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UNDOUBTEDLY, HE'S THE biggest star of the 90s. And for a man who wasn't even remotely associated with the film industry, it's a commendable achievement indeed.
Shah Rukh Khan is also the first television actor who has made it so big on the big screen. He started his career with a serial 'Fauji' and then followed it with 'Circus'. But the man had set his eyes firmly on the big screen. His ambition was to become the most accomplished of them all. In pursuit of his dream, he left hometown Delhi and came to Bombay, with just a few hundred rupees in his pocket. Initially, he didn't even have money to rent out a place in the city. At that time, he lived with his friend Vivek Vaswani, who was also instrumental in helping Shah Rukh get his first break in 'Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman' (Vivek was the executive producer of the film). Though 'RBGG' was the first film Shah Rukh signed, his first theatrical release was 'Deewana'. In the film, Shah Rukh made his appearance well after the first half but his depiction was electrifying enough to take the thunder out of hero Rishi Kapoor.
Thereafter, 'RBGG* established his versatility further where he matched histrionics with Nana Patekar and then 'Chamatkar', where he was pitted opposite Naseeruddin Shah. Finally, it was the towering success of 'Baazigar' which took him to dizzying heights. As a men-tally-imbalanced killer-on-the prowl, Shah Rukh proved that he could carry off a negative role with equal panache. His next film 'Darr', which had him in a similar role, also became a thundering hit. Shah Rukh's psychotic act in the movie was so convincing that the audience literally sided with him, leaving the poor hero Sunny Deol in the lurch.
Shah Rukh has often been accused of trying to imitate greats like Dilip Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan. He has also been criticised for being overtly high-strung and melodramatic in his portrayals. That isn't entirely untrue but one cannot take away from Shah Rukh some of his most memorable performances, in films like 'Kahlii Haan Kabhi Na', 'Maya Memsaab', 'Pardes' and 'Dil Se', which have been very subdued yet very striking.
Shah Rukh also proved the theory wrong that marriage halters an actor's career prospects. He got married to Gauri long before he became a major star and the fact that he was legally wedded did not make any difference to his innumerable fans. They still loved him as much.
There is also no denying the fact that Shah Rukh has to his credit some of the biggest blockbusters of the 90s, which assiduously justify his status of a superstar. 'Dilwale Dulhaniya Le
Jayenge', 'Karan Arjun', 'Dil To Pagal Hain' and 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hain'. It is Shah Rukh's spurting energy and magnetism that led films like 'Ram Jaane', 'Chaahat' and 'Koyla' into safe waters. He has also been responsible for giving Hindi cinema two of its most momentous screen-pairs — with Kajol and Juhi Chawla, two actresses he shares a very close bonding with.
Shah Rukh's overwhelming success lies in the fact that right since the beginning of his career, the money, fame or glamour that's usually associated with this industry, never corrupted his choice of films. He always did films with makers of substance. And that helped him as a star because each of his film was looked-forward to. Of course, working with big names didn't make him rich. But he made his millions through stage shows and endorsements, thereby keeping his status as a superstar, intact. Last year, he also turned producer with 'Phir Bhi Dil Hain Hindustani', in partnership with Juhi Chawla and Aziz Mirza.
Currently, with the arrival of Hrithik Roshan and a few flops behind him, Shah Rukh's title of superstar seems to be in jeopardy. But he seems to have taken up the challenge and is ready for the fierce competition. The sad partis that within a few years, he will be forty and the audience will not accept him in the loverboy roles that he's so famous for. Will the actor in him be able to, salvage his star status then? We'll have to wait and watch. |
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