Happy Birthday Shah Rukh Khan! Here’s Why We Love Bollywood’s Badshah
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Banner Image Credit: iamsrk / Instagram
There’s no denying that Shah Rukh Khan has built himself a legacy that has gone beyond his years. The talented actor came from a notable middle-class family with political ties who were actively involved in the Indian freedom movement. If there is anybody in Bollywood who started from the bottom and reached the top, it is Shah Rukh Khan. He started his journey as a struggling actor with wide-eyed dreams in the city of Mumbai. Beginning his journey with his small screen debut in Fauji, he struck a name for himself as an unconventionally attractive and highly emotive actor in the early 90s. He then made his film debut in the 1992 film Deewana with the already popular Rishi Kapoor and the rest as they say, is history.
Let’s take a look at some of his best moments aside from his acting career that make us love him even more:
1. He Is An Incredible Sportsperson
Can you believe that Shah Rukh did not always want to be an actor? He was actually a very talented sports person and had an affinity for hockey, cricket, and football when he was a student. Infact, Shah Rukh Khan was also extremely studious and even received his school, St. Columba School’s highest student honor for his sportsmanship as well as his good grades. Unfortunately for him, his sports career was cut short after he suffered an injury in his shoulder. He then shifted his focus to acting and furthering his education. All of this didn’t stop him from re-entering the sports world after he became a mentor for the Kolkata Knight Riders.
2. He Stood His Ground Against Gangsters
It’s no secret that many people within Bollywood allegedly had strong ties to the Mumbai underworld. At least this was the case in the early 90s. Much like others, many underworld dons expected special favors from actors and Shah Rukh Khan wasn’t spared either. He was approached by infamous Mumbai gangsters like Chota Shakeel, Abu Salem and many more. Film critic Anupama Chopra once revealed that Shah Rukh Khan was being pressured by Abu Salem to work on a film that was produced by Abu’s close friend. The actor had cooly responded with, “I don’t tell you who to shoot so don’t tell me which film to do.”
3. He Is Both A Knight And A Doctor
Shah Rukh Khan was given the “Knight of the Legion of Honour” which is one of the highest French civilian honors, in the year 2014. He was presented the honor by the then French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius. What made matters more special was that he was awarded on the birthday of his late mother. He was the second Indian superstar to be bestowed with this honor; the first being, Amitabh Bachchan. He also received an honorary doctorate from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland after his acts of altruism, humanitarianism, philanthropy, and for his global reach as a media personality.
4. His Family Comes First
After being in the industry for a little more than 3 decades, Shah Rukh Khan has learned to value the little time he gets with his family. He shares sons Aryan and AbRam and daughter Suhana Khan with his wife Gauri and is said to request people not to contact him when he is spending time with his children. He is a doting dad and is extremely proud of all of his children. In fact his daughter Suhana seems to have caught the acting bug and has even acted in a short film called, The Grey Part of Blue. As both his wife and him follow separate religions, he had encouraged his children to adopt practices from both religions and in his home, the Qur’an is situated next to his wife’s Hindu deities. Talk about true secularism!
5. He Is Actively Involved In Helping COVID Healthcare Workers
Shah Rukh is well known for his incredible humanitarian work but as they say, charity begins at home. Along with his wife, Gauri Khan, he offered his personal workspace, a four-story building in Mumbai to help with the treatment of COVID patients. He has also donated over 50,000 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) via his NGO, Meer Foundation. He had also enlisted the help of his other companies, Red Chillies VFX, Kolkata Knight Riders and Red Chillies Entertainment to help provide support to both state and central governments. He also made a donation to the State of Maharashtra’s Relief fund through one of his companies.
6. He Asked Salman Khan To Deliver His Award Speech
In 1998 when Shah Rukh Khan won a Zee Cine Award for best actor, he called none other than his then-rival, Salman Khan onto the stage and said “I would like to dedicate this award to Salman, jisko lagta hai ki saare awards sirf mujhko milte hain (who believes that I receive all the awards.” The pair have had a turbulent relationship over the years but have patched up in recent times.
All in all, it’s safe to say that Shah Rukh Khan has created a brilliant legacy for himself and will probably go down as one of the greatest actors of Bollywood. We hope he stays healthy and happy and treats our eyes with more films in the coming years. So, tell us which of these moments was your favorite Shah Rukh Khan moment in the comment section below.
