years of Shah Rukh Khan: Roles that earned King Khan millions of fans
Shah Rukh Khan the king of Bollywood!
Shah Rukh Khan, a Delhi native who moved to Mumbai more than three decades ago, never imagined he would end up being known as the “Badshaah” of the Hindi film industry, and as the superstar celebrated his milestone birthday on Saturday, all he could think to say was “thank you” to everyone who supported him.
The journey of 30 years of Shah Rukh Khan
Khan, 56, began his acting career with the television programmes Circus and Fauji. In June 1992, he made his Bollywood debut in the film Deewana, starring with Divya Bharti and seasoned performer Rishi Kapoor. He has spent 30 years developing a hard to define screen appearance. The “Rahul” of his 30 years of work may be easily generalised as the excellent son, the attentive partner, witty but unyielding about huge romantic gestures. The man’s wide outstretched arms depict not only a generous spirit but also an invitation for a loving embrace from the woman he is courting.
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Deewana marked her big screen debut after starring parts in Aziz Mirza’s Circus (1990) and Mani Kaul’s miniseries Idiot (1992). (1992). The next year, he plays a killer in Baazigar after playing the obsessive stalking lover in Darr.
In Kundan Shah’s Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa (1994), in which the line “Jhootha hoon ya sacchaa hoon, jane saara zamaana” appears in the hit song “Anna Mere Pyar Ko Naa Tum Jhootha Samjho Jaana,” he wears his heart on his sleeve once more as a struggling Everyman musician pursuing the girl next door, Anna.
Khan’s portrayal as the face of a new, globalised India in Aditya Chopra’s Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (DDLJ, 1995) was further cemented. Lacking gravitas or ego, but with a new-found sense of freedom to break the rules, he romanced an older woman in Ketan Mehta’s Oh Darling Yeh Hai India (1995), in which he did a nude scene, which didn’t make its final cut.
The king of Romance
After appearing in a series after DDLJ, such as Dil To Pagal Hai (1997), Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), Mohabbatein (2000), and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, he soon became well-known (2001). For his portrayals of an alcoholic in Devdas (2002), a NASA scientist in Swades (2004), a hockey coach in Chak De! India (2007), and a man with Asperger syndrome in My Name Is Khan (2010), Khan went on to get praise from critics (2010).
The comedies Chennai Express (2013), Happy New Year (2014), Dilwale (2015), and the crime drama Raees are among his highest-grossing movies (2017). Themes like Indian national identity, relationships to diaspora populations, or gender, ethnic, social, and religious disparities and grievances are prevalent in many of his films.
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His romance never ended. Even in his movie, Zero (2018), he played Bauua Singh, an unusually short man, in a role that was different from all of his other characters. However, in this scene as well, when he is romancing a scientist with cerebral palsy, his arms leave his sides and adopt the iconic come-to-me pose. For the year 2022, the actor currently is waiting for his upcoming movie ‘Pathaan’ along with Rajkumar Hirani’s, ‘Dunki’ with Taapsee Pannu. Whereas, John Abraham and Deepika Padukone joins the cast for Pathaan.
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Sheer brilliance all in all
It completes 30 years of Shah Rukh Khan, however, is without a doubt the only star from his generation who can appeal to both old and new fans—old fans like me who reached adulthood in the 1990s, in the midst of a newly globalised nation’s dichotomies, and new Generation Z ones for whom the politics and vibe of a performer are as important as their talents. This is because of the way he carries his stardom and manages his offscreen life.
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