About Bollywood Hero Shahrukh Khan
"Shahrukh" redirects here. For the Timurid dynasty ruler, see Shah Rukh (Timurid dynasty). For Iranian king, see Shahrukh Afshar.
"King of Bollywood" redirects here. For the film, see King of Bollywood (film).
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Shahrukh Khan
Shahrukh interacts with media after KKR's maiden IPL title.
Born 2 November 1965 (age 47)
New Delhi, India
Residence Mumbai, Maharashtra, India[1]
Other names King Khan
SRK
King of Bollywood
The Badshah of Bollywood[2][3]
Occupation Actor, producer, television presenter
Years active 1988–present
Spouse(s) Gauri Khan (1991–present)
Children 2
Shahrukh Khan (pronounced [‘?a??r?x 'xa?n]; born 2 November 1965), often credited as Shah Rukh Khan and informally referred as SRK, is an Indian film actor. Often referred to in the media as "Badshah of Bollywood", "King Khan", "King of Romance" and "The King of Bollywood", Khan has acted in 75 Hindi films in genres ranging from romantic dramas to action thrillers.[4][5][6][7] His contributions to the film industry have garnered him numerous achievements including fourteen Filmfare Awards from thirty nominations. His eight Filmfare Best Actor Award wins make him the most awarded Bollywood actor of all time in that category, tied only with Dilip Kumar. In 2005, the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri for his contributions towards Indian cinema. Khan is now regarded as one of the greatest and most influential actors in the history of Indian cinema.[8]
After graduating with a bachelor's degree in economics, he started his career appearing in theatre and several television serials in the late 1980s and later made his Hindi film debut in 1992 with Deewana. Early in his career he was recognised for his unconventional choice in portraying negative roles in films such as Darr (1993), Baazigar (1993) and Anjaam (1994). He later rose to prominence by playing a series of romantic roles in the films Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (1995).,[9] Dil To Pagal Hai (1997) and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998).[10] The commercial success of these films garnered him the tag of "the King of Romance",[9] Khan subsequently earned wide critical appreciation for his portrayal of a NASA scientist in Swades (2004), a hockey coach in Chak De! India (2007) and as the titular character in My Name Is Khan (2010).[11][12] 12 of the films he has acted in, have accumulated gross earnings of over INR100 crore (US$18.2 million) worldwide,[13][14] making him one of the most successful leading actors of Hindi cinema.[15]
Khan is the co-founder of Dreamz Unlimited, a production company and occupies the position of CEO and co-chairman of the motion picture production and distribution company Red Chillies Entertainment and the animation studio Red Chillies VFX. He is also co-owner of the Indian Premier League cricket team Kolkata Knight Riders.[16] The year 2007 marked his debut as a television presenter with the Star Plus gaming show Kaun Banega Crorepati.[17] Khan is often labelled by the Media as "Brand SRK" due to his various brand endorsement and entrepreneurship ventures. He is also a regular stage performer and award ceremony host and has been involved in philanthropic endeavors related to Health care, relief funds and children's education, for which he was honoured with the UNESCO's Pyramide con Marni award in 2011.[18][19]
Khan is considered to be one of the biggest film stars in cinematic history, with a fan following claimed to number in the billions; in 2011, the Los Angeles Times called him "the world's biggest movie star."[20] He has also been regularly featured in the listing of the most powerful names in Indian Cinema and in 2008, Newsweek named him one of the 50 most powerful people in the world.[5] Khan has an estimated net worth of over US $540 million(INR25 billion).[21][22][23] He has been married to Indian film producer and interior designer, Gauri Khan since 1991, and together they have two children.
Contents
1 Early life and background
2 Acting career
2.1 1988–92: Early work and breakthrough
2.2 1993–97: Critical and commercial success
2.3 1998–2002: International recognition
2.4 2003: Spine injury and subsequent surgery
2.5 2003–10: Stardom and critical acclaim
2.6 2011–present: Continuing other ventures
3 Producer
4 Philanthropy
5 Non-film work
5.1 Television presenting
5.2 Stage performances
5.3 Brand SRK
5.4 Ownership of IPL cricket team
6 In the media
Early life and background
Khan was born on 2 November 1965 to Muslim parents in New Delhi, India.[24][25] His father, Taj Mohammed Khan, a Pathan, was an Indian independence activist from Peshawar, British India. According to Khan, his paternal grandfather was originally from Afghanistan.[26] His mother, Lateef Fatima, was the adopted daughter of Major General Shah Nawaz Khan of the Janjua Rajput clan, who served in the Indian National Army.[27] Khan's father came to New Delhi from Qissa Khawani Bazaar in Peshawar before the partition of India,[28] Pakistan's ISI chief Lieutenant-General Zaheerul Islam has a tenuous link with Shahrukh khan.Zaheerul Islam is a nephew of the Shah Nawaz Khan, who was the adoptive maternal grandfather of Shahrukh Khan.[29][30] Regarding his origins, he described himself on Twitter as "i am half hyderabadi (mom) half pathan(Dad)some kashmiri (grandmom)..."[31] His father died from cancer when Khan was 15 years old, and his mother died in 1990 after prolonged illness.[32][33] Khan was very attached to his parents as a child and describes their early deaths as a turning point in his life and as his biggest motivation for hard work. Khan explained his ideology in life was "... to make movies so damn bloody big...that my parents somewhere sit down on a star and from there also can look at their son and say 'I can see his movies from here better than I can see the Wall of China or anything. We see his movies covering the face of this earth'. "[34] Khan has an elder sister named Shehnaz.[35]
Growing up in Rajendra Nagar neighbourhood of Delhi,[36] Khan attended St. Columba's School where he was accomplished in sports, drama, and academics. He won the Sword of Honour, an annual award given to the student who best represents the spirit of the school. Khan later attended the Hansraj College (1985–1988) and earned his Bachelors degree in Economics. When Hansraj College celebrated its 50th anniversary, it gave away 17 shields to its alumni who had excelled in their lives and professions. Khan was one of them. Though he pursued a Masters Degree in Mass Communications at Jamia Millia Islamia, he later opted out to pursue a career in Bollywood.[37] He also attended the National School of Drama in Delhi.[38]
After the death of his mother, Khan moved to Mumbai in 1991.[39] He married Gauri Chibber, a Hindu, in a traditional Hindu wedding ceremony on 25 October 1991.[32] They have two children, son Aryan (b. 1997) and daughter Suhana (b. 2000). According to Khan, while he strongly believes in Islam, he also values his wife's religion. At home, his children follow both religions, with the Qur'an being situated next to the Hindu deities.[40]
Acting career
See also: Shahrukh Khan filmography
1988–92: Early work and breakthrough
Khan studied acting under the mentorship of theatre director Barry John at Delhi's "Theatre Action Group" (TAG).[41] Khan's first starring role was in Lekh Tandon's television series Dil Dariya, but due to production delays, the 1988 television series, Fauji was his television debut. He played the leading role of Commando Abhimanyu Rai in the critically acclaimed show, which earned him mass recognition.[39][42] He went on to appear in Aziz Mirza's Circus (1989)[43] and played a minor role in the made-for-television English-language film, In Which Annie Gives it Those Ones (1989). His appearance in these teleserials, led critics to compare his acting style with that of film actor Dilip Kumar.[44] In 1991, Khan shifted base to Mumbai and received his first film offer with Hema Malini's directorial debut Dil Aashna Hai.[39] However, due to production delays, his second film, Deewana (1992), alongside Rishi Kapoor and Divya Bharti released first.[38][45] The film became a box office hit, and launched his career in Bollywood.[46] Despite portraying a supporting character in the film, he won a Filmfare Best Male Debut Award, the following year.
He subsequently featured in Mani Kaul's adaptation of Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Idiot, Idiot. Originally made for television, the film eventually received a theatrical release and debuted at the New York Film Festival on 8 October 1992.[47] Later that year, he played the titular character in the comedy, Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman, which was his first of many collaborations with actress Juhi Chawla. The film proved to be a box office hit.[48] He went on to star in Ketan Mehta's Maya Memsaab, an adaptation of Gustave Flaubert's novel Madame Bovary. Upon release, the film generated controversy in India due to Khan's appearance in an "explicit" sex scene with co-star Deepa Sahi.[49]
1993–97: Critical and commercial success
In 1993, Khan garnered appreciation for portraying negative roles, that of an obsessive lover and a murderer, respectively, in the box office hits, Darr and Baazigar.[50] The "Encyclopedia of Hindi Cinema" analyzed that "he defied the image of the conventional hero in both these films and created his own version of the revisionist hero."[51] Darr marked the first of many collaborations of Khan with film-maker Yash Chopra and his banner Yash Raj Films. Khan's stammering in the film and the usage of the phrase, "I love you, Kkkiran," were popular with the audiences.[52] His other release, Baazigar, in which he played an ambiguous avenger who murders his girlfriend, "shocked the Indian audiences" with an unexpected violation of the standard Bollywood formula.[53] His performance in Baazigar won him his first Filmfare Best Actor Award.
The same year, Khan played the role of a love-struck musician in Kundan Shah's dramedy Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa, a performance that earned him a Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance. In a retrospective review by Rediff, Sukanya Verma called it Khan's best performance and added, "He was spontaneous, vulnerable, boyish, mischievous and acting straight from the heart."[54] Khan, himself, considers this film to the best film that he has acted in.[55] In 1994, Khan once again played an obsessive lover in Anjaam, co-starring Madhuri Dixit. Though the film was a commercial failiure, Khan's performance earned him the Filmfare Best Villain Award.[56]
Khan, holding a painting of his character Raj Malhotra from Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge(1995) that was gifted to him during an appearance on a TV show.
In 1995, Khan starred in two box-office blockbusters. His first release was Rakesh Roshan's melodramatic thriller Karan Arjun, in which Khan was a part of an ensemble cast that included Salman Khan, Kajol, Mamta Kulkarni, Raakhee and Amrish Puri. The film, which dealt with the concept of reincarnation, became the second-highest grossing film of the year in India.[57] He followed it with Aditya Chopra's directorial debut, the romance Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. A major critical and commercial success, the film became the year's top-grossing production in India and abroad.[58] The film was declared an "all time blockbuster"; it remains the longest-running film in the history of Indian cinema[59] and as of 2011, it is still playing at the Maratha Mandir theatre in Mumbai.[60] Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge has grossed over INR 1.2 billion worldwide. The film won ten Filmfare Awards, and Khan's performance as a young NRI who falls for Kajol's character while on a trip across Europe won him critical acclaim and his second Best Actor Award at the Filmfare. In 2005, Indiatimes Movies ranked the film amongst the 25 Must See Bollywood Films, citing it as a "trendsetter of sorts".[61] Raja Sen reviewed, "Khan gives a fabulous performance, redefining the lover for the 1990s with great panache. He's cool and flippant, but sincere enough to appeal to the junta [audience]. The performance itself is, like the best in the business, played well enough to come across as effortless, as non-acting. "[62]
1996 proved to be a disappointing year for Khan, as he appeared in two critical and commercial failiures, Praveen Nischol's English Babu Desi Mem and Mahesh Bhatt' Chaahat[63] However, in 1997, his starring role in Subhash Ghai's social drama Pardes earned him commercial success. The film, which also featured Mahima Chaudhry and Apurva Agnihotri, saw him portray the role of Arjun, a musician facing a moral dilemma. His performance earned him a nomination for the Best Actor at the Filmfare Award ceremony. He then featured in Aziz Mirza's romantic comedy, Yes Boss, opposite Juhi Chawla. Upon release, the film performed moderately well at the box-office.[64] His final release of the year was Yash Chopra's blockbuster musical romanance, Dil to Pagal Hai. The project, also featuring Madhuri Dixit and Karishma Kapoor, marked his second collaboration with the filmmaker. Khan essayed the role of Rahul, a stage director who falls in love with one of his new actresses, played by Dixit. The film as well as his performance met with critical appreciation; he won his third Best Actor Award at the Filmfare.[64]
1998–2002: International recognition
In 1998, Khan appeared in three films. His first release was Mahesh Bhatt's action comedy, Duplicate opposite Juhi Chawla and Sonali Bendre. The film, which saw him portray a double role, marked his first of many collaborations with Yash Johar's production company, Dharma Productions. The film however, failed to do well at the box office.[65] He then won critical praise for his performance in Mani Ratnam's acclaimed Dil Se... The film was the third in Ratnam's trilogy of terror films that depict human relationships against a background of Indian politics, after Roja (1992) and Bombay (1995).[66][67] Khan played the part of Amarkant "Amar" Varma, an All India Radio correspondent, who develops an infatuation for a mysterious terrorist, played by Manisha Koirala.[68] Rediff.com published, "Khan delivers a compelling performance. He plays the part with taut restraint, and expresses exasperation superbly. "[69] The film,which failed financially in India, however, emerged as a commercial success overseas,[70] becoming the first Indian film to enter the top 10 at the United Kingdom box office.[71][72]
His final release of the year was Karan Johar's candyfloss romance, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, which paired him with Kajol and Rani Mukerji. The film was declared an "all time blockbuster", with a worldwide gross of over INR 1.03 billion.[73] Khan played the role of Rahul Khanna, a college student, who falls in love with his best friend (Kajol) after the death of his wife (Mukerji), years after breaking contact with her. His performance won him the Best Actor award at the Filmfare ceremony for the second consecutive year. Khan's only release in 1999, Baadshah opposite Twinkle Khanna, was an average grosser, for which he earned a Filmfare Award nomination for Best Performance in a Comic Role.[74] In the same year, Khan set up his own production company, Dreamz Unlimited with actor, Juhi Chawla and director, Aziz Mirza. (see below). In 2000, the three collaborated on their first film, Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani. The film opened to mixed reviews from critics and audiences alike and failed to emulate the commercial success of the trio's previous films, Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman and Yes Boss.[75]
Khan's next release was Mansoor Khan's action drama Josh. The film starred Khan as the leader of a Christian gang in Goa, with Aishwarya Rai playing his twin sister. The film emerged as a box office success in both India and abroad.[75] Vinayak Chakravorty of Hindustan Times wrote that Khan "basks in his tailormade role, donning with panache the garb of a streetsmart tough. "[76] He next played the role of a Muslim archaeologist, beaten to death during the unrest following the partition of India in Hey Ram. Directed by and co-starring Kamal Hassan, the film was critically acclaimed and was selected as India's entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars that year.[77] Additionally, for the Tamil version of the film, Khan dubbed for his own lines.[78] His final release of the year was Aditya Chopra's romantic drama, Mohabbatein, co-starring Amitabh Bachchan. The film was a major financial success, and Khan's performance as a music teacher was acclaimed by critics; Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama mentioned him to be "outstanding as Raj Aryan." He was awarded his second Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor for his performance in the film.
