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Shah Rukh is indeed King Khan
I have noticed that there is a lot of talk going on several forums about Bollywood's King Khan. There are lovers and there are haters, but the one thing that gets your attention when surfing these forums is the discussion about whether King Khan is versatile or not. With this article I will give it a try to either prove his versatility or whether he is not versatile.
Shahrukh Khan started his filmi career in 1992 with Deewana and 14 years down the line he became the "King Khan" of Bollywood. In '92 4 films were released, Raju Banagaya Gentlemen, Deewana, Chamatkar and Dil Aashna Hai, of which two were comedies and two love stories.
In 1993 he shifted from the boy next door roles to the negative roles. He bagged Darr and Baazigar and turned both into HITfilms. A new Antihero was born. The only one after Shahrukh who has pulled such a stunt is Aftab Shivdasani with Kasoor. He not only played an antihero that year, but did a small role in a comedy called King Uncle. In '94 he had two films, Anjaam and Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa. The first one falls into the category of the negative roles and the other one is a situational comedy which became a hit.
In 1995 you could see he had worked hard, because that year had a Shahrukh Khan overdose. That year saw 7 films of SRK, of which DDLJ and Karan Arjun became the biggest hits. DDLJ became the longest running film in Indian History. That was the first time SRK was really accepted in the loverboy role. He was portrayed in a nice human matter by Aditya Chopra and that made not only all the Indian girls fall in love with him, but also outside India people were going crazy over his character Raj. Karan Arjun and Ramjaane were actionfilms in which he proved he could do that too. 1996 wasn't a good year for SRK with Army and chaahat, both different roles though. One loverboy character and the other a mix of action, comedy and loverboy.
The year 1997 saw two love stories, Pardes and Dil Toh Pagal Hai, and actionflick, Koyla and the comedy Yes Boss. In the first two, I admit, he played the loverboy to the tee and was good at it. Koyla, there was a love story indeed, but there was more action to the film. And Yes Boss finally saw the duo Juhi Chawla and Shahrukh Khan again after so many years and they were funny. In 1998 he did a film on terrorism called Dil Se. In this film there is also a love story, but the main thing was terrorism. He played a journalist who falls in love with a girl who wants to destroy this evil world. Besides this film he did a non brain comedy Duplicate, in which his fans could enjoy him twice, as he played a double role. But the most succesfull film of that year was indeed a love story called Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, directed by Karan Johar. Karan Johar also portrayed SRK as a normal boy next door and in the second part as a loving father. In 1999 he only had Baadshah, which was a comedy.
2000 saw the release of Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani, Josh, Hey Ram! And Mohabbatein.. Out of these four the most succesfull one has been the love story, but that doesn't mean he didn't play other characters that year. The film and character from Josh and Hey ram! Are totally different than the one he had played in Mohabbatein.
2001 had the release of Asoka, One 2 ka 4 and K3G. Out of these three films K3G has been the most succesfull film, but it wasn't a love story but a family drama. His story wasn't a love story either in the film. Of course he fell in love, but which character of the main actor in any Bollywood movie doesn't fall in love in a film? That doesn't make every Bollywood films a love story now does it? Karan Johar made us cry with his second directorial feature as well and did justice to all the characters he had put in this film. Now everyone is anxious to see KANK, which will make us all cry again, no doubt about that.
2002 had Devdas and Shakti, which are both completely different form one another. In Devdas he played a loverboy who is drinking himself to death because he loves this girl, Paro, so much. In Shakti, he is this Tapori character who helps a woman and her child. One thing both films have in common is that SRK dies in them. Characterwise nothing in common at all.
2003 saw the likes of Chalte Chalte and Kal Ho Naa Ho. The first one being an out and out love story followed by a second half of a married couple facing the problems of a marriage. KHNH was a romantic drama comedy, handled very well by Nikhil Advani. Both the characters had one thing in common, they were sarcastic and that is where it ends.
2004 saw Main Hoon Na, Veer Zaara and Swades. Now no one on this earth can tell me that these three films are the same. MHN being a action comedy, Veer Zaara being the ultimate love story and Swades being about helping your desh. None of these characters had anything in common.
In 2005 he brought us Paheli, which indeed was a love story. Out of all his love stories, this one didn't work with the audience.
And this year is going to see the release of a Drama called KANK and Actionflick called DON. Well his characters in these films are also very different from each other as one is about a man who cannot deal with his handicap and makes himself and his marriage miserable. And the other one is about a tapori becoming DON.
All the films SRK has played do have one thing in common. He falls in love with a girl in every film. Well, so do Akshay Kumar, Salman Khan and the rest of our hero's. So that can't be it. I do feel SRK is one of the most versatile actors we have in Bollywood and he does come out every year with different films and different characters. You just have to see it to notice it. One thing that is right is that almost all his love stories have become either superhits or blockbusters, but that doens't mean he is playing Raj in every film. SRK is indeed the 'King Khan' of Bollywood.
