BOLLYWOOD BOWS TO THIS BAADSHAH: -
King Khan, Baadshah of Bollywood… alliterative adjectives, the charismatic SRK gets it all! This Khan defies definition, which is why one plays with the language a little in his case! The resounding response ‘Main Hoon Na’ has received proves that this is one superstar in a league of his own, too far ahead of the crowd that he is basically competing with himself.
Shah Rukh’s is a starry-eyed dream come true. This is a story of a king who earned his throne, of a man who dared to dream and of a mortal who knew reaching immortal heights involved back-breaking hard work. Which is why no one raises an eyebrow when he sings ‘I am the best’. More than a decade after he arrived, the man continues to overwhelm us, the legend growing with each film.
What makes him so hypnotic? This is a guy who stammers, and quite irritatingly at that, during intense scenes. This is a guy who simply goes overboard with his hamming. He does it all with impunity. The evergreen sweet boy of Indian cinema. Remember Fauji, the first time we saw him on screen, the small one? Even then standing out among the crowd was child’s play for him.
Surprisingly, after over a decade of hamming, he is till able to generate unprecedented hysteria with every new release. Witness how the nation is lapping up his new release Main Hoon Naa. He has emerged as the alter ego of a new progressive India. The way corporates hanker after him for endorsement stands testimony. This is a man who has matured with time, an actor who has evolved into a brand. He knows the tricks of the trade and how to market his movies. The Baadshah enthralls us over and over again, making critics eager to write him off eat crow.
The man’s capacity for hard work is as famous as that dimpled smile. On one occasion, after working continuously for 72 hours, Gauri Khan had to break open the door, worried, when incessant knocks couldn’t wake the sleeping Khan up. In his early interviews, SRK diplomatically used to say that he hates to see himself emote, because he thought he stammered, overacted and that his hands trembled. He still occasionally goes overboard in some scenes, and the mannerisms are there to stay, but hasn’t this bundle of energy mesmerized us over and over again?
Some love SRK for the actor he is. Some admire him for being the hardworking, determined, confident and successful individual he is. But those who really know the man say he is still as humble, adorable and down to earth as he was before fame wooed him. His closet of friends
include the couple of guys he stayed with when he came to Mumbai to struggle as an actor. His school days love interest, everybody knows, turned into his romantic lead in real life.
No one defines flamboyance more in Bollywood than SRK but that is not why he is where he is now. Shah Rukh continues to click with the common man because he motivates us to follow our dreams. He is not just an acting superstar but an icon. A man who reinforces our belief in hard work and determination. Don’t waste time trying to find out whether we admire the man or the actor more. Just enjoy King Khan as he stands tall, the throne all his.