In 2001, Khan essayed the titular role in Santosh Sivan's historical epic, Asoka, a partly fictionalised account of the life of Ashoka the Great.[79] The film was screened at the Venice Film Festival and the 2001 Toronto International Film Festival to a positive response.[80] The film, which also featured Kareena Kapoor received generally positive reviews with Khan receiving favourable reactions for his performance; Rediff concluded that "he puts in a strong performance, in this well defined role."[81]
He next collaborated with Karan Johar again in the family drama, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, in which he featured as a part of an ensemble cast that included Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Kajol, Kareena Kapoor and Hrithik Roshan. The film was a major financial success in India and the top-grossing Indian production of all-time in the overseas market until 2006, earning over INR 1.17 billion worldwide.[82] Khan's portrayal of Rahul Raichand, an adopted son of Bachchan's character, who disowns him for marrying a girl belonging to a lower socio-economic group than his family, played by Kajol, met with wide public appreciation. Khan described the character of Rahul by saying, "I love the vulnerability and the honesty in his eyes. He has the appeal of a boy next door. Besides, his intensity and ability to convey emotions without words is amazing."[83] Taran Adarsh reviewed, "Khan sparkles yet again", noting that he performed the part "with amazing poise, class, honesty and maturity".[84] It garnered him another nomination for the Filmfare Best Actor Award. Khan termed Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham as "a turning point in his career".[83]
In 2002, Khan played the titlular role, The role of Devdas in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's period romance, Devdas, which was the most expensive Bollywood film ever made at the time.[85] This was the third Hindi film adaptation of Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay's novel of the same name. Featuring opposite Aishwarya Rai and Madhuri Dixit, Khan's performance as a rebellious alcoholic was well received and he won yet another Filmfare Best Actor Award. The film surfaced as the highest-grossing film of the year in India and overseas, earning a revenue of INR39 million (US$709,800) domestically.[86][87] Devdas won numerous awards, including 10 Filmfare Awards and received a special screening at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival.[88][89] It received a BAFTA nomination for Best Foreign Language Film as well and was India's entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars. In an interview with Rediff.com, Khan commented, "We stars live in this bubble where everyone is smiling at you, where everyone loves you. Somehow, you lose touch with real, deep down sadness. Working on this film put us in touch with that emotion. "[38] After the release of the film, Khan took a six months break from acting. He explained that during his break, he "just enjoyed the feeling of being sad". Khan also starred alongside Madhuri Dixit and Salman Khan in the family-drama Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam. The film, which took six years to make, due to unending production problems,[90] emerged as an average grosser at the box office.[86]
2003: Spine injury and subsequent surgery
In December 2001, while filming a special appearance for Krishna Vamsi's Shakti: The Power, Khan suffered a spine injury while doing one of the action sequences.[91] He flew to Lucknow a week later for a series of stage shows which led to further aggravation of his condition.[91] By the time he returned to Mumbai, Khan was experiencing severe pain.[91] He was subsequently diagnosed with a prolapsed disc between vertebrae six and seven.[91] Khan is one of the few celebrities worldwide to have had the problem.[92] Hoping to avoid surgery in a bid to not delay his pending projects, and based on his former experience with a failed knee surgery three years earlier, Khan tried multiple alternative therapies from homoeopathy to Reiki but nothing offered a permanent solution.[91] He eventually shot Devdas (2002) and Chalte Chalte (2003) in acute pain and continued with the shoot for Kal Ho Na Ha (2003) until the day he left for London.[91][93] He reached the point where he had doctors and ambulances on standby on the sets.[93]
By the beginning of 2003, Khan's condition severely worsened.[91][94] The slipped disc was eventually touching his nerves which put pressure on his legs and neck.[94] It also presented the risk of paralysis of his arms. In February, Khan was told by doctors that he had to undergo an urgent Anterior Cervical Discectomy.[92][94] The main concern was the possibility of irreparable nerve damage during surgery which would have left him with a permanent weak left side.[95] During his acceptance speech for the Filmfare Best Actor award he received for his performance in Devdas (2002), Khan stated that emotionally he was a bit shaken as he was going in for a surgery that was described by him as a “not a very good thing to go in for. ”[96] The surgery took place on February 24 in Wellington Hospital in London and lasted for one hour - a titanium disc was inserted in his spine and he was discharged after two days.[91]
Khan faced several post-operative problems including hoarseness, weakness, pain and high risk of infection.[91][92] In an interview with Rediff four months after the surgery, he said "I am supposed to be on the road to recovery. For a year, I have to take things easy. I have my good and bad moments. Mornings aren't good. Till about 2 pm, I feel a lot of pain. When I bend down or play with my kids, I get some pain in the neck (...) For now I have to go to London every month for a checkup. "[93] He resumed shooting Kal Ho Na Ha (2003) and Main Hoon Na (2004) in June of the same year however, the songs sequences in those films had to be postponed to late October.[97] The injury resulted in Khan cutting down noticeably on work and reducing his number of films per year.[93]
2003–10: Stardom and critical acclaim
In 2003, Khan produced and starred in Aziz Mirza's, Chalte Chalte, a romance dealing with the troubles faced by a married couple, opposite Rani Mukerji. The film was moderately successful in India and additionally, fared better in the overseas markets.[98][99] His following release was Kal Ho Naa Ho, a dramedy set in New York City; written by Karan Johar, directed by Nikhil Advani and co-starring Jaya Bachchan, Preity Zinta and Saif Ali Khan. Khan received unanimous critical appreciation for the portrayal of Aman Mathur, a man with a fatal heart disease. The Hindu noted, "His enthusiasm unbounded, his energy unbridled, Shah Rukh is in form here. And as a guy with a few days to live and a life to spend in a moment, he looks for your sympathy. He reduces many to tears. And with each tear he rises a rank higher in the echelons of actors".[100] The film was a critical and commercial success, becoming the second highest grossing film domestically and the top-grossing Bollywood film in the overseas market that year.[98] When adjusted for inflation its total gross worldwide is INR 1.3 billion.[101] The film earned him another Filmfare Best Actor Award nomination.
2004 was a critically and commercially successful year for Khan. He produced and starred in Farah Khan's directorial debut, the action comedy Main Hoon Na alongside Suniel Shetty, Sushmita Sen, Kirron Kher, Amrita Rao and Zayed Khan. Dealing with a fictionalized account of the India–Pakistan relations, the film emerged as a major commercial success.[102] He then played an Indian Air Force pilot, Squadron Leader Veer Pratap Singh in Yash Chopra's love saga Veer-Zaara alongside Rani Mukerji and Preity Zinta. The film was the biggest hit of 2004 in both India and overseas, with a worldwide gross of over INR 940 million[82][102] and was screened at the 55th Berlin Film Festival to critical appreciation.[103] Veer-Zaara, which narrated the love story of Singh and a Pakistani woman, Zaara Haayat Khan (Zinta) fetched Khan appreciation with Rama Sharma from The Tribune writing, "Shah Rukh Khan here scales the heights of sensitivity, rising above the mundane. His expressions are mature and reach out to touch the heart of the common man. "[104]
In December 2004, Khan received wide critical acclaim for his performance in Ashutosh Gowariker's social drama, Swades. Also featuring Gayatri Joshi, Swades narrated the story of a NASA scientist who returns to India to get in touch with his roots. Several film critics consider Khan's performance in the film to be his best till date.[11] Critic Jitesh Pillai analyzed, "Ultimately your heart leaps out to the magical Shah Rukh Khan, who unarguably gives his career's finest performance. Shorn of any artifice or nervous energy, his anguish is tangible. He inhabits Mohan Bharghava with consummate ease, you can feel the earnestness of his intentions, the wetness of his tears".[105] Filmfare included his performance in the 2010 issue of the "Top 80 Iconic Performances".[106] He was nominated for the Filmfare Best Actor Award for all three of his releases in 2004, and eventually won the award for Swades.[102] The film itself was featured on Rediff's list of the 10 Best Bollywood Movies of the Decade.[107]
His only release in 2005, Paheli opposite Rani Mukerji, was screened at the Sundance Film Festival and was chosen as India’s official entry to the Oscars for the 79th Academy Awards.[108] Despite flopping at the box-office, Paheli was critically acclaimed, as was Khan's performance, which Raja Sen called " A top-notch performance, [That] justifies his supremacy in the film world".[109] The following year, Khan collaborated with Karan Johar for the third time for the adult-drama, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna. With an ensemble cast including Amitabh Bachchan, Preity Zinta, Abhishek Bachchan, Rani Mukerji and Kirron Kher, the film told the story of two unhappily married couples in New York, which results in an extramarital affair. Khan played the role of Dev Saran, a bitter and cynical former football player, who is insecure of his wife's (Zinta) successful career as a fashion magazine editor. The film received polarizing reviews from film critics but emerged as a major commercial success; emerging as India's biggest grosser in the overseas market, with earnings of over INR 1.13 billion worldwide.[82][110]
His subsequently essayed the titular role in the action thriller, Don, a remake of the 1978 film of the same name. The film as well as Khan received mixed comments from film critics. His performance was extensively compared to that of Amitabh Bachchan, the actor in the original.[111] Taran Adarsh noted that Khan "does very well as Don. He enacts the evil character with flourish. But he fails to carry off the other role [Vijay] with conviction. It looks made up, it doesn't come natural to him at all."[111] While Derek Elley of Variety argued that "it's hard to accept him (Khan) as the title character" and that "Khan is far more convincing as Vijay, playing up to his rom-com fanbase with plenty of boyish humor."[112] The film became the fifth-highest grossing film of the year in India[110] and the highest grossing film of the year in the overseas market. It grossed a total of INR 1.04 billion worldwide.[82] Both Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna and Don earned him Best Actor nominations at the Filmfare, while the latter earned him a Best Actor nomination at the Asian Film Awards.
In 2007, Khan featured in Yash Raj Films' Chak De! India, a semi-fictional account of the Indian women's national hockey team. Khan stated that he accepted the role of Kabir Khan, the captain of the team, because he liked "the thought of a film whose plot is about women".[113] Additionally, he was a hockey player during his college days and aspired to be a professional hockey player before he suffered a back injury.[114] Khan noted that while this background helped him during the filming, he also felt that the experience of playing again after a long time was "very difficult and different". Khan tore a hamstring three days before the filming was over.[115][116] Chak De!India was a major critical and commercial success in India and abroad.[117] Earning over INR 1.03 billion worldwide,[82] Chak De! India became the third-highest grossing film of 2007 in India and won Khan yet another Filmfare Award for Best Actor. Rajeev Masand from CNN-IBN wrote about his performance, "For the first time since Swades, Shah Rukh plays a role without any of his typical trappings, without any of his trademark quirks. He sinks his teeth into the part of the determined coach and comes up with such a terrific performance. He's hopeful at times and despondent at others, he's humorous at times, and stern at others. He plays Kabir Khan like a real flesh-and-blood human being. "[118] Filmfare also included his performance in the 2010 issue of the "Top 80 Iconic Performances".[12]
Khan with Kajol and Johar at the 2010 Berlin International Film Festival for their film My Name Is Khan. His performance in the film was acclaimed and he won his eighth Filmfare Award in the Best Actor category.
