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Last month, Shah Rukh Khan completed 30 years in the world of acting
Indian actor Shah Rukh Khan celebrated his 30th anniversary in cinema last month. Shryana Bhattacharya, who has written a book regarding the continued popularity of the famous Bollywood star, explains here the reasons why Shah Rukh Khan has maintained his position as one of the most important icons of cinema in the world despite the years and changes.
Perhaps it is easy to provide cultural reasons to explain the long-standing presence of Shah Rukh Khan (Shah Rukh Khan), in the film industry. The actor is so unequivocally loved by millions that his audience’s public expressions of admiration amounting to admiration are often criticized as part of the intriguing phenomenon of “celebrity cult”.
Shah Rukh Khan is nicknamed the “King of Bollywood” and “King Khan”, with more than 80 films, and he has won many awards, including 14 Filmfare Awards, which are considered the most important awards in Indian cinema.
The Indian government also awarded him the Legion of Honor, and he also received the French National Order of Merit for Arts and Letters with the rank of Knight, and he has a very large audience in Asia and all over the world as in Indian circles in expatriates, and he is described as one of the most successful movie stars in the scientist.
But why does Khan have so much love and “reverence” for the masses?
The answer is that the reasons are emotional and romantic, much the same as the themes of most of his films: SRK has presented India and the South Asian subcontinent in his films, and represented them at their best.
In SRK’s work, we see this region as a flourishing place of pluralism and humanity, one that can make fun of its reality without provoking anger or religious fanaticism.
photo released, Getty Images
For millions of Indians, Shah Rukh Khan remains today, in person and career, as the symbol that sums up the story of the country’s economic growth.
Shah Rukh Khan’s appearance on the cinema screen in the 1990s coincided with the time when India began to gain its presence in the arena of the global economy. The success of his career and his rise as a popular star coincided with the growth and development of the economy in his country.
At that time, as part of a series of reforms in the Indian market, the country opened the telecom sector to foreign investment, which allowed new media networks to emerge and operate in India.
These channels allowed Shah Rukh Khan’s films, songs and interviews to reach a very wide range of people while they were inside their homes, to a degree that exceeded what was available to any famous star who preceded him in time.
With India heading for more economic liberalization, soft drinks and new cars suddenly entered the country’s markets, and the corporate owners partnered with Khan as their brand ambassador.
In this sense, SRK’s rapid rise from a humble family in Delhi to a world-famous figure is also the astonishing success story of neo-liberalism in India, and a vivid example of how to “reach” the top without influential family origins, or public support. The path of private relationships. Shah Rukh Khan’s stature has grown along with the growth of India’s economy.
With the rise of the religious right, Shah Rukh Khan has also become a symbol of the inclusive and progressive past, which many Indians are trying to hold on to.
photo released, Getty Images
Shah Rukh Khan has millions of fans all over the world
Critics of the current government say intolerance is on the rise under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government, which is widely accused of marginalizing India’s Muslims.
Last year, Aryan Khan, the son of the Bollywood star, was arrested and charged with being involved in a drug case. He was eventually acquitted, but many felt that the attempt to get the young man into the case was intended to target SRK personally, India’s most successful Muslim icon.
SRK has often made thoughtful comments regarding Indian pluralism, and has played more Muslim characters in his films than most of his contemporaries.
But his fans refuse to reduce Shah Rukh Khan to his religious identity, and instead see him as wise, intelligent and successful, in addition to being attractive and sexy to a wide section of the audience.
Discussing the malicious right-wing