Shahrukh Khan

Shah Rukh Khan started his career appearing on various television series, particularly when playing the role of ‘Abhimanyu’ in the war drama series Fauji (Soldier) in 1988, a minor role in Circus in 1989, which depicted the life of circus performers etc. The acting stint in Fauji caught the attention of Hema Malini who is said to have recommended his name for his film debut in Dil Aashna Hai which was to be directed by Malini.

However his debut film was the 1992 film Deewana opposite the late actress Divya Bharti which was a big hit. His first film was actually supposed to be Dil Aashna Hai but due to a delay Deewana released first. The same year he appeared in films such as Chamatkar and the controversial art film Maya Memsaab. This film was very controversial because it had an “explicit for Bollywood” sex scene between Khan and actress Deepa Sahi.

In 1993 he attracted a great deal of attention when he was praised for his performances in two negative roles in Baazigar (as an anti-hero and murderer) and Darr (as an obsessed lover) which became huge hits at the box office and shot him to stardom. 1995 was a very successful year for Khan when Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ) broke box office records and Khan, as the lead, was given a great deal of credit for its success. DDLJ ran for more than 520 weeks in a theatre in India, the longest ever any movie in the world has ever ran for, compared to Sholay which ran for only 260 weeks.[citation needed]

DDLJ was followed by a string of successes, most of them love stories, which included Pardes, Dil to Pagal Hai, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Mohabbatein, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Devdas, Kal Ho Naa Ho and Veer-Zaara.

Shah Rukh Khan also won critical praise for his performances in Anjaam, Dil Se and Swades which were less successful at the box office.

His association with director/producer Yash Chopra has resulted in successes such as Darr, Dil To Pagal Hai, Mohabbatein and Veer-Zaara. He found greater success working with his close friend director Karan Johar and producer Yash Johar on Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Kal Ho Naa Ho and Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna.

Shahrukh is known as a convincing screen lover, and seems to spark equally good performances from his female co-stars - in cinema-speak, he has good screen chemistry with his heroines.

* His films with Juhi Chawla all did moderately well at the box office: Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman, Darr, Duplicate and Yes Boss.
* He has acted opposite Madhuri Dixit in a number of successful movies including Anjaam,Dil to Pagal Hai, Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam and the blockbuster Devdas.
* Each of the five movies in which he co-starred with actress Kajol were box office successes - Baazigar, Karan Arjun, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham .
* His movies with Preity Zinta, Dil Se, Kal Ho Naa Ho, Veer-Zaara and Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna have either been commercially or critically successful, or both.
* His association with Rani Mukerji has proved to be mostly successful: Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Chalte Chalte, Veer-Zaara, Paheli and Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna.

Despite his success, some have criticized Shah Rukh for sticking to “safe” romantic roles (such as his roles in Karan Johar’s or Yash Chopra’s films). With Swades and Paheli, Khan took a different take on roles. Unfortunately Swades and Paheli didn’t do very well at the box office compared to Khan’s other films.

Khan co-owns a production company called Dreamz Unlimited with actress Juhi Chawla (a friend ever since they co-starred in Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman) and film director Aziz Mirza. The production company has produced three of his films, Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani, Asoka and Chalte Chalte. With the exception of Chalte Chalte which was a hit, the other two flopped at the box office. In 2004 another of his production houses, Red Chilies Entertainment, produced film Main Hoon Na which was his second hit under his own production house. He also co-produced the horror film Kaal in 2005 with Karan Johar. He then produced Paheli, which was India’s selection for the Academy awards consideration in the foreign films category.

Nasreen Munni, the noted British filmmaker, recently produced a two-part documentary on Shah Rukh, “The Inner and Outer World of Shah Rukh Khan”. Featuring his 2004 Temptations concert tour, the film contrasts Khan’s “inner world” of family and daily life, with the “outer world” of his work.