In the same year, Khan starred in Farah Khan's second film, Om Shanti Om alongside Deepika Padukone, Shreyas Talpade and Arjun Rampal. In the re-incarnation melodrama, Khan essayed the role of Om Prakash Makhija, a junior artiste from the 1970s who is reborn in the 2000s as a superstar named Om Kapoor. His performance was generally well received by critics; Khalid Mohammed from Hindustan Times wrote, "[T]he enterprise belongs to Shah Rukh Khan, who tackles comedy, high drama and action with his signature style – spontaneous and intuitively intelligent. "[119] The film emerged as the year's highest grossing motion picture in India and the overseas market with a worldwide gross of over INR1.48 billion.[120] Om Shanti Om earned him another nomination for Best Actor at the Filmfare ceremony.
In 2008, Khan collaborated with Aditya Chopra for the third time for the romantic drama, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, opposite newcomer Anushka Sharma. Khan played Surinder Sahni, a shy man with a low self-esteem, whose love for his accidental wife (Sharma), causes him to transform himself into the loud and fun-loving alter-ego of Raj. The film received mixed reviews from film critics, but was declared a blockbuster at the box-office.[121] His performance was appreciated by critics, with Rachel Saltz of The New York Times writing, "The Surinder/Raj dual role seems tailor-made (probably was) for Mr. Khan, who gets to show off his twin talents: he suffers nobly and entertains with panache. "[122] It earned him yet another nomination for Best Actor at the Filmfare ceremony. In December of the same year, Khan suffered a serious shoulder injury while filming for a cameo role in Mudassar Aziz's Dulha Mil Gaya. He subsequently underwent extensive physiotherapy sessions at the time, but due to immense pain that left him almost immobile, he had to undergo an arthroscopic surgery in February 2009.[123][124]
After turning down an opportunity to star in Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire, Khan began shooting for My Name Is Khan, his fourth collaboration with director, Johar and sixth with actress, Kajol.[125][126] Based on a true story, and set against the backdrop of perceptions on Islam, post the September 11 attacks, the film featured Khan as Rizwan Khan, a Muslim man suffering from mild-Asperger syndrome who sets out on a journey across America to meet the country's President. Khan spent several months researching by reading books, watching videos and talking to people affected with the disorder in an effort to portray the character of Rizwan Khan.[127] In an interview with Hindustan Times he said, "Whenever you're dealing with a disorder or a near atypical situation, the first thought is that the sort of parameters you have to set that in no which way you are derogatory or deriding the disorder. The second part is you have to come as close to reality in depicting that characterization and so one had to study a lot and one does get worried"[128] Upon release, My Name is Khan received positive reviews from critics and became the highest-grossing Bollywood film of all-time in the overseas market. Khan's performance in the film was appreciated by most critics with Jay Wesissberg from Variety reviewing, "Khan uses the mannerisms associated with Asperger's – averted eyes, springy steps, stuttered repetitions of memorized texts – yet captures the personality beneath the condition in a standout performance sure to receive the Autism Society's gold seal of approval. "[129] My Name is Khan fetched Khan his eighth Filmfare Award for Best Actor, thereby sharing the record with actor Dilip Kumar.
2011–present: Continuing other ventures
Khan with co-stars Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal during the premiere of Ra.One in London
In 2011, Khan produced and starred in Anubhav Sinha's science fiction superhero film Ra.One, alongside Arjun Rampal and Kareena Kapoor. The film, which follows the story of a London-based videogame designer who creates a villain that escapes the reel world into the real world, was billed as Bollywood's most expensive production.[130] With an estimated budget of INR125 crore (US$22.75 million),[131] the film witnessed months of massive campaigning before its theatrical release.[132] Upon release, Ra.One emerged as a box office success, with a gross of INR 2.4 billion.[133][134] Khan was involved in several aspects of the making of Ra. One—he volunteered to write the film's console game script, dubbed for it, and oversaw its technical development; he also authored the digital comics based on the film's characters.[135][136] Ra.One received negative reactions from film critics in India and abroad, while Khan received mixed comments for his portrayal of a dual role in the film. While most critics praised his performance as the robotic superhero G.one, they panned the one of Shekhar, the videogame designer. Rajeev Masand wrote, "The only real standout performance is by Shah Rukh Khan. His Aiyyo-speaking Shekhar Subramaniam is caricaturish but charming, while as G.One, he gives even his robotic video-game character a charismatic edge. " while DNA India added, "Another half attempt comes from the lead actor: Khan is in his element and endearing as superhero G.One, but annoyingly over the top as video game creator Shekhar".[137][138]
His second release of the year was Don 2, a sequel to the 2006 hit, Don.[139] For the portrayal of the titular character, Khan experimented with a variety of looks, including long unkempt hair and a stubble.[140] In order to prepare for his role, Khan exercised extensively and performed most of the stunts himself.[141][142] His performance fetched him positive comments from critics with Nikhat Kazmi of The Times of India noting, "Shah Rukh remains in command and never loses his foothold, neither through the dramatic sequences nor through the action cuts. "[143] 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 INR 2.1 billion.[144][145] Additionally, Don 2 earned him another nomination for Best Actor at the Filmfare ceremony .[146]
Khan's only release in the year 2012 Jab Tak Hai Jaan, opposite Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma which got released in 13 November 2012.[147] He is also set to feature in Rohit Shetty's action thriller Chennai Express and Farah Khan's comedy Happy New Year.
Producer
Main articles: Red Chillies Entertainment and Red Chillies VFX
Khan turned producer when he set up a production company called Dreamz Unlimited with Juhi Chawla and director Aziz Mirza in 1999.[148] In 2004, Khan took over the company and transformed it into Red Chillies Entertainment with his wife Gauri also serving as a producer.[149] He produced three films under his first company; Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani (2000), co-starring Chawla and directed by Mirza, a critical and commercial failure. The following year, he produced Asoka which was a box office failure.[79] However, it was well received by critics, and was nominated for the Filmfare Best Movie Award. His third film as a producer and star, Chalte Chalte, proved a box office hit.[150]
Khan unveiling the video game of Ra.One (2011)
The first film to be produced by RCE was Main Hoon Na (2004) was another hit which was directed by his friend and well-known choreographer Farah Khan.[102] The film earned 10 nominations for the Filmfare Award. The following year, he produced and starred in the fantasy film Paheli (2005), which did poorly.[151] It was, however, critically acclaimed and was selected as India's official entry to the Academy Awards for consideration for Best Foreign Language Film. Also in 2005, Khan co-produced the supernatural horror film Kaal (2005) with Karan Johar, and performed an item number for the film with Malaika Arora Khan. Kaal was moderately successful at the box office.[151] In 2007, Khan produced Om Shanti Om also directed by Farah Khan. The film was a major commercial success, and was declared India's highest grossing production ever up to that point. It was also nominated for the Filmfare Best Movie Award. His company has further gone on to produce Billu (2009), and Always Kabhi Kabhi (2011). During the filming of My Name Is Khan, Karan Johar producer of the film and head of Dharma Productions, asked Khan to co-produce the film under his production company.[152] The both will further collaborate in Johar's next directorial venture Student Of The Year. Since the creation of his company, Khan was keen on making a VFX-loaded film.[153] The company continued working on other projects and seeking for the right film until they finally decided on Ra.One (2011).[153] The film saw the inclusion of several visual effects techniques being incorporated in the production which were carried out by his own animation studeo.[153] Khan is also one of the producers of Don 2 (2011), but not through his production company. The film was a major success in India and abroad.
The company has five sub divisions, apart from film production, the company also has a animation studio known as Red Chillies VFX which had been involved with many major films like Chak De India, Om Shanti Om, Dostana, and Kurbaan as well as studios for TV commercials known as Red Chillies TVC and TV shows/serials known as Red Chillies Idiot Box, which conceived popular shows like Up Close & Personal with PZ and Ishaan. The company also has a little over 50% stake in the Cricket team Kolkata Knight Riders often abbreviated as KKR, in the BCCI-backed IPL cricket competition.[154]
Philanthropy
Khan is known for keeping a low profile and secrecy on his social commitments and Humanitarian work.[18][155] In an interview with The Guardian he stated that his reason for keeping his charity work guarded was because of his religious beliefs. He said: "Somewhere in the Quran it says that if you do charity for a reason, it's not charity."[156] He further expressed his ideology regarding charity work in an interview with CNN-IBN, stating:"I don’t like talking about it [charity]. A lot of people and my friends always tell me I should do photographs and stuff when I meet some people. But I don’t believe in it. It is a true thing that if I believe in a cause, I should do it silently and not use my persona as an actor to advocate that."[157]
Apart from regular donations to organisations and individuals, especially in the case of AIDS and cancer patients, he is behind the creation of a children's ward at the Nanavati hospital in Mumbai, in memory of his late mother.[18][158] Khan is also active with relief funds when the Indian nation faces a natural calamity.[18] Khan has been brand ambassador of various governmental campaigns throughout the years, notably those of Pulse Polio immunisation campaign which was established in 1995 to eradicate poliomyelitis in India by vaccinating all children under the age of five years against the polio virus, the National AIDS Control Organisation.[159] Khan is a member of the board of directors of Make-A-Wish Foundation in India.[160]
Khan pictured with Dr. Prannoy Roy (center) and Vikram Chandra (right) at The NDTV Greenathon 4. In his 2012 appearance, he adopted 12 villages to provide them with electricity under the project 'Light A Billion Lives'
In March 2004, Khan visited the border post at the Attari-Wagah section of the Indo-Pak border, near Amritsar (the only place where people can cross over to the other side) to boost the morale of the jawans. It was for a TV show called Jai Jawan where entertainers and stars visit Indian troops in far-flung regions to encourage them along with the NDTV team.[161] In February 2005, Khan performed at the HELP! Telethon Concert to help raise money for the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake in company with other Bollywood stars and also donated INR 2.5 million for the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Tsunami Relief Fund for the tsunami-affected areas in India.[162][163] He organised and participated in the Temptations 2005 show in New Delhi which helped to raise funds for the National Centre For Promotional of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP), a leading disabled rights group.[164] The same year, Khan joined hands with India's Health Ministry and UNICEF for a nationwide child immunisation campaign as part of National Rural Health Mission of India.[165] The mission which was called by economists as "the most ambitious rural health initiative ever" aimed to provide accessible, affordable and reliable health care service to the people of India residing in villages.[166] Since then he has recorded a series of public service announcements championing good health, child immunisation and proper nutrition.[165]
In 2007, he collaborated with veteran artist M.F. Husain to create a canvas in celebration of 60 years of Indian independence at a charity auction in Bonhams, London. The painting was sold for over INR 12 million.[167] In 2008, Khan took part in The Rock On For Humanity concert along with other Bollywood stars. The concert raised over INR 30 million for helping the children affected by the Bihar floods.[168] During his 2009 appearance at the NDTV Greenathon, Khan adopted five villages in Bhitarkanika National Park in Kendrapara, to provide them with electricity under the solar energy harnessing project in its title initiative 'Light A Billion Lives'.[169] The following year, he adopted eight more villages, and again adopted eleven during his appearance in the third edition of the event. In the 2012 edition of the initiative, he again adopted twelve villages.[170][171][172] In 2009, Khan committed to bear all the expenses for the treatment of two Kashmiri orphan children who suffered severe burns during a terrorist grenade attack in Srinagar. He also visited the two orphans at the hospital.[173]
In 2009, during his conferment ceremony of an honorary doctorate by the British Bedfordshire University, Khan pledged his dedication to further the cause of child education in India. He said: "It is a very very special honour. And it makes me to take seriously about what I do and what I have done in the past 20 years of my career. The feeling I get is that I should utilise this recognition to further the cause of those under-privileged children who do not get the opportunity to educate themselves.” [174] In 2011, Khan teamed up with Amitabh Bachchan and English actress Judi Dench to promote Resul Pookutty's foundation that works to better the living conditions of the underprivileged in India. The campaign aims to spread awareness on the cause of education among the impoverished, in India and also discourages child labour in the low income bracket of society and focus on providing opportunities to let children have a proper childhood.[175] the same year, he was honoured with the UNESCO's Pyramide con Marni award for his charity engagements and social commitment towards providing education for kids thus becoming the first Indian to win the accolade.[19] Later that year, Khan was appointed by The UNOPS to be the first global ambassador of The Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council that works to improve the lives of poor people by enhancing collaboration among sector agencies and professionals around sanitation and water supply.[176] During Ra.One's premiere in Dubai in October 2011, Khan along with co-stars Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal held a high-profile dinner and charity auction, which raised AED 30,000 (approximately US$8,200) for building a workshop for children with special needs.[177] In 2012, Khan joined hands with Cosmopolitan Magazine along with follow actors Shahid Kapoor and Ajay Dvgan for supporting their "Real Men Don't Hit Women" Campaign which takes an important stance against the issue of domestic violence. He was also featured in a photo shoot spread for the magazine as part of the campaign.[178]
Non-film work
Television presenting
In 2007, Khan replaced Amitabh Bachchan as the host of the third season of the game show Kaun Banega Crorepati popularly known as KBC, the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?.[17] The previous had hosted the show for two previous seasons in 2000 and 2005. On 22 January 2007, Kaun Banega Crorepati aired with Khan as the new host. The grand prize amount of 2 crore rupees (approx. $430,000 USD) was still used in KBC3.[17] and later ended on 19 April 2007 with a special finale. In an interview with The Times Of India, Khan explained that he was offered to host the second season of the show as well but he turned it down because Bachchan wanted to do it then.[179] For his work at KBC 3, Khan won the best anchor at various awards ceremonies including The Global Indian Film and Television Honours and Indian Telly Awards.
