Shah Rukh Khan – The Last Bollywood Superstar

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Why Shah Rukh Khan could be the last of the superstars

Shah Rukh Khan celebrates his 58th birthday on November 2. On this special day, we attempt at decoding why he might be the last of the superstars.

Shah Rukh Khan celebrates his 58th birthday on November 2.

The year was 1989. Bollywood was at its glorious best. Little did they know that a boy from Delhi, who stepped foot in ‘Sapno Ka Shehar’ Mumbai, would one day go on to rule it. Shah Rukh Khan or King Khan, as we fondly call him, turns 58 today, November 2. And on this special occasion, we attempt at decoding why SRK might be the last of superstars.

Shah Rukh Khan was once on Anupam Kher’s talk show, ‘Kuch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai’. There, he proved that he might be modest, but he knew his worth. When Kher asked if he ever thinks someone, in the future, might enjoy the same popularity as he does, he replied, “Nahi, aisa hoga nahi. Main modest hoon but I’ll tell you honestly? I am the last of the stars.” And we felt it.

In an industry which is this fast, with new faces making a ‘mannat’ to make it to posters and billboards and stay there forever, Shah Rukh Khan has built, stayed and triumphed for not 10 or 15, but 30 years!

Years later, the very statement that Shah Rukh Khan was the last of the superstars will reflect nostalgia for an entire era of Indian cinema, when SRK and few others like him, dominated the industry. Additionally, the nature of stardom and celebrity can change over time, influenced by shifts in culture, audience preferences, and the emergence of new platforms and mediums for entertainment. But SRK has managed to stay consistent all these years. And we believe, will do so in the far-off future too.

That being said, Shah Rukh Khan has had his share of downs. He had a time when nothing worked. He took a break from acting because he wasn’t ‘enjoying’ what he was doing after ‘Zero’. Four years passed. And he returned with a bang in 2023 with two blockbusters in the forms of ‘Pathaan’ and ‘Jawan’, which saved Bollywood from its dry spell.

On similar lines, we asked industry expert Akshaye Rathi about what he thought about SRK being the last of superstars. And he told us, “Won’t say Shah Rukh Khan is the last of the superstars because we have a Hrithik Roshan, a Ranbir Kapoor who’s kind of there. Having said that, what defines his stardom is the consistency with which he has done cinema to entertain the hell out of his audiences, even off the screen, and do things that won his fans over person-by-person. A great actor delivers a great performance, but a superstar makes his audience love him and buy tickets to watch him in a cinema hall when his movie comes because there are posters on it.”

Further adding, “And that is something I believe Shah Rukh Khan and his generation have worked tirelessly on for three decades. And that is how he built his stardom and here is the thing – to remain a superstar and stay relevant for 30 years, it clearly shows the effort he puts in, in a sustained manner even today. The paranoia which I am sure he has to entertain his audiences and earn their love even today after 30 years just shows why he is the superstar that he is.”

His house is a tourist spot in Mumbai and on special days or not-so-special ones, you will always find a flock of fans making reels to his songs in front of Mannat, many people’s dream.

His birthdays are festivals, his wins are people’s wins and his flops are taken as personal. If that is not SRK magic, then what is? All he needs to do is fling both his arms wide open and there he is, gushing, swooning, charming us, all over again!

And the way Shah Rukh Khan talks about women has often been a topic of discussion. During a throwback ‘Ask SRK’ session, a fan asked him about how to woo a girl and used the Hindi word ‘patana’ for it. He firmly, but politely replied, “Start with not using the word ‘Patana’ for a girl. Try with more respect, gentleness and respect.” Further adding, “All girls have a beauty which is different from each other. Don’t compare and remember you are unique.” That’s what superstars are made up of.

While we probably might never come to a point which proves whether SRK is one of the last ones of the lot, but we do know that there will never be one like him.

As he rightly said, “Zindagi mein kuch banna ho, kuch haasil karna ho, kuch jeetna ho toh hamesha apne dil ki suno. Aur agar dil se bhi koi jawaab na aye, to apni aankhen band karke apni maa aur baba ka naam lo. Phir dekhna, har manzil paar kar jaoge, har mushkil asan ho jaegi. Jeet tumhari hogi. Sirf tumhari.”