“From every wound there is a scar, and every scar tells us a story. A story that says, I survived.”

Though we don’t know who came up with this quote, but none has been more on the receiving end of its aptness, than Shahrukh Khan. When darkness seemed to swallow him up, and a once bright career was on the verge on wane, this superstar emerged again.

 The Rebirth of A Legend

After a low phase for few years, Shahrukh tasted the success of stardom again, with the Yashraj venture Mohabbatein, in which he played the role of a lovable college professor, who rebels against the uptight principal that was played by none other than Amitabh Bachchan. The jugalbandi of both actors was much loved by critics and audience alike, and the movie was a superhit, garnering Khan a filmfare for his performance. In the year 2001, came the family romantic drama Kabhie Khushi Kabhie Gham, which proved to be an icing on his cake of success. These hits proved, that Shahrukh Khan’s quintessential characters of Raj and Rahul, were just made for him, which he played to perfection, every time he made an appearance on screen. His endeavors with romantic roles continued in the historical romance Devdas, Karan Johar’s Kal Ho Naa Ho, and Farah Khan’s debut venture Main Hoon Naa, all three of which were massive box office hits in India and abroad, taking his stardom up, yet another notch up.

Aishwarya Rai and Shah Rukh Khan in Mohabbatein - Bollywoodirect
Aishwarya Rai and Shah Rukh Khan in “Mohabbatein”

The Mature Roles that transitioned the Prince into King

Shahrukh Khan was by then an established romance legend. Where there was love, there was a mention of Shahrukh Khan’s dialogues, and his roles. But the prince of romance was yet to showcase his finest performances, to showcase the other side of his cliché talent, and blind the world with its brilliance. In the year 2004, came a cross border love story from the house of Yashraj Films, Veer Zaara. Shahrukh played the character of Squadron Leader Veer Pratap Singh, who falls in love with a Pakistani woman Zaara Hayat Khan. The movie portrayed a maturity of love, that was different from the carefree Casanova and funny roles of lover boy, that he had played till date. In the same year, was released Ashutosh Gowarikar’s Swades, in which Khan played the role of a NASA scientist who returns to his village in India, to find and know his roots better. The role won him much love and critical acclaim, and a National Award nomination for his performance.

Shahrukh Khan with Gayatri Joshi - Bollywoodirect
Shahrukh Khan with Gayatri Joshi in “Swades”

A Success Story that echoed through Boundaries

Khan’s popularity further reached another height, when his fourth collaboration with Karan Johar, Kabhie Alvida Naa Kehna, a mature drama film about extra marital affairs and post marriage complications, was a major hit overseas. Khan’s portrayal of a highly negative and frustrated man, was spot on, and met with critical acclaim, earning him many nominations, and subsequent awards. In 2007, he played a role that was very different from the ones he had done till date, that of a hockey player who coaches the women’s team and returns with the world cup, to gain back his lost glory. The performance earned him yet another Filmfare, and the fans loved Khan in this brooding and angry avatar, sans the heroine and romantic dialogues to support him. He collaborated again with Yashraj, and starred as the lovable man next door Sahni Ji, in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. Khan’s portrayal of a common man who is shy of his feelings, was met with love from masses and classes alike, though the screenplay of the movie was heavily criticized. Khan and Karan Johar came up together again to give us a memorable performance and story, in the movie My Name Is Khan. Khan played the character of a man suffering from Asperger’s syndrome, for whom there is only good or bad, no grey area. The portrayal of the character and the crisp narration and powerful performances in the movie, earned him another Filmfare, and the love of all the critics. 

Shahrukh Khan with Raani Mukherjee in " Kabhi Alvida naa Kehna" - Bollywoodirect
Shahrukh Khan with Raani Mukherjee in ” Kabhi Alvida naa Kehna”

The Era of Forgettable Mass Movies

Post My Name is Khan, Shahrukh Khan started to feature in ambitious projects that were different from the roles that he had played, and were more in sync with the commercial era that was to come. Be it the reincarnation drama Om Shanti Om, or the his superhero fantasy flick Ra.One, or the more recent Happy New Year, all lacked quality, and emphasized more on the commercial aspects. Though these ventures earned a lot, but none was memorable enough to leave a lasting impact, or even command a repeated watch. However, a breath of fresh air has come in the form of two teasers of his upcoming movies FAN and Raees, and the first look of his magical comeback in the love story Dilwale. While in the former he stars as himself, and his biggest fan too, the latter his a mafia role which seems quite challenging and the a treat for the lovers of Shahrukh Khan, who want him to display the same mettle that he is capable of, and in the last one he stars again in what looks like a promising love story, with none other than, Kajol. We certainly cannot wait for these three.

Shahrukh Khan with Deepika Padukone  in "Om Shanti Om" - Bollywoodirect
Shahrukh Khan with Deepika Padukone in “Om Shanti Om”

The King has built himself right from the scratch, and that, is what we love about Shahrukh Khan. The legend of romance and the king of acting, Shahrukh Khan has certainly carved a niche for himself in the big world of Bollywood. A self-made star, we certainly love him, and can’t wait to watch his magic again & again on the big screen.

For Part 1 – Please Click here

Written  by – Kadambari Srivastava

 

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