A year later, Khan began hosting the game show Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain?, the Indian version of Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?,[180] The show premiered on 25 April 2008 and the last episode was telecast on 27 July 2008 with Lalu Prasad Yadav as the special guest. On 1 February 2011, he began hosting Zor Ka Jhatka: Total Wipeout, the Indian version of the American game show Wipeout, on Imagine TV.
Stage performances
Khan during a performance in a concert at the Army Stadium in Dhaka, Bangladesh on 2010.
Khan is a stage performer and has participated in several world tours and concerts. In 1997, he performed in the Asha Bhosle's: Moments In Time in Malaysia. He returned to another concert there the following year with Shahrukh—Karisma: Live in Malaysia concert. The same year he participated in the "The Awesome Foursome" world tour across the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States of America along with Juhi Chawla, Akshay Kumar, Kajol.[181] The world tour marked the later's first and only world tour to date.[182] In 1999, he resumed the tour in Malaysia, in which Salman Khan and Twinkle Khanna replaced Akshay Kumar and Kajol.[183] In November 2002, Khan took part in the Fire & Flames concert in Malaysia, alongside Rani Mukerji, Saif Ali Khan and Raageshwari with a 40-member troupe of singers and dancers.[183] In the same year, he participated in the show From India With Love in the UK, along with Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Preity Zinta and Aishwarya Rai. It took place at two outdoor venues, Manchester's Old Trafford and London's Hyde Park, with over 100,000 spectators.[184]
Khan participated in a concert tour titled Temptations 2004 which was the most successful Bollywood concert at the time. Khan performed alongside Arjun Rampal, Saif Ali Khan, Rani Mukerji, Preity Zinta and Priyanka Chopra in nineteen stage shows across the globe. He sang, danced and performed in skits.[185] In 2008, Khan set up Temptation Reloaded 2008, a series of concerts showcased across several different countries. The show, which also featured Arjun Rampal, Kareena Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Ganesh Hegde, Javed Ali and Anusha Dandekar, took place at the Ahoy Rotterdam venue in Rotterdam, Netherlands.[186] Several months later, he again joined Rampal, Kapoor and Kaif to perform for 15,000 spectators at Dubai's Festival City Arena.[187] In 2010, Khan performed alongside Arjun Rampal, Rani Mukerji, Neeraj Shridhar and Ishaa Koppikar for a concert at the Army Stadium, Dhaka, Bangladesh to a packed audience.[188] And in 2011, he joined Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra in the Friendship Concert, celebrating 150 years of India-South Africa friendship in Durban, South Africa.[189]
Brand SRK
SRK at a Tag Heuer press conference, promoting the Carrera Monaco GP watch.
Khan is often labelled by the Media as "Brand SRK" due to his various brand endorsement and entrepreneurship ventures. The Times Of India noted “Khan has established himself as a brand on the map of the film industry. Hailing from a non-filmi background with no pedigree to boast of and no godfather to pull strings, the St. Columba's alumnus has become a muse. ”[190] In 2005, he launched his own perfume, labelled "Tiger Eyes by SRK" by the French perfume brand Jeanne Arthes.[191]
1999 marked Khan's first foray in the world of celebrity endorsements.[192] and his popularity in the advertising world has been increasing ever since.[192] He is one of the top paid Bollywood actors in this respect and one the most visible celebrities in television ads.[16][193] In 2009, a survey conducted by AdEx India ranked him first on the list of top-notch brand ambassadors of the year.[194] He has also been endorsing the highest number of brands amongst Indian celebrities on television;[195] while in 2003, he endorsed eight brands, his endorsement rose up to a total of thirteen brands in 2004 and in 2005 he endorsed twenty one brands, thirty four brands in 2009 and twenty five in 2011.[192][193] Some of the brands that Khan has endorsed over the years are Pepsi, Sprite, Nokia, Hyundai, Sunfeast, Videocon, Airtel, Emami, Nerolac Paints, Dish TV, Linc Pens, D'decor, LUX, Frooti, Compaq and Tag Heuer.[192][193] Subsequently, Khan has been crowned "Brand Ambassador of the Year" at various business awards ceremonies over the years.[196][197]
In December 2007, Khan was declared as the face of Force India, the Formula One racing team representing India in international motor race championships. Force India stated about their collaboration with Khan: "We thought the fastest way to announce our arrival in the country is to use [Shahrukh] Khan as the team's brand ambassador. He is famous, successful and the most potent icon of young and confident India. Those are the same values that the team is trying to project on the biggest stage of motorsports."[198] And in 2011, Khan was appointed the brand ambassador of the Champions League Twenty20, an annual international Twenty20 cricket competition between the top domestic teams from major cricketing nations.[199] In 2010, Khan was named the global ambassador of the live entertainment theatre and leisure destination Kingdom of Dreams which is described as Bollywood's very own Broadway.[200] In April 2012, he was roped as the official brand ambassador for Prayag Film City, a INR 10 billion state of the art film city complex situated in Chandrakona in West Bengal.[201]
In February 2011, Khan was appointed brand ambassador for the state of West Bengal.[202] He was offered the position by the state’s chief minister Mamata Banerjee during an interaction with Khan on the sidelines of the inaugural function of the 17th Kolkata Film Festival earlier that year. Khan’s acceptance came in the form of a letter to the chief minister where he said, “West Bengal is my second home.”[203] In August 2012, a promotional film starring Khan and directed by filmmaker Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury was released. The three minutes clip branded `Bengal Leads` which is the first-of-its-kind in West Bengal since Independence showcased Bengal’s traditional tourist spots, topographical and cultural diversity. It also featured Khan speaking a few lines in Bengali, urging people to come and visit what is called “Beautiful Bengal’’.[204] The film, shot in both English and Hindi and Bengali, was eventually awarded at the 2nd Asia TV and Film Festival on Journey, organized by the Japanese government.[205]
Ownership of IPL cricket team
In 2008, Khan in partnership with actress Juhi Chawla Mehta and her husband Jay Mehta acquired ownership rights for the franchise representing Kolkata in the Twenty20 cricket tournament Indian Premier League, for a price of $75.09 million (INR 3.57 billion), and have since named the team Kolkata Knight Riders. KKR is one the richest team in the IPL and has been ranked as the most valued with a brand value of $42.1 million.[206] Financially, Kolkata Knight Riders are the most profitable and successful franchise in the IPL as well.[207][208] The team was surrounded with controversy and poor on-field performance through the first three years of the tournament.[209] It's performance, however, improved from the fourth season and they eventually became the IPL champions for the first time in 2012 .[209]
In 9 April 2012, Khan was served a notice by the Rajasthan Police for smoking in public after he was seen smoking on camera during a match between the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Rajasthan Royals on April 8.[210] and in 16 May of the same year he received a five-year ban from the Wankhede Stadium by the Mumbai Cricket Associationfor arguing with security at the ground after a match between his team and The Mumbai Indians.[211] Khan later apologised to his fans after his team won the final match at Chennai on May 27.[211]
In the media
See also: List of awards and nominations received by Shahrukh Khan
Khan was given the birth name "Shahrukh" (meaning "Face of the King"), but prefers his name to be written as "Shah Rukh Khan", and is also commonly referred to as SRK.[212] Khan has various homes in India and abroad. His house in Mumbai called Mannat is a well-known tourist spot and is considered a heritage building, deemed important to the townscape and hence exempt from demolition.[1] In addition, he also has a house in New Delhi.[213] Khan also owns a £20 million apartment in London and a INR 4 billion villa on the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai. He said in a television interview that "I bought the house, because one can see the island from the moon."[22][214][215] Khan's net worth is estimated at over INR 25 billion (US$540 million)[22][23]
Khan at the launch of his official Opus, in 2011.
Globally, Khan is considered to be one of the biggest movie stars, with a fan following claimed to number in the billions. He is also of one the most watched movie stars in the world, and one of the most recognisable faces of Indian cinema.[156][216][217][218] In 2008, Newsweek named him one of the 50 most powerful people in the world.[5] In 2011, The Los Angeles Times noted: "He is the biggest movie star you’ve never heard of. And perhaps the world’s biggest movie star, period. "[219] His success and popularity has been attributed as the result of his emergence in the era of liberalisation and changing economic scenario in the 1990s. He was often described as the face and catalyst of a new consumerist urban society, and that he has managed to personify "the restless spirit of post-liberalization, ambitious, assertive and yet feel-good India. "[220][221][222]
Khan has been noted for having several trademark mannerisms, gestures and ways of delivering dialogues.[54][118] As it has been cited by CNN-IBN: "The mannerisms that have earned him both brickbats and endeared him to his fans over the years – that half nod, raised brow gesture, a deep dimpled smile and a deliberate stammer – were absent when he debuted. If he picked them up later to addapt to the big screen, they stayed for the rest of his acting career. "[223] Due to his appearance in numerous romantic films, Khan has developed a "romantic lover boy" image and is referred to as the "King of Romance" by media outlets.[9][224][225] He has been accused of repeating himself through the type of characters that he played, referred to as the "Rajs and Rahuls", or him not being able to shed the superstar persona on screen.[226] In 2011, Rediff listed him in the top 10 "Readers Choice: The Greatest Actors of all time".[227]
Khan has been featured regularly in the listing of the most powerful names of Indian Cinema. In 2004, he was awarded the Filmfare Power Award (shared with Amitabh Bachachan) for topping the Filmfare list of the "Ten Most Powerful Names of Bollywood", and again in 2005. In 2006 he was ranked as second overall behind Yash Chopra and his son Aditya and the most powerful actor, an achievement he would go on to repeat till 2009.[228][229] He occupied the top slot of Box Office India's Top Actors list for the first time in 1994 for two consecutive years, then again in 1998 and for the majority of the 2000s (from 2002 till 2008).[230] He was voted the sexiest Asian man in the world by Eastern Eye in 2007, and was ranked third in 2008 and 2011.[231][232] He was also declared by FICCI as one of the "Ten Most Powerful Entertainer of the Decade".[233] In a 2009 poll conducted by the newspaper DNA, he was voted as India's second most popular icon behind Sachin Tendulkar.[234] In a 2012 Hindustan Times Youth Survey, Khan was declared as the biggest role model for youth in India.[235]
In 2005, Nasreen Munni Kabir produced a two-part documentary on Khan, titled The Inner and Outer World of Shah Rukh Khan. Featuring his 2004 Temptations concert tour, the film contrasted Khan's inner world of family and daily life with the outer world of his work. The book Still Reading Khan by Mushtaq Sheikh, which details his family life, was released in 2006. Another book by Anupama Chopra, King of Bollywood: Shahrukh Khan and the seductive world of Indian cinema, was released in 2007. It describes the world of Bollywood through Khan's life.[236][237] In 2010, Discovery Travel & Living channel produced a ten-part series titled Living with a Superstar-Shah Rukh Khan. The series was the biggest Indian show on television, with a budget of nearly INR 20 million, highlighting Khan’s daily living, film-making, IPL venture and global lifestyle.[16][238] Khan is also the first actor and the second Indian after Sachin Tendulkar to have an official Opus dedicated to him.[239]
"King of Bollywood" redirects here. For the film, see King of Bollywood (film).
