Bow to your "KING"!!!

As he quite appropriately puts it......"I am the King!!!"

He is the undisputed "Baadshah" of Bollywood.But Shah Rukh Khan didn't become the most brilliant star overnight.....he had to toil!

There has always been a patriarch for every field.He leads,people follow.He takes new paths-praised if he succeeds,derided if he fails.Somebody has to invent for others to reinvent.Shah Rukh Khan did just that.He invades areas where no actor has ever been.

I quite mythically believe that when The Almighty was distributing gems in the different parts of the world.....he saved one shining,precious gem for India.He named the gem-SHAH RUKH KHAN.

"Shah Rukh".....the name itself sounds so royal.....and why shouldn't it.....quite literally it means "Face of the King".

On 2nd November 1965,at the Talwar Nursing Home in Delhi,a normal occurrence took place.A normal boy was born with the umbilical cord entangled round his neck.People thought that he was an ordinary human.....but what was to follow in his life was certainly nothing less than extra-ordinary.

Shah Rukh was born in a Pathan household.His father Taj Mohammed Khan was a freedom activist.His mother Lateef Fatima was the adopted daughter of Major General Shah Nawaz Khan of the Janjua Rajput clan,who served as an officer in the Indian National Army of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.Shah Rukh's father came to Delhi from Kissa Kahani Bazaar in Peshawar before the Partition of India,while his mother came from Rawalpindi.Shah Rukh has a sister named Shenaaz.
Shah Rukh did his schooling from St.Columbus' in Delhi where he was accomplished in sports such as cricket,football and hockey,drama and academics.He later attended the Hansraj College and earned an Honour's degree in Economics.After this he studied for a Master's Degree in Mass Communications in Jamia Millia Islamia University.
Shah Rukh lost his father when he was 15.His father had even prepared him for his death.One evening when Shah Rukh was in his room,his father walked in and simply said,"I am not going to live for too long now.The doctors have detected cancer." He also lost his mother at a very tender age.

On 25th October 1991,Shah Rukh Khan got married to his childhood friend Gauri and now they are the parents of 2 children;son Aryan(b.1997) and daughter Suhana(b.2000).

Shah Rukh Khan epitomises the term "Self Made Man" quite impeccably.He never had any "Godfather" to bank upon for success.....all he possessed was bundles of talent and monumental self-belief.

He started his career from TV serials,viz.,"Fauji","Circus" and "Dil Dariya".

Then came the movies.....and how!!!!He has been a big fan of veteran actress Mumtaz.

He rocked the '90s...undoubtedly.People just went "gaga" over him ever since he rode a bike as a "Deewana".He became a "Baazigar" after that...not to mention the amiable "Raju" as a "Gentleman".He made us surrender to him with the "Darr" he gave us.

He was outstanding in "Anjaam" as well which fetched him his 4th Filmfare Award.He even made me shed a tear or two with his performance in "Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa".
Then came the incredible phase in his life.It took a new turn-a turn for the better which catapulted him to megastardom.

It all started when Aditya Chopra dropped by Shah Rukh's place to offer him a lead role in his forthcoming flick "Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge".At first Shah Rukh even had the audacity to refuse the offer as he thought it would affect his negative image but finally ended up playing one of the most memorable characters in Hindi Films-the young,enthusiastic lover of Simran....."Raj."For the record books....."Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge" ,which was released in mid-1995 is still playing at a theatre in Mumbai named Maratha Mandir and has completed over a whopping 620 weeks.Films like "Karan Arjun","Pardes","Dil To Pagal Hai" and "Kuch Kuch Hota hai" followed,which also got him 3 Filmfare Awards.He had become such a massive star that he even developed the "Midas' Touch"!Even the ordinary films such as "Duplicate","Baadshah","Koyla" and "Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani" turned into reasonable hits.There was absolutely nothing this man couldn't do.

In 2000,a certain Hrithik Roshan burst onto the Bollywood stage with a bombastic debut with "Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai".Hrithik even threatened to dethrone the "King Khan".....but a King is always a King!! He replied by producing a mesmerising performance in Yash Chopra's "Mohabbatein".In that same film,"King Khan" proved that he doesnot get intimidated by any of his so-called predecessors.Amitabh Bachchan,who was making a comeback with this film after a string of poor ones like "Lal Baadshah","Sooryavansham" and "Bade Miyan Chhote Miyan",would be lying his heart out if he was to deny that it was for "SRK" that he got his popularity back from this film,which won Shah Rukh the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor.From then on "SRK" began to be compared to Amitabh.

