Shah Rukh Khan, worlds biggest movie star

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Jesusegun Alagbe

The world's biggest movie star is not from America's Hollywood, as many people might think.

He is Shah Rukh Khan " an Indian actor, producer, television personality and entrepreneur.

According to Forbes, the numbers have proved that the Bollywood's 50-year-old star is the biggest movie star in the world, after making about $18m (N3.6bn) in 2015 in earnings alone.

As a matter of fact, India's film industry turns out more films annually than both the United States and China. For instance, in 2012, Bollywood sold 2.6 billion cinema seats, compared to Hollywood's 1.36 billion tickets.

Khan, popularly referred to as the "Baadshah of Bollywood," "King of Bollywood" or simply "King Khan," has appeared in more than 80 Bollywood films and earned numerous accolades, including 14 Filmfare Awards.

He has a significant following in Asia and the Indian diaspora worldwide and usually engages with his fans on Twitter. In terms of audience size and income, he has been described as one of the most successful film stars in the world.

Khan started his career with appearances in several television series in the late 1980s and made his Bollywood debut in 1992 with Deewana.' Early in his career, he was recognised for portraying villainous roles in the films " Darr' (1993), Baazigar' (1993) and Anjaam' (1994). He then rose to prominence after starring in a series of romantic films, including Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge' (1995).

Many of his films display themes of Indian national identity and connections with diaspora communities, or gender, racial, social and religious differences and grievances. For his contributions to film, the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri, and the Government of France awarded him both the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and the Lgion d'honneur.

As of 2015, Khan is co-chairman of the motion picture production company, Red Chillies Entertainment, and its subsidiaries, and is the co-owner of the Indian Premier League cricket team, Kolkata Knight Riders.

His cricket team, with a brand value of $86m (N17.2bn), is the team with the highest brand value in the Indian Premier League, according to a global valuation firm, American Appraisal.

He is also a frequent television presenter and stage show performer. The media often label him as "Brand SRK" because of his many endorsements and entrepreneurship ventures.

His philanthropic endeavours have provided health care and disaster relief, and he was honoured with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation's Pyramide con Marni award in 2011 for his support of children's education.

He regularly features in listings of the most influential people in Indian culture, and in 2008, Newsweeknamed him one of their fifty most powerful people in the world.

Other accolades for Khan

Apart from Forbes, The LA Times has also spoken of Khan as "perhaps the world's biggest movie star."

In a recent interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria and host of the GPS show, Zakaria introduced Khan to his audience this way: "If you don't know him and his work, you should."

Khan, among other things, talked about his problem of getting into the US because there was his namesake on a terror watch list.

He said, "Now I've been told that that gentleman has been found out. He's off that list, so I'm off the list. I'm coming in and going very freely in America. I'm looking out for some universities for my kids. I came on a tour and it was all fine.

"It just was very uncomfortable. To land up somewhere and getting stuck in an airport for two to three hours for no reason at all. I started travelling light. I started keeping less underwear. God forbid if there was a problem in India, I would be the first to say that we have to strengthen our security. One has to see it in a larger context, it's a sign of the times. The world is that kind of place. You cannot hold grudges against people. We have to live with it and and just be prepared for some of this stuff."

Net worth, houses and cars

Apart from charging high in any movie he features in, Khan has various brand endorsements and also runs personal businesses. He is reportedly worth $600m (N120bn).

He owns few lavish homes around the world, including one on The Palm Jumeirah in Dubai.

The home is spread over two acres and boasts six bedrooms. It also features a two-car remote controlled garage, a spa, a gymnasium, among other luxurious features.

Khan also has a castle in Mumbai, India. It has numerous bedrooms and vast living area. The house has six levels and has palace-like dcor from inside.

The star actor owns some of the world's luxurious cars.

These include a Mitsubishi Pajero SFX, an Audi A6, a BMW 6 Series and a 7 Series.

The 6 Series holds a record of the second most expensive car sold in the US in 2010.

Khan also has a $68,020 (N14m) Toyota Land Cruiser and a $443,000 (N88.6m) customised Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coup.

Sources: firstpost.com, timesofindia.indiatimes.com, forbes.com, bornrich.com, quora.com, en.wikipedia.org

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