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Shahrukh Khan
Shahrukh interacts with media after KKR's maiden IPL title.
Born 2 November 1965 (age 47)
New Delhi, India
Residence Mumbai, Maharashtra, India[1]
Other names King Khan
SRK
King of Bollywood
The Badshah of Bollywood[2][3]
Occupation Actor, producer, television presenter
Years active 1988–present
Spouse(s) Gauri Khan (1991–present)
Children 2
Shahrukh Khan (pronounced [‘?a??r?x 'xa?n]; born 2 November 1965), often credited as Shah Rukh Khan and informally referred as SRK, is an Indian film actor. Often referred to in the media as "Badshah of Bollywood", "King Khan", "King of Romance" and "The King of Bollywood", Khan has acted in 75 Hindi films in genres ranging from romantic dramas to action thrillers.[4][5][6][7] His contributions to the film industry have garnered him numerous achievements including fourteen Filmfare Awards from thirty nominations. His eight Filmfare Best Actor Award wins make him the most awarded Bollywood actor of all time in that category, tied only with Dilip Kumar. In 2005, the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri for his contributions towards Indian cinema. Khan is now regarded as one of the greatest and most influential actors in the history of Indian cinema.[8]
After graduating with a bachelor's degree in economics, he started his career appearing in theatre and several television serials in the late 1980s and later made his Hindi film debut in 1992 with Deewana. Early in his career he was recognised for his unconventional choice in portraying negative roles in films such as Darr (1993), Baazigar (1993) and Anjaam (1994). He later rose to prominence by playing a series of romantic roles in the films Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (1995).,[9] Dil To Pagal Hai (1997) and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998).[10] The commercial success of these films garnered him the tag of "the King of Romance",[9] Khan subsequently earned wide critical appreciation for his portrayal of a NASA scientist in Swades (2004), a hockey coach in Chak De! India (2007) and as the titular character in My Name Is Khan (2010).[11][12] 12 of the films he has acted in, have accumulated gross earnings of over INR100 crore (US$18.2 million) worldwide,[13][14] making him one of the most successful leading actors of Hindi cinema.[15]
Khan is the co-founder of Dreamz Unlimited, a production company and occupies the position of CEO and co-chairman of the motion picture production and distribution company Red Chillies Entertainment and the animation studio Red Chillies VFX. He is also co-owner of the Indian Premier League cricket team Kolkata Knight Riders.[16] The year 2007 marked his debut as a television presenter with the Star Plus gaming show Kaun Banega Crorepati.[17] Khan is often labelled by the Media as "Brand SRK" due to his various brand endorsement and entrepreneurship ventures. He is also a regular stage performer and award ceremony host and has been involved in philanthropic endeavors related to Health care, relief funds and children's education, for which he was honoured with the UNESCO's Pyramide con Marni award in 2011.[18][19]
Khan is considered to be one of the biggest film stars in cinematic history, with a fan following claimed to number in the billions; in 2011, the Los Angeles Times called him "the world's biggest movie star."[20] He has also been regularly featured in the listing of the most powerful names in Indian Cinema and in 2008, Newsweek named him one of the 50 most powerful people in the world.[5] Khan has an estimated net worth of over US $540 million(INR25 billion).[21][22][23] He has been married to Indian film producer and interior designer, Gauri Khan since 1991, and together they have two children.
Contents
1 Early life and background
2 Acting career
2.1 1988–92: Early work and breakthrough
2.2 1993–97: Critical and commercial success
2.3 1998–2002: International recognition
2.4 2003: Spine injury and subsequent surgery
2.5 2003–10: Stardom and critical acclaim
2.6 2011–present: Continuing other ventures
3 Producer
4 Philanthropy
5 Non-film work
5.1 Television presenting
5.2 Stage performances
5.3 Brand SRK
5.4 Ownership of IPL cricket team
6 In the media
Early life and background
Khan was born on 2 November 1965 to Muslim parents in New Delhi, India.[24][25] His father, Taj Mohammed Khan, a Pathan, was an Indian independence activist from Peshawar, British India. According to Khan, his paternal grandfather was originally from Afghanistan.[26] His mother, Lateef Fatima, was the adopted daughter of Major General Shah Nawaz Khan of the Janjua Rajput clan, who served in the Indian National Army.[27] Khan's father came to New Delhi from Qissa Khawani Bazaar in Peshawar before the partition of India,[28] Pakistan's ISI chief Lieutenant-General Zaheerul Islam has a tenuous link with Shahrukh khan.Zaheerul Islam is a nephew of the Shah Nawaz Khan, who was the adoptive maternal grandfather of Shahrukh Khan.[29][30] Regarding his origins, he described himself on Twitter as "i am half hyderabadi (mom) half pathan(Dad)some kashmiri (grandmom)..."[31] His father died from cancer when Khan was 15 years old, and his mother died in 1990 after prolonged illness.[32][33] Khan was very attached to his parents as a child and describes their early deaths as a turning point in his life and as his biggest motivation for hard work. Khan explained his ideology in life was "... to make movies so damn bloody big...that my parents somewhere sit down on a star and from there also can look at their son and say 'I can see his movies from here better than I can see the Wall of China or anything. We see his movies covering the face of this earth'. "[34] Khan has an elder sister named Shehnaz.[35]
Growing up in Rajendra Nagar neighbourhood of Delhi,[36] Khan attended St. Columba's School where he was accomplished in sports, drama, and academics. He won the Sword of Honour, an annual award given to the student who best represents the spirit of the school. Khan later attended the Hansraj College (1985–1988) and earned his Bachelors degree in Economics. When Hansraj College celebrated its 50th anniversary, it gave away 17 shields to its alumni who had excelled in their lives and professions. Khan was one of them. Though he pursued a Masters Degree in Mass Communications at Jamia Millia Islamia, he later opted out to pursue a career in Bollywood.[37] He also attended the National School of Drama in Delhi.[38]
After the death of his mother, Khan moved to Mumbai in 1991.[39] He married Gauri Chibber, a Hindu, in a traditional Hindu wedding ceremony on 25 October 1991.[32] They have two children, son Aryan (b. 1997) and daughter Suhana (b. 2000). According to Khan, while he strongly believes in Islam, he also values his wife's religion. At home, his children follow both religions, with the Qur'an being situated next to the Hindu deities.[40]
Acting career
See also: Shahrukh Khan filmography
1988–92: Early work and breakthrough
Khan studied acting under the mentorship of theatre director Barry John at Delhi's "Theatre Action Group" (TAG).[41] Khan's first starring role was in Lekh Tandon's television series Dil Dariya, but due to production delays, the 1988 television series, Fauji was his television debut. He played the leading role of Commando Abhimanyu Rai in the critically acclaimed show, which earned him mass recognition.[39][42] He went on to appear in Aziz Mirza's Circus (1989)[43] and played a minor role in the made-for-television English-language film, In Which Annie Gives it Those Ones (1989). His appearance in these teleserials, led critics to compare his acting style with that of film actor Dilip Kumar.[44] In 1991, Khan shifted base to Mumbai and received his first film offer with Hema Malini's directorial debut Dil Aashna Hai.[39] However, due to production delays, his second film, Deewana (1992), alongside Rishi Kapoor and Divya Bharti released first.[38][45] The film became a box office hit, and launched his career in Bollywood.[46] Despite portraying a supporting character in the film, he won a Filmfare Best Male Debut Award, the following year.
He subsequently featured in Mani Kaul's adaptation of Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Idiot, Idiot. Originally made for television, the film eventually received a theatrical release and debuted at the New York Film Festival on 8 October 1992.[47] Later that year, he played the titular character in the comedy, Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman, which was his first of many collaborations with actress Juhi Chawla. The film proved to be a box office hit.[48] He went on to star in Ketan Mehta's Maya Memsaab, an adaptation of Gustave Flaubert's novel Madame Bovary. Upon release, the film generated controversy in India due to Khan's appearance in an "explicit" sex scene with co-star Deepa Sahi.[49]
1993–97: Critical and commercial success
In 1993, Khan garnered appreciation for portraying negative roles, that of an obsessive lover and a murderer, respectively, in the box office hits, Darr and Baazigar.[50] The "Encyclopedia of Hindi Cinema" analyzed that "he defied the image of the conventional hero in both these films and created his own version of the revisionist hero."[51] Darr marked the first of many collaborations of Khan with film-maker Yash Chopra and his banner Yash Raj Films. Khan's stammering in the film and the usage of the phrase, "I love you, Kkkiran," were popular with the audiences.[52] His other release, Baazigar, in which he played an ambiguous avenger who murders his girlfriend, "shocked the Indian audiences" with an unexpected violation of the standard Bollywood formula.[53] His performance in Baazigar won him his first Filmfare Best Actor Award.
The same year, Khan played the role of a love-struck musician in Kundan Shah's dramedy Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa, a performance that earned him a Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance. In a retrospective review by Rediff, Sukanya Verma called it Khan's best performance and added, "He was spontaneous, vulnerable, boyish, mischievous and acting straight from the heart."[54] Khan, himself, considers this film to the best film that he has acted in.[55] In 1994, Khan once again played an obsessive lover in Anjaam, co-starring Madhuri Dixit. Though the film was a commercial failiure, Khan's performance earned him the Filmfare Best Villain Award.[56]
Khan, holding a painting of his character Raj Malhotra from Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge(1995) that was gifted to him during an appearance on a TV show.
In 1995, Khan starred in two box-office blockbusters. His first release was Rakesh Roshan's melodramatic thriller Karan Arjun, in which Khan was a part of an ensemble cast that included Salman Khan, Kajol, Mamta Kulkarni, Raakhee and Amrish Puri. The film, which dealt with the concept of reincarnation, became the second-highest grossing film of the year in India.[57] He followed it with Aditya Chopra's directorial debut, the romance Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. A major critical and commercial success, the film became the year's top-grossing production in India and abroad.[58] The film was declared an "all time blockbuster"; it remains the longest-running film in the history of Indian cinema[59] and as of 2011, it is still playing at the Maratha Mandir theatre in Mumbai.[60] Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge has grossed over INR 1.2 billion worldwide. The film won ten Filmfare Awards, and Khan's performance as a young NRI who falls for Kajol's character while on a trip across Europe won him critical acclaim and his second Best Actor Award at the Filmfare. In 2005, Indiatimes Movies ranked the film amongst the 25 Must See Bollywood Films, citing it as a "trendsetter of sorts".[61] Raja Sen reviewed, "Khan gives a fabulous performance, redefining the lover for the 1990s with great panache. He's cool and flippant, but sincere enough to appeal to the junta [audience]. The performance itself is, like the best in the business, played well enough to come across as effortless, as non-acting. "[62]
1996 proved to be a disappointing year for Khan, as he appeared in two critical and commercial failiures, Praveen Nischol's English Babu Desi Mem and Mahesh Bhatt' Chaahat[63] However, in 1997, his starring role in Subhash Ghai's social drama Pardes earned him commercial success. The film, which also featured Mahima Chaudhry and Apurva Agnihotri, saw him portray the role of Arjun, a musician facing a moral dilemma. His performance earned him a nomination for the Best Actor at the Filmfare Award ceremony. He then featured in Aziz Mirza's romantic comedy, Yes Boss, opposite Juhi Chawla. Upon release, the film performed moderately well at the box-office.[64] His final release of the year was Yash Chopra's blockbuster musical romanance, Dil to Pagal Hai. The project, also featuring Madhuri Dixit and Karishma Kapoor, marked his second collaboration with the filmmaker. Khan essayed the role of Rahul, a stage director who falls in love with one of his new actresses, played by Dixit. The film as well as his performance met with critical appreciation; he won his third Best Actor Award at the Filmfare.[64]
1998–2002: International recognition
In 1998, Khan appeared in three films. His first release was Mahesh Bhatt's action comedy, Duplicate opposite Juhi Chawla and Sonali Bendre. The film, which saw him portray a double role, marked his first of many collaborations with Yash Johar's production company, Dharma Productions. The film however, failed to do well at the box office.[65] He then won critical praise for his performance in Mani Ratnam's acclaimed Dil Se... The film was the third in Ratnam's trilogy of terror films that depict human relationships against a background of Indian politics, after Roja (1992) and Bombay (1995).[66][67] Khan played the part of Amarkant "Amar" Varma, an All India Radio correspondent, who develops an infatuation for a mysterious terrorist, played by Manisha Koirala.[68] Rediff.com published, "Khan delivers a compelling performance. He plays the part with taut restraint, and expresses exasperation superbly. "[69] The film,which failed financially in India, however, emerged as a commercial success overseas,[70] becoming the first Indian film to enter the top 10 at the United Kingdom box office.[71][72]
His final release of the year was Karan Johar's candyfloss romance, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, which paired him with Kajol and Rani Mukerji. The film was declared an "all time blockbuster", with a worldwide gross of over INR 1.03 billion.[73] Khan played the role of Rahul Khanna, a college student, who falls in love with his best friend (Kajol) after the death of his wife (Mukerji), years after breaking contact with her. His performance won him the Best Actor award at the Filmfare ceremony for the second consecutive year. Khan's only release in 1999, Baadshah opposite Twinkle Khanna, was an average grosser, for which he earned a Filmfare Award nomination for Best Performance in a Comic Role.[74] In the same year, Khan set up his own production company, Dreamz Unlimited with actor, Juhi Chawla and director, Aziz Mirza. (see below). In 2000, the three collaborated on their first film, Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani. The film opened to mixed reviews from critics and audiences alike and failed to emulate the commercial success of the trio's previous films, Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman and Yes Boss.[75]
Khan's next release was Mansoor Khan's action drama Josh. The film starred Khan as the leader of a Christian gang in Goa, with Aishwarya Rai playing his twin sister. The film emerged as a box office success in both India and abroad.[75] Vinayak Chakravorty of Hindustan Times wrote that Khan "basks in his tailormade role, donning with panache the garb of a streetsmart tough. "[76] He next played the role of a Muslim archaeologist, beaten to death during the unrest following the partition of India in Hey Ram. Directed by and co-starring Kamal Hassan, the film was critically acclaimed and was selected as India's entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars that year.[77] Additionally, for the Tamil version of the film, Khan dubbed for his own lines.[78] His final release of the year was Aditya Chopra's romantic drama, Mohabbatein, co-starring Amitabh Bachchan. The film was a major financial success, and Khan's performance as a music teacher was acclaimed by critics; Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama mentioned him to be "outstanding as Raj Aryan." He was awarded his second Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor for his performance in the film.