Next the "King played King",as Shah Rukh portrayed the character of Asoka-the warrior king of the Maurya Dynasty who was transformed from a blood-thirsty warrior to a follower of Buddhism after witnessing the mass deaths in the war against the Kalinga Dynasty.That year he also featured in Karan Johar-directed family drama "Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham" which won him nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor,only to be pipped to the award by Aamir Khan for "Lagaan".

Next came Sanjay Leela Bhansali's interpretation of the epic tale of "Devdas",featuring Shah Rukh in the lead role.He justified his selection with an incredibly magnificent acting display,which made critics aware of his greatness(if they were not aware of it already).His dialogues especially "Kaun kambakht bardaasht karne ko peeta hai...hum to peete hain ta ki yahaan par baith sake,aapko dekh sake,aapo bardaasht kar sake" and "Babuji ne kaha gaon chhor do,Paro ne kaha sharaab chhor do,sab ne kahaa Paro ko chhor do...aaj apne keh diya ghar chhor do.Ek din aisa aayega jab woh kahega yeh duniya hi chhor do" will remain etched in the memories of cinemagoers for years to come.It was India's official entry to the Oscars that year.

Shah Rukh was at such a point in his career that even one mistake,one flop would attract criticism from people.But he guaranteed that there would be no room for error as he continued to stamp his authority on the box office with hit after hit.In 2003 he had 2 releases."Chalte Chalte" saw him play a trademark lover-boy role while "Kal Ho Naa Ho" showed why he is reckoned as an absolute genius.He revelled in the role of Aman-the man who doesn't let blood cancer get the better of him as he strives to make everyone happy."SRK" left his audience awestruck yet again.

"SRK" was at it again in 2004,when he had a magical year having as many as 3 blockbusters and also deservedly grasping the Filmfare Award for Best Actor.If any one had any doubts with the ability of Shah Rukh churning out a hit out of nothing then those were emphatically put to bed by another excellent display by "King Khan"."Main Hoon Na" was the Shah Rukh show!
Then came Yash Chopra's final directorial venture "Veer-Zaara" and who better to play the extremely challenging role of squadron leader Veer Pratap Singh than "King Khan" himself!People who have seen the court scene at the end of the film in which he recites a heart-rending poem,can do nothing else but applaud the sheer brilliance of Shah Rukh Khan.He followed it up with another hit in which he again single-handedly stole the show with no big names to share screen space with.It was Ashutosh Gowariker's "Swades-We the People" a heart-warming story of a NRI-NASA scientist Mohan Bhargav,who falls in love with his country and countrymen on his visit after several years.

The song "Kaal Dhamaal" saw Shah Rukh in a new avatar as he swung to the beats with Malaika Arora Khan again after dancing "Chhaiyya Chhaiyya" on the train-tops in "Dil Se"(1998)."Paheli"-Shah Rukh's sole release of 2005 ended up reaching the Oscars as India's official entry to the mega event.

Last year Shah Rukh proved his mettle again with 2 hits."Don-the chase begins again" which was a remake of the Amitabh-starrer 1977 original opened to rapturous audiences all over the world.Many of Amitabh faithfuls even started disliking "King Khan" for attempting the role originally made famous by Bachchan.Yet Shah Rukh's presence drew crowds in to the theatres in large numbers.His words:

"Shohrat mera junoon hai
Daulat mera nasha
Khauf mera hathyar
kadmon mein duniya hai....
isharo pe kismat
Aur bahon mein.........
Zindagi se khelna mera shaukh hai
Khelta hoon apni sharto pe
Jeetna meri zid nahi...meri aadat hai
Arre deewano ab to pehchano
kahaan se aaya main hoon kaun....."

still echo round the ears of his disciples.

His next release was a mature story regarding extra-marital affairs.Shah Rukh again was amazing.It was Karan Johar's "Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna".

