The SRK Era: A Celebration of Timeless Stardom
What makes Shah Rukh Khan an anchor of love, hope and resilience, across generations.
In ‘Raees’ (2018), IPS Majumder, played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui, tells Raees that his good days are numbered. To which Shah Rukh Khan responds,
"Din aur raat logon ke hote hain…
Sheron ka zamaana hota hai"
That one line almost encapsulates SRK’s stardom, and the phenomenon he is beyond the box office.
Being Shah Rukh Khan, or a fan of Shah Rukh Khan has been difficult over the past several years.
While professionally, SRK’s movies kept underperforming, his personal life got embroiled in a vicious political controversy. Everything that could go wrong was getting worse. It wasn’t the dream run through mustard fields anymore.
Pathaan’s success is a redemption. For SRK, and his fans. But it didn’t happen because it’s an extraordinary movie.
Even with minimal marketing, and almost no interviews, there’s a reason Pathaan opened to huge numbers.
Shah Rukh Khan. Not the actor. The human.
Shah Rukh Khan continues to stay relevant because his charm has managed to transcend generations. You cannot do that simply by being a professional. You do that with warmth. You do that with something timeless, like love.
And you know who the unofficial brand ambassador of love is.
I have been a fan of SRK since I know of movies. But I sincerely disliked some of his recent films, and public decisions. I even got up halfway through Zero.
SRK looked done.
It looked like maybe we'd just have to do with the reruns of Kal Ho Naa Ho till the final heartbeat.
Then something happened.
While the entire Aryan Khan episode was sensationalised and the subsequent political vendetta drummed up till the release of Pathaan, there was a dignified silence from SRK. He withdrew from the public eye.
SRK, the human, was at the fore once again.
And his suffering galvanized the fans. As much as they were willing to see SRK back on the screen, they were rooting for him to move forward. It felt like a virtual support, a well-deserved cheer for the man, and a way to give back some love.
I don't know if all the upcoming SRK movies from this point forward will be successful. They may become bigger hits, they may take another hit.
But one thing I'm extremely confident of.
SRK will continue to be celebrated, and cheered. Beyond box-office numbers, beyond reason, beyond age. It’s timeless.
Because it's his era.