In 2001, Khan essayed the titular role in Santosh Sivan's historical epic, Asoka, a partly fictionalised account of the life of Ashoka the Great.[79] The film was screened at the Venice Film Festival and the 2001 Toronto International Film Festival to a positive response.[80] The film, which also featured Kareena Kapoor received generally positive reviews with Khan receiving favourable reactions for his performance; Rediff concluded that "he puts in a strong performance, in this well defined role."[81]
He next collaborated with Karan Johar again in the family drama, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, in which he featured as a part of an ensemble cast that included Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Kajol, Kareena Kapoor and Hrithik Roshan. The film was a major financial success in India and the top-grossing Indian production of all-time in the overseas market until 2006, earning over INR 1.17 billion worldwide.[82] Khan's portrayal of Rahul Raichand, an adopted son of Bachchan's character, who disowns him for marrying a girl belonging to a lower socio-economic group than his family, played by Kajol, met with wide public appreciation. Khan described the character of Rahul by saying, "I love the vulnerability and the honesty in his eyes. He has the appeal of a boy next door. Besides, his intensity and ability to convey emotions without words is amazing."[83] Taran Adarsh reviewed, "Khan sparkles yet again", noting that he performed the part "with amazing poise, class, honesty and maturity".[84] It garnered him another nomination for the Filmfare Best Actor Award. Khan termed Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham as "a turning point in his career".[83]
In 2002, Khan played the titlular role, The role of Devdas in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's period romance, Devdas, which was the most expensive Bollywood film ever made at the time.[85] This was the third Hindi film adaptation of Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay's novel of the same name. Featuring opposite Aishwarya Rai and Madhuri Dixit, Khan's performance as a rebellious alcoholic was well received and he won yet another Filmfare Best Actor Award. The film surfaced as the highest-grossing film of the year in India and overseas, earning a revenue of INR39 million (US$709,800) domestically.[86][87] Devdas won numerous awards, including 10 Filmfare Awards and received a special screening at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival.[88][89] It received a BAFTA nomination for Best Foreign Language Film as well and was India's entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars. In an interview with Rediff.com, Khan commented, "We stars live in this bubble where everyone is smiling at you, where everyone loves you. Somehow, you lose touch with real, deep down sadness. Working on this film put us in touch with that emotion. "[38] After the release of the film, Khan took a six months break from acting. He explained that during his break, he "just enjoyed the feeling of being sad". Khan also starred alongside Madhuri Dixit and Salman Khan in the family-drama Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam. The film, which took six years to make, due to unending production problems,[90] emerged as an average grosser at the box office.[86]
2003: Spine injury and subsequent surgery
In December 2001, while filming a special appearance for Krishna Vamsi's Shakti: The Power, Khan suffered a spine injury while doing one of the action sequences.[91] He flew to Lucknow a week later for a series of stage shows which led to further aggravation of his condition.[91] By the time he returned to Mumbai, Khan was experiencing severe pain.[91] He was subsequently diagnosed with a prolapsed disc between vertebrae six and seven.[91] Khan is one of the few celebrities worldwide to have had the problem.[92] Hoping to avoid surgery in a bid to not delay his pending projects, and based on his former experience with a failed knee surgery three years earlier, Khan tried multiple alternative therapies from homoeopathy to Reiki but nothing offered a permanent solution.[91] He eventually shot Devdas (2002) and Chalte Chalte (2003) in acute pain and continued with the shoot for Kal Ho Na Ha (2003) until the day he left for London.[91][93] He reached the point where he had doctors and ambulances on standby on the sets.[93]
By the beginning of 2003, Khan's condition severely worsened.[91][94] The slipped disc was eventually touching his nerves which put pressure on his legs and neck.[94] It also presented the risk of paralysis of his arms. In February, Khan was told by doctors that he had to undergo an urgent Anterior Cervical Discectomy.[92][94] The main concern was the possibility of irreparable nerve damage during surgery which would have left him with a permanent weak left side.[95] During his acceptance speech for the Filmfare Best Actor award he received for his performance in Devdas (2002), Khan stated that emotionally he was a bit shaken as he was going in for a surgery that was described by him as a “not a very good thing to go in for. ”[96] The surgery took place on February 24 in Wellington Hospital in London and lasted for one hour - a titanium disc was inserted in his spine and he was discharged after two days.[91]
Khan faced several post-operative problems including hoarseness, weakness, pain and high risk of infection.[91][92] In an interview with Rediff four months after the surgery, he said "I am supposed to be on the road to recovery. For a year, I have to take things easy. I have my good and bad moments. Mornings aren't good. Till about 2 pm, I feel a lot of pain. When I bend down or play with my kids, I get some pain in the neck (...) For now I have to go to London every month for a checkup. "[93] He resumed shooting Kal Ho Na Ha (2003) and Main Hoon Na (2004) in June of the same year however, the songs sequences in those films had to be postponed to late October.[97] The injury resulted in Khan cutting down noticeably on work and reducing his number of films per year.[93]
2003–10: Stardom and critical acclaim
In 2003, Khan produced and starred in Aziz Mirza's, Chalte Chalte, a romance dealing with the troubles faced by a married couple, opposite Rani Mukerji. The film was moderately successful in India and additionally, fared better in the overseas markets.[98][99] His following release was Kal Ho Naa Ho, a dramedy set in New York City; written by Karan Johar, directed by Nikhil Advani and co-starring Jaya Bachchan, Preity Zinta and Saif Ali Khan. Khan received unanimous critical appreciation for the portrayal of Aman Mathur, a man with a fatal heart disease. The Hindu noted, "His enthusiasm unbounded, his energy unbridled, Shah Rukh is in form here. And as a guy with a few days to live and a life to spend in a moment, he looks for your sympathy. He reduces many to tears. And with each tear he rises a rank higher in the echelons of actors".[100] The film was a critical and commercial success, becoming the second highest grossing film domestically and the top-grossing Bollywood film in the overseas market that year.[98] When adjusted for inflation its total gross worldwide is INR 1.3 billion.[101] The film earned him another Filmfare Best Actor Award nomination.
2004 was a critically and commercially successful year for Khan. He produced and starred in Farah Khan's directorial debut, the action comedy Main Hoon Na alongside Suniel Shetty, Sushmita Sen, Kirron Kher, Amrita Rao and Zayed Khan. Dealing with a fictionalized account of the India–Pakistan relations, the film emerged as a major commercial success.[102] He then played an Indian Air Force pilot, Squadron Leader Veer Pratap Singh in Yash Chopra's love saga Veer-Zaara alongside Rani Mukerji and Preity Zinta. The film was the biggest hit of 2004 in both India and overseas, with a worldwide gross of over INR 940 million[82][102] and was screened at the 55th Berlin Film Festival to critical appreciation.[103] Veer-Zaara, which narrated the love story of Singh and a Pakistani woman, Zaara Haayat Khan (Zinta) fetched Khan appreciation with Rama Sharma from The Tribune writing, "Shah Rukh Khan here scales the heights of sensitivity, rising above the mundane. His expressions are mature and reach out to touch the heart of the common man. "[104]
In December 2004, Khan received wide critical acclaim for his performance in Ashutosh Gowariker's social drama, Swades. Also featuring Gayatri Joshi, Swades narrated the story of a NASA scientist who returns to India to get in touch with his roots. Several film critics consider Khan's performance in the film to be his best till date.[11] Critic Jitesh Pillai analyzed, "Ultimately your heart leaps out to the magical Shah Rukh Khan, who unarguably gives his career's finest performance. Shorn of any artifice or nervous energy, his anguish is tangible. He inhabits Mohan Bharghava with consummate ease, you can feel the earnestness of his intentions, the wetness of his tears".[105] Filmfare included his performance in the 2010 issue of the "Top 80 Iconic Performances".[106] He was nominated for the Filmfare Best Actor Award for all three of his releases in 2004, and eventually won the award for Swades.[102] The film itself was featured on Rediff's list of the 10 Best Bollywood Movies of the Decade.[107]
His only release in 2005, Paheli opposite Rani Mukerji, was screened at the Sundance Film Festival and was chosen as India’s official entry to the Oscars for the 79th Academy Awards.[108] Despite flopping at the box-office, Paheli was critically acclaimed, as was Khan's performance, which Raja Sen called " A top-notch performance, [That] justifies his supremacy in the film world".[109] The following year, Khan collaborated with Karan Johar for the third time for the adult-drama, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna. With an ensemble cast including Amitabh Bachchan, Preity Zinta, Abhishek Bachchan, Rani Mukerji and Kirron Kher, the film told the story of two unhappily married couples in New York, which results in an extramarital affair. Khan played the role of Dev Saran, a bitter and cynical former football player, who is insecure of his wife's (Zinta) successful career as a fashion magazine editor. The film received polarizing reviews from film critics but emerged as a major commercial success; emerging as India's biggest grosser in the overseas market, with earnings of over INR 1.13 billion worldwide.[82][110]
His subsequently essayed the titular role in the action thriller, Don, a remake of the 1978 film of the same name. The film as well as Khan received mixed comments from film critics. His performance was extensively compared to that of Amitabh Bachchan, the actor in the original.[111] Taran Adarsh noted that Khan "does very well as Don. He enacts the evil character with flourish. But he fails to carry off the other role [Vijay] with conviction. It looks made up, it doesn't come natural to him at all."[111] While Derek Elley of Variety argued that "it's hard to accept him (Khan) as the title character" and that "Khan is far more convincing as Vijay, playing up to his rom-com fanbase with plenty of boyish humor."[112] The film became the fifth-highest grossing film of the year in India[110] and the highest grossing film of the year in the overseas market. It grossed a total of INR 1.04 billion worldwide.[82] Both Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna and Don earned him Best Actor nominations at the Filmfare, while the latter earned him a Best Actor nomination at the Asian Film Awards.
In 2007, Khan featured in Yash Raj Films' Chak De! India, a semi-fictional account of the Indian women's national hockey team. Khan stated that he accepted the role of Kabir Khan, the captain of the team, because he liked "the thought of a film whose plot is about women".[113] Additionally, he was a hockey player during his college days and aspired to be a professional hockey player before he suffered a back injury.[114] Khan noted that while this background helped him during the filming, he also felt that the experience of playing again after a long time was "very difficult and different". Khan tore a hamstring three days before the filming was over.[115][116] Chak De!India was a major critical and commercial success in India and abroad.[117] Earning over INR 1.03 billion worldwide,[82] Chak De! India became the third-highest grossing film of 2007 in India and won Khan yet another Filmfare Award for Best Actor. Rajeev Masand from CNN-IBN wrote about his performance, "For the first time since Swades, Shah Rukh plays a role without any of his typical trappings, without any of his trademark quirks. He sinks his teeth into the part of the determined coach and comes up with such a terrific performance. He's hopeful at times and despondent at others, he's humorous at times, and stern at others. He plays Kabir Khan like a real flesh-and-blood human being. "[118] Filmfare also included his performance in the 2010 issue of the "Top 80 Iconic Performances".[12]
Khan with Kajol and Johar at the 2010 Berlin International Film Festival for their film My Name Is Khan. His performance in the film was acclaimed and he won his eighth Filmfare Award in the Best Actor category.