To add to the fury of Amitabh's fans,Shah Rukh stepped into the shoes of the veteran actor by hosting "Kaun Banega Crorepati".Atleast Shah Rukh's fans stayed glued to their TV sets from 9pm to 10pm from Mondays to Thursdays on Star Plus.His style spoke for itself.Looking stupendous in his impeccable suits with his hairstyle again providing a style statement,he began bowling over contestants and his audience with his volley of questions,dimpled cheeks while smiling and when going for a commercial break saying,"Jaiye aur jaldi wapas aiye kyunki main aapka intezaar kar raha hoon",and once he had said this no one could ignore him.....after all the person waiting was none other than the "King Khan".
After a short stint on the hot seat of the TV show,Shah Rukh decided to call it quits promising his fans that he would certainly return.Criticisms came rolling in.For some reason people again started doubting his abilities.People said that his time was over and this was the opportune moment for the new generation to take over.Hrithik Roshan again came haunting him,winning the Filmfare Award for Best Actor for his dual hits in 2006-"Krrish" and "Dhoom2".Amitabh Bachchan was still going strong as well.With films like "Black" and "Sarkar" he was back in the reckoning.Shah Rukh took a back seat while he could almost realize that his time as the ruler was done and dusted for good.
In an episode of "Koffee With Karan" Shah Rukh said in a modest manner,"Whenever someone younger than me provides a hit,people say that Shah Rukh should retire and whenever someone older than me provides a hit,people say that Shah Rukh can never match up to those high standards.So its me who's always the loser."
Then almost as a slap across the faces of the dumb critics.....there he was "King Khan" at his best!At a moment in his career when he was in a desperate need of a blockbuster,he came back to the silver screen with a film that boasted no big names,only 16 girls who people knew very little about and of all things,the film was based on a sport that had lost its popularity and that too played by women.People thought that Shah Rukh was digging a grave for himself.But "Cometh The Hour Cometh The Man"! He was back......"King Khan" was now Kabir Khan-the once captain of the Indian National Hockey Team who had been harassed and shamefully driven out of his country only to come back and guide a group of indisciplined young ladies to World Cup triumph.He had never looked better or acted better before."Chak De India" was the new anthem.The "Chak De India" craze and spirit had been imbibed in the sportspersons.It relaunched the love for hockey and helped India win the Asia Cup.Indian football was also looking up when they won the Nehru Cup.The icing on the cake was the Twenty20 World Cup cricket victory by Dhoni's boys.The Final match between India and Pakistan was attended by "King Khan" himself with son Aryan.

Shah Rukh Khan is the biggest brand in India at the moment.He endorses round about everything.His list is endless and includes Hyundai Santro,Compaq computers and laptops,Curry Smoodles,Mayur Suitings,Pepsi,Cinthol,Bagpiper,Dish TV,Airtel,Omega watches,etc.His style has always been unique and people have always tried to emulate him.From the moustache in "Paheli" to the specs in "Mohabbatein" and now his new 6-pack abs in his latest film "Om Shanti Om" ,Shah Rukh has never been shy to experiment and everytime he has been appreciated.Shah Rukh needs just 2 more Filmfare Awards to eclipse Dilip Kumar as the most successful Actor in Bollywood history.

Shah Rukh Khan had to gain this stardom by himself.It wasn't served on platter for him.He didn't have any star parents or renowned and influencial personalities behind him.He had to earn his love,appreciation solely by his hard work.

Everthing related with Shah Rukh Khan is special.His bungalow "Mannat" is a castle for "King Khan" himself.Here he celebrates all festivals.Be it Eid,Diwali,Holi or Christmas.....Shah Rukh doesnot believe in religious differences.This is another reason why he has grown up to be a role model for young people across the globe.

Shah Rukh Khan.....the name says it all! Due to his fantastic contribution to Cinema,Shah Rukh Khan was given the Rajiv Gandhi Award for Excellence in Entertainment in 2002 and the Padma Shri Award in 2005.He has been such a role model for people that he was even named the Best Indian Citizen in 1997.Adding to the accolades,in 2006 Shah Rukh became the 3rd Indian personality to have a statue of himself at the Madame Tussaud's Museum in London.

There's something about the great man that leaves people amazed.The generation has been absolutely hypnotised by the magic of "SRK".Whatever he has done in his career has been appreciated by numerous fans all over the world.Whether it be romancing his heroines on-screen or dancing in his trademark way by spreading his hands wide apart.....we just feel that we too can grow up to be as successful as our hero.The way he sings "Mitwa" on the streets of New York or stammers "K...K...K...K...Kiran" or says "jiyo,khush raho,muskurao kya pata kal ho naa ho"......we love Shah Rukh "the King" Khan.

Shah Rukh Khan had stepped into the film world as an outsider, a young man bereaved from the loss of his parents, seeking solace, work and passion in an alien world. Today, this outsider is the most familiar member in every fan’s household

Shah Rukh Khan is the story of never-ending success,survival and winning;winning awards and hearts and he'll continue to do that for many years to come..........."Inshallah"!!!