Shah Rukh Khan turns 57 today. A peddler of love and a moniker for romance, King Khan has grown beyond the fandom of India to find fans and lovers across the world.
Shah Rukh Khan is reminiscent of all that is love. For the 90's kids, this day feels personal because, for most, the SRK-kind-of-love style has been an integral part of their growing up and exploring the emotion. From starting with a TV show to becoming the earnest-boy-next door, SRK managed to spin up the Hindi film industry that was mostly restricted to film families, dynastic glory, and royalty; it was now accepting of a skinny, dusky Pathan boy with no Punjabi looks in particular, with deep eyes and deeper dimples, as a Hero.
Besides being the ‘King of Romance’, one would also accept Shah Rukh Khan's limitations as an actor. Nevertheless, his growing fanbase internationally would make one realise that his stardom was never based on his acting alone, but on who he is, to date.
He has a knowingness about him. He is consistently the most articulate of the major stars in interviews and sounds like an actual adult who has put effort into making sense of his experiences.
On his 57th birthday, we look back on who Shah Rukh Khan is; a Raj, a Rahul, a Devdas, a Surinder, a Harry, a Rizwan…or a Khan?