In the same year, Khan starred in Farah Khan's second film, Om Shanti Om alongside Deepika Padukone, Shreyas Talpade and Arjun Rampal. In the re-incarnation melodrama, Khan essayed the role of Om Prakash Makhija, a junior artiste from the 1970s who is reborn in the 2000s as a superstar named Om Kapoor. His performance was generally well received by critics; Khalid Mohammed from Hindustan Times wrote, "[T]he enterprise belongs to Shah Rukh Khan, who tackles comedy, high drama and action with his signature style – spontaneous and intuitively intelligent. "[119] The film emerged as the year's highest grossing motion picture in India and the overseas market with a worldwide gross of over INR1.48 billion.[120] Om Shanti Om earned him another nomination for Best Actor at the Filmfare ceremony.
In 2008, Khan collaborated with Aditya Chopra for the third time for the romantic drama, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, opposite newcomer Anushka Sharma. Khan played Surinder Sahni, a shy man with a low self-esteem, whose love for his accidental wife (Sharma), causes him to transform himself into the loud and fun-loving alter-ego of Raj. The film received mixed reviews from film critics, but was declared a blockbuster at the box-office.[121] His performance was appreciated by critics, with Rachel Saltz of The New York Times writing, "The Surinder/Raj dual role seems tailor-made (probably was) for Mr. Khan, who gets to show off his twin talents: he suffers nobly and entertains with panache. "[122] It earned him yet another nomination for Best Actor at the Filmfare ceremony. In December of the same year, Khan suffered a serious shoulder injury while filming for a cameo role in Mudassar Aziz's Dulha Mil Gaya. He subsequently underwent extensive physiotherapy sessions at the time, but due to immense pain that left him almost immobile, he had to undergo an arthroscopic surgery in February 2009.[123][124]
After turning down an opportunity to star in Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire, Khan began shooting for My Name Is Khan, his fourth collaboration with director, Johar and sixth with actress, Kajol.[125][126] Based on a true story, and set against the backdrop of perceptions on Islam, post the September 11 attacks, the film featured Khan as Rizwan Khan, a Muslim man suffering from mild-Asperger syndrome who sets out on a journey across America to meet the country's President. Khan spent several months researching by reading books, watching videos and talking to people affected with the disorder in an effort to portray the character of Rizwan Khan.[127] In an interview with Hindustan Times he said, "Whenever you're dealing with a disorder or a near atypical situation, the first thought is that the sort of parameters you have to set that in no which way you are derogatory or deriding the disorder. The second part is you have to come as close to reality in depicting that characterization and so one had to study a lot and one does get worried"[128] Upon release, My Name is Khan received positive reviews from critics and became the highest-grossing Bollywood film of all-time in the overseas market. Khan's performance in the film was appreciated by most critics with Jay Wesissberg from Variety reviewing, "Khan uses the mannerisms associated with Asperger's – averted eyes, springy steps, stuttered repetitions of memorized texts – yet captures the personality beneath the condition in a standout performance sure to receive the Autism Society's gold seal of approval. "[129] My Name is Khan fetched Khan his eighth Filmfare Award for Best Actor, thereby sharing the record with actor Dilip Kumar.
2011–present: Continuing other ventures
Khan with co-stars Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal during the premiere of Ra.One in London
In 2011, Khan produced and starred in Anubhav Sinha's science fiction superhero film Ra.One, alongside Arjun Rampal and Kareena Kapoor. The film, which follows the story of a London-based videogame designer who creates a villain that escapes the reel world into the real world, was billed as Bollywood's most expensive production.[130] With an estimated budget of INR125 crore (US$22.75 million),[131] the film witnessed months of massive campaigning before its theatrical release.[132] Upon release, Ra.One emerged as a box office success, with a gross of INR 2.4 billion.[133][134] Khan was involved in several aspects of the making of Ra. One—he volunteered to write the film's console game script, dubbed for it, and oversaw its technical development; he also authored the digital comics based on the film's characters.[135][136] Ra.One received negative reactions from film critics in India and abroad, while Khan received mixed comments for his portrayal of a dual role in the film. While most critics praised his performance as the robotic superhero G.one, they panned the one of Shekhar, the videogame designer. Rajeev Masand wrote, "The only real standout performance is by Shah Rukh Khan. His Aiyyo-speaking Shekhar Subramaniam is caricaturish but charming, while as G.One, he gives even his robotic video-game character a charismatic edge. " while DNA India added, "Another half attempt comes from the lead actor: Khan is in his element and endearing as superhero G.One, but annoyingly over the top as video game creator Shekhar".[137][138]
His second release of the year was Don 2, a sequel to the 2006 hit, Don.[139] For the portrayal of the titular character, Khan experimented with a variety of looks, including long unkempt hair and a stubble.[140] In order to prepare for his role, Khan exercised extensively and performed most of the stunts himself.[141][142] His performance fetched him positive comments from critics with Nikhat Kazmi of The Times of India noting, "Shah Rukh remains in command and never loses his foothold, neither through the dramatic sequences nor through the action cuts. "[143] 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 INR 2.1 billion.[144][145] Additionally, Don 2 earned him another nomination for Best Actor at the Filmfare ceremony .[146]
Khan's only release in the year 2012 Jab Tak Hai Jaan, opposite Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma which got released in 13 November 2012.[147] He is also set to feature in Rohit Shetty's action thriller Chennai Express and Farah Khan's comedy Happy New Year.
Producer
Main articles: Red Chillies Entertainment and Red Chillies VFX
Khan turned producer when he set up a production company called Dreamz Unlimited with Juhi Chawla and director Aziz Mirza in 1999.[148] In 2004, Khan took over the company and transformed it into Red Chillies Entertainment with his wife Gauri also serving as a producer.[149] He produced three films under his first company; Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani (2000), co-starring Chawla and directed by Mirza, a critical and commercial failure. The following year, he produced Asoka which was a box office failure.[79] However, it was well received by critics, and was nominated for the Filmfare Best Movie Award. His third film as a producer and star, Chalte Chalte, proved a box office hit.[150]
Khan unveiling the video game of Ra.One (2011)
The first film to be produced by RCE was Main Hoon Na (2004) was another hit which was directed by his friend and well-known choreographer Farah Khan.[102] The film earned 10 nominations for the Filmfare Award. The following year, he produced and starred in the fantasy film Paheli (2005), which did poorly.[151] It was, however, critically acclaimed and was selected as India's official entry to the Academy Awards for consideration for Best Foreign Language Film. Also in 2005, Khan co-produced the supernatural horror film Kaal (2005) with Karan Johar, and performed an item number for the film with Malaika Arora Khan. Kaal was moderately successful at the box office.[151] In 2007, Khan produced Om Shanti Om also directed by Farah Khan. The film was a major commercial success, and was declared India's highest grossing production ever up to that point. It was also nominated for the Filmfare Best Movie Award. His company has further gone on to produce Billu (2009), and Always Kabhi Kabhi (2011). During the filming of My Name Is Khan, Karan Johar producer of the film and head of Dharma Productions, asked Khan to co-produce the film under his production company.[152] The both will further collaborate in Johar's next directorial venture Student Of The Year. Since the creation of his company, Khan was keen on making a VFX-loaded film.[153] The company continued working on other projects and seeking for the right film until they finally decided on Ra.One (2011).[153] The film saw the inclusion of several visual effects techniques being incorporated in the production which were carried out by his own animation studeo.[153] Khan is also one of the producers of Don 2 (2011), but not through his production company. The film was a major success in India and abroad.
The company has five sub divisions, apart from film production, the company also has a animation studio known as Red Chillies VFX which had been involved with many major films like Chak De India, Om Shanti Om, Dostana, and Kurbaan as well as studios for TV commercials known as Red Chillies TVC and TV shows/serials known as Red Chillies Idiot Box, which conceived popular shows like Up Close & Personal with PZ and Ishaan. The company also has a little over 50% stake in the Cricket team Kolkata Knight Riders often abbreviated as KKR, in the BCCI-backed IPL cricket competition.[154]
Philanthropy
Khan is known for keeping a low profile and secrecy on his social commitments and Humanitarian work.[18][155] In an interview with The Guardian he stated that his reason for keeping his charity work guarded was because of his religious beliefs. He said: "Somewhere in the Quran it says that if you do charity for a reason, it's not charity."[156] He further expressed his ideology regarding charity work in an interview with CNN-IBN, stating:"I don’t like talking about it [charity]. A lot of people and my friends always tell me I should do photographs and stuff when I meet some people. But I don’t believe in it. It is a true thing that if I believe in a cause, I should do it silently and not use my persona as an actor to advocate that."[157]
Apart from regular donations to organisations and individuals, especially in the case of AIDS and cancer patients, he is behind the creation of a children's ward at the Nanavati hospital in Mumbai, in memory of his late mother.[18][158] Khan is also active with relief funds when the Indian nation faces a natural calamity.[18] Khan has been brand ambassador of various governmental campaigns throughout the years, notably those of Pulse Polio immunisation campaign which was established in 1995 to eradicate poliomyelitis in India by vaccinating all children under the age of five years against the polio virus, the National AIDS Control Organisation.[159] Khan is a member of the board of directors of Make-A-Wish Foundation in India.[160]
Khan pictured with Dr. Prannoy Roy (center) and Vikram Chandra (right) at The NDTV Greenathon 4. In his 2012 appearance, he adopted 12 villages to provide them with electricity under the project 'Light A Billion Lives'
In March 2004, Khan visited the border post at the Attari-Wagah section of the Indo-Pak border, near Amritsar (the only place where people can cross over to the other side) to boost the morale of the jawans. It was for a TV show called Jai Jawan where entertainers and stars visit Indian troops in far-flung regions to encourage them along with the NDTV team.[161] In February 2005, Khan performed at the HELP! Telethon Concert to help raise money for the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake in company with other Bollywood stars and also donated INR 2.5 million for the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Tsunami Relief Fund for the tsunami-affected areas in India.[162][163] He organised and participated in the Temptations 2005 show in New Delhi which helped to raise funds for the National Centre For Promotional of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP), a leading disabled rights group.[164] The same year, Khan joined hands with India's Health Ministry and UNICEF for a nationwide child immunisation campaign as part of National Rural Health Mission of India.[165] The mission which was called by economists as "the most ambitious rural health initiative ever" aimed to provide accessible, affordable and reliable health care service to the people of India residing in villages.[166] Since then he has recorded a series of public service announcements championing good health, child immunisation and proper nutrition.[165]
In 2007, he collaborated with veteran artist M.F. Husain to create a canvas in celebration of 60 years of Indian independence at a charity auction in Bonhams, London. The painting was sold for over INR 12 million.[167] In 2008, Khan took part in The Rock On For Humanity concert along with other Bollywood stars. The concert raised over INR 30 million for helping the children affected by the Bihar floods.[168] During his 2009 appearance at the NDTV Greenathon, Khan adopted five villages in Bhitarkanika National Park in Kendrapara, to provide them with electricity under the solar energy harnessing project in its title initiative 'Light A Billion Lives'.[169] The following year, he adopted eight more villages, and again adopted eleven during his appearance in the third edition of the event. In the 2012 edition of the initiative, he again adopted twelve villages.[170][171][172] In 2009, Khan committed to bear all the expenses for the treatment of two Kashmiri orphan children who suffered severe burns during a terrorist grenade attack in Srinagar. He also visited the two orphans at the hospital.[173]
In 2009, during his conferment ceremony of an honorary doctorate by the British Bedfordshire University, Khan pledged his dedication to further the cause of child education in India. He said: "It is a very very special honour. And it makes me to take seriously about what I do and what I have done in the past 20 years of my career. The feeling I get is that I should utilise this recognition to further the cause of those under-privileged children who do not get the opportunity to educate themselves.” [174] In 2011, Khan teamed up with Amitabh Bachchan and English actress Judi Dench to promote Resul Pookutty's foundation that works to better the living conditions of the underprivileged in India. The campaign aims to spread awareness on the cause of education among the impoverished, in India and also discourages child labour in the low income bracket of society and focus on providing opportunities to let children have a proper childhood.[175] the same year, he was honoured with the UNESCO's Pyramide con Marni award for his charity engagements and social commitment towards providing education for kids thus becoming the first Indian to win the accolade.[19] Later that year, Khan was appointed by The UNOPS to be the first global ambassador of The Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council that works to improve the lives of poor people by enhancing collaboration among sector agencies and professionals around sanitation and water supply.[176] During Ra.One's premiere in Dubai in October 2011, Khan along with co-stars Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal held a high-profile dinner and charity auction, which raised AED 30,000 (approximately US$8,200) for building a workshop for children with special needs.[177] In 2012, Khan joined hands with Cosmopolitan Magazine along with follow actors Shahid Kapoor and Ajay Dvgan for supporting their "Real Men Don't Hit Women" Campaign which takes an important stance against the issue of domestic violence. He was also featured in a photo shoot spread for the magazine as part of the campaign.[178]
Non-film work
Television presenting
In 2007, Khan replaced Amitabh Bachchan as the host of the third season of the game show Kaun Banega Crorepati popularly known as KBC, the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?.[17] The previous had hosted the show for two previous seasons in 2000 and 2005. On 22 January 2007, Kaun Banega Crorepati aired with Khan as the new host. The grand prize amount of 2 crore rupees (approx. $430,000 USD) was still used in KBC3.[17] and later ended on 19 April 2007 with a special finale. In an interview with The Times Of India, Khan explained that he was offered to host the second season of the show as well but he turned it down because Bachchan wanted to do it then.[179] For his work at KBC 3, Khan won the best anchor at various awards ceremonies including The Global Indian Film and Television Honours and Indian Telly Awards.