I have noticed that there is a lot of talk going on several forums about Bollywood's King Khan. There are lovers and there are haters, but the one thing that gets your attention when surfing these forums is the discussion about whether King Khan is versatile or not. With this article I will give it a try to either prove his versatility or whether he is not versatile.
Shahrukh Khan started his filmi career in 1992 with Deewana and 14 years down the line he became the "King Khan" of Bollywood. In '92 4 films were released, Raju Banagaya Gentlemen, Deewana, Chamatkar and Dil Aashna Hai, of which two were comedies and two love stories.
In 1993 he shifted from the boy next door roles to the negative roles. He bagged Darr and Baazigar and turned both into HITfilms. A new Antihero was born. The only one after Shahrukh who has pulled such a stunt is Aftab Shivdasani with Kasoor. He not only played an antihero that year, but did a small role in a comedy called King Uncle. In '94 he had two films, Anjaam and Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa. The first one falls into the category of the negative roles and the other one is a situational comedy which became a hit.
In 1995 you could see he had worked hard, because that year had a Shahrukh Khan overdose. That year saw 7 films of SRK, of which DDLJ and Karan Arjun became the biggest hits. DDLJ became the longest running film in Indian History. That was the first time SRK was really accepted in the loverboy role. He was portrayed in a nice human matter by Aditya Chopra and that made not only all the Indian girls fall in love with him, but also outside India people were going crazy over his character Raj. Karan Arjun and Ramjaane were actionfilms in which he proved he could do that too. 1996 wasn't a good year for SRK with Army and chaahat, both different roles though. One loverboy character and the other a mix of action, comedy and loverboy.
The year 1997 saw two love stories, Pardes and Dil Toh Pagal Hai, and actionflick, Koyla and the comedy Yes Boss. In the first two, I admit, he played the loverboy to the tee and was good at it. Koyla, there was a love story indeed, but there was more action to the film. And Yes Boss finally saw the duo Juhi Chawla and Shahrukh Khan again after so many years and they were funny. In 1998 he did a film on terrorism called Dil Se. In this film there is also a love story, but the main thing was terrorism. He played a journalist who falls in love with a girl who wants to destroy this evil world. Besides this film he did a non brain comedy Duplicate, in which his fans could enjoy him twice, as he played a double role. But the most succesfull film of that year was indeed a love story called Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, directed by Karan Johar. Karan Johar also portrayed SRK as a normal boy next door and in the second part as a loving father. In 1999 he only had Baadshah, which was a comedy.
2000 saw the release of Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani, Josh, Hey Ram! And Mohabbatein.. Out of these four the most succesfull one has been the love story, but that doesn't mean he didn't play other characters that year. The film and character from Josh and Hey ram! Are totally different than the one he had played in Mohabbatein.
2001 had the release of Asoka, One 2 ka 4 and K3G. Out of these three films K3G has been the most succesfull film, but it wasn't a love story but a family drama. His story wasn't a love story either in the film. Of course he fell in love, but which character of the main actor in any Bollywood movie doesn't fall in love in a film? That doesn't make every Bollywood films a love story now does it? Karan Johar made us cry with his second directorial feature as well and did justice to all the characters he had put in this film. Now everyone is anxious to see KANK, which will make us all cry again, no doubt about that.
2002 had Devdas and Shakti, which are both completely different form one another. In Devdas he played a loverboy who is drinking himself to death because he loves this girl, Paro, so much. In Shakti, he is this Tapori character who helps a woman and her child. One thing both films have in common is that SRK dies in them. Characterwise nothing in common at all.
2003 saw the likes of Chalte Chalte and Kal Ho Naa Ho. The first one being an out and out love story followed by a second half of a married couple facing the problems of a marriage. KHNH was a romantic drama comedy, handled very well by Nikhil Advani. Both the characters had one thing in common, they were sarcastic and that is where it ends.
2004 saw Main Hoon Na, Veer Zaara and Swades. Now no one on this earth can tell me that these three films are the same. MHN being a action comedy, Veer Zaara being the ultimate love story and Swades being about helping your desh. None of these characters had anything in common.
In 2005 he brought us Paheli, which indeed was a love story. Out of all his love stories, this one didn't work with the audience.
And this year is going to see the release of a Drama called KANK and Actionflick called DON. Well his characters in these films are also very different from each other as one is about a man who cannot deal with his handicap and makes himself and his marriage miserable. And the other one is about a tapori becoming DON.
All the films SRK has played do have one thing in common. He falls in love with a girl in every film. Well, so do Akshay Kumar, Salman Khan and the rest of our hero's. So that can't be it. I do feel SRK is one of the most versatile actors we have in Bollywood and he does come out every year with different films and different characters. You just have to see it to notice it. One thing that is right is that almost all his love stories have become either superhits or blockbusters, but that doens't mean he is playing Raj in every film. SRK is indeed the 'King Khan' of Bollywood.
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