A year later, Khan began hosting the game show Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain?, the Indian version of Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?,[180] The show premiered on 25 April 2008 and the last episode was telecast on 27 July 2008 with Lalu Prasad Yadav as the special guest. On 1 February 2011, he began hosting Zor Ka Jhatka: Total Wipeout, the Indian version of the American game show Wipeout, on Imagine TV.
Stage performances
Khan during a performance in a concert at the Army Stadium in Dhaka, Bangladesh on 2010.
Khan is a stage performer and has participated in several world tours and concerts. In 1997, he performed in the Asha Bhosle's: Moments In Time in Malaysia. He returned to another concert there the following year with Shahrukh—Karisma: Live in Malaysia concert. The same year he participated in the "The Awesome Foursome" world tour across the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States of America along with Juhi Chawla, Akshay Kumar, Kajol.[181] The world tour marked the later's first and only world tour to date.[182] In 1999, he resumed the tour in Malaysia, in which Salman Khan and Twinkle Khanna replaced Akshay Kumar and Kajol.[183] In November 2002, Khan took part in the Fire & Flames concert in Malaysia, alongside Rani Mukerji, Saif Ali Khan and Raageshwari with a 40-member troupe of singers and dancers.[183] In the same year, he participated in the show From India With Love in the UK, along with Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Preity Zinta and Aishwarya Rai. It took place at two outdoor venues, Manchester's Old Trafford and London's Hyde Park, with over 100,000 spectators.[184]
Khan participated in a concert tour titled Temptations 2004 which was the most successful Bollywood concert at the time. Khan performed alongside Arjun Rampal, Saif Ali Khan, Rani Mukerji, Preity Zinta and Priyanka Chopra in nineteen stage shows across the globe. He sang, danced and performed in skits.[185] In 2008, Khan set up Temptation Reloaded 2008, a series of concerts showcased across several different countries. The show, which also featured Arjun Rampal, Kareena Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Ganesh Hegde, Javed Ali and Anusha Dandekar, took place at the Ahoy Rotterdam venue in Rotterdam, Netherlands.[186] Several months later, he again joined Rampal, Kapoor and Kaif to perform for 15,000 spectators at Dubai's Festival City Arena.[187] In 2010, Khan performed alongside Arjun Rampal, Rani Mukerji, Neeraj Shridhar and Ishaa Koppikar for a concert at the Army Stadium, Dhaka, Bangladesh to a packed audience.[188] And in 2011, he joined Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra in the Friendship Concert, celebrating 150 years of India-South Africa friendship in Durban, South Africa.[189]
Brand SRK
SRK at a Tag Heuer press conference, promoting the Carrera Monaco GP watch.
Khan is often labelled by the Media as "Brand SRK" due to his various brand endorsement and entrepreneurship ventures. The Times Of India noted “Khan has established himself as a brand on the map of the film industry. Hailing from a non-filmi background with no pedigree to boast of and no godfather to pull strings, the St. Columba's alumnus has become a muse. ”[190] In 2005, he launched his own perfume, labelled "Tiger Eyes by SRK" by the French perfume brand Jeanne Arthes.[191]
1999 marked Khan's first foray in the world of celebrity endorsements.[192] and his popularity in the advertising world has been increasing ever since.[192] He is one of the top paid Bollywood actors in this respect and one the most visible celebrities in television ads.[16][193] In 2009, a survey conducted by AdEx India ranked him first on the list of top-notch brand ambassadors of the year.[194] He has also been endorsing the highest number of brands amongst Indian celebrities on television;[195] while in 2003, he endorsed eight brands, his endorsement rose up to a total of thirteen brands in 2004 and in 2005 he endorsed twenty one brands, thirty four brands in 2009 and twenty five in 2011.[192][193] Some of the brands that Khan has endorsed over the years are Pepsi, Sprite, Nokia, Hyundai, Sunfeast, Videocon, Airtel, Emami, Nerolac Paints, Dish TV, Linc Pens, D'decor, LUX, Frooti, Compaq and Tag Heuer.[192][193] Subsequently, Khan has been crowned "Brand Ambassador of the Year" at various business awards ceremonies over the years.[196][197]
In December 2007, Khan was declared as the face of Force India, the Formula One racing team representing India in international motor race championships. Force India stated about their collaboration with Khan: "We thought the fastest way to announce our arrival in the country is to use [Shahrukh] Khan as the team's brand ambassador. He is famous, successful and the most potent icon of young and confident India. Those are the same values that the team is trying to project on the biggest stage of motorsports."[198] And in 2011, Khan was appointed the brand ambassador of the Champions League Twenty20, an annual international Twenty20 cricket competition between the top domestic teams from major cricketing nations.[199] In 2010, Khan was named the global ambassador of the live entertainment theatre and leisure destination Kingdom of Dreams which is described as Bollywood's very own Broadway.[200] In April 2012, he was roped as the official brand ambassador for Prayag Film City, a INR 10 billion state of the art film city complex situated in Chandrakona in West Bengal.[201]
In February 2011, Khan was appointed brand ambassador for the state of West Bengal.[202] He was offered the position by the state’s chief minister Mamata Banerjee during an interaction with Khan on the sidelines of the inaugural function of the 17th Kolkata Film Festival earlier that year. Khan’s acceptance came in the form of a letter to the chief minister where he said, “West Bengal is my second home.”[203] In August 2012, a promotional film starring Khan and directed by filmmaker Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury was released. The three minutes clip branded `Bengal Leads` which is the first-of-its-kind in West Bengal since Independence showcased Bengal’s traditional tourist spots, topographical and cultural diversity. It also featured Khan speaking a few lines in Bengali, urging people to come and visit what is called “Beautiful Bengal’’.[204] The film, shot in both English and Hindi and Bengali, was eventually awarded at the 2nd Asia TV and Film Festival on Journey, organized by the Japanese government.[205]
Ownership of IPL cricket team
In 2008, Khan in partnership with actress Juhi Chawla Mehta and her husband Jay Mehta acquired ownership rights for the franchise representing Kolkata in the Twenty20 cricket tournament Indian Premier League, for a price of $75.09 million (INR 3.57 billion), and have since named the team Kolkata Knight Riders. KKR is one the richest team in the IPL and has been ranked as the most valued with a brand value of $42.1 million.[206] Financially, Kolkata Knight Riders are the most profitable and successful franchise in the IPL as well.[207][208] The team was surrounded with controversy and poor on-field performance through the first three years of the tournament.[209] It's performance, however, improved from the fourth season and they eventually became the IPL champions for the first time in 2012 .[209]
In 9 April 2012, Khan was served a notice by the Rajasthan Police for smoking in public after he was seen smoking on camera during a match between the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Rajasthan Royals on April 8.[210] and in 16 May of the same year he received a five-year ban from the Wankhede Stadium by the Mumbai Cricket Associationfor arguing with security at the ground after a match between his team and The Mumbai Indians.[211] Khan later apologised to his fans after his team won the final match at Chennai on May 27.[211]
In the media
See also: List of awards and nominations received by Shahrukh Khan
Khan was given the birth name "Shahrukh" (meaning "Face of the King"), but prefers his name to be written as "Shah Rukh Khan", and is also commonly referred to as SRK.[212] Khan has various homes in India and abroad. His house in Mumbai called Mannat is a well-known tourist spot and is considered a heritage building, deemed important to the townscape and hence exempt from demolition.[1] In addition, he also has a house in New Delhi.[213] Khan also owns a £20 million apartment in London and a INR 4 billion villa on the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai. He said in a television interview that "I bought the house, because one can see the island from the moon."[22][214][215] Khan's net worth is estimated at over INR 25 billion (US$540 million)[22][23]
Khan at the launch of his official Opus, in 2011.
Globally, Khan is considered to be one of the biggest movie stars, with a fan following claimed to number in the billions. He is also of one the most watched movie stars in the world, and one of the most recognisable faces of Indian cinema.[156][216][217][218] In 2008, Newsweek named him one of the 50 most powerful people in the world.[5] In 2011, The Los Angeles Times noted: "He is the biggest movie star you’ve never heard of. And perhaps the world’s biggest movie star, period. "[219] His success and popularity has been attributed as the result of his emergence in the era of liberalisation and changing economic scenario in the 1990s. He was often described as the face and catalyst of a new consumerist urban society, and that he has managed to personify "the restless spirit of post-liberalization, ambitious, assertive and yet feel-good India. "[220][221][222]
Khan has been noted for having several trademark mannerisms, gestures and ways of delivering dialogues.[54][118] As it has been cited by CNN-IBN: "The mannerisms that have earned him both brickbats and endeared him to his fans over the years – that half nod, raised brow gesture, a deep dimpled smile and a deliberate stammer – were absent when he debuted. If he picked them up later to addapt to the big screen, they stayed for the rest of his acting career. "[223] Due to his appearance in numerous romantic films, Khan has developed a "romantic lover boy" image and is referred to as the "King of Romance" by media outlets.[9][224][225] He has been accused of repeating himself through the type of characters that he played, referred to as the "Rajs and Rahuls", or him not being able to shed the superstar persona on screen.[226] In 2011, Rediff listed him in the top 10 "Readers Choice: The Greatest Actors of all time".[227]
Khan has been featured regularly in the listing of the most powerful names of Indian Cinema. In 2004, he was awarded the Filmfare Power Award (shared with Amitabh Bachachan) for topping the Filmfare list of the "Ten Most Powerful Names of Bollywood", and again in 2005. In 2006 he was ranked as second overall behind Yash Chopra and his son Aditya and the most powerful actor, an achievement he would go on to repeat till 2009.[228][229] He occupied the top slot of Box Office India's Top Actors list for the first time in 1994 for two consecutive years, then again in 1998 and for the majority of the 2000s (from 2002 till 2008).[230] He was voted the sexiest Asian man in the world by Eastern Eye in 2007, and was ranked third in 2008 and 2011.[231][232] He was also declared by FICCI as one of the "Ten Most Powerful Entertainer of the Decade".[233] In a 2009 poll conducted by the newspaper DNA, he was voted as India's second most popular icon behind Sachin Tendulkar.[234] In a 2012 Hindustan Times Youth Survey, Khan was declared as the biggest role model for youth in India.[235]
In 2005, Nasreen Munni Kabir produced a two-part documentary on Khan, titled The Inner and Outer World of Shah Rukh Khan. Featuring his 2004 Temptations concert tour, the film contrasted Khan's inner world of family and daily life with the outer world of his work. The book Still Reading Khan by Mushtaq Sheikh, which details his family life, was released in 2006. Another book by Anupama Chopra, King of Bollywood: Shahrukh Khan and the seductive world of Indian cinema, was released in 2007. It describes the world of Bollywood through Khan's life.[236][237] In 2010, Discovery Travel & Living channel produced a ten-part series titled Living with a Superstar-Shah Rukh Khan. The series was the biggest Indian show on television, with a budget of nearly INR 20 million, highlighting Khan’s daily living, film-making, IPL venture and global lifestyle.[16][238] Khan is also the first actor and the second Indian after Sachin Tendulkar to have an official Opus dedicated to him.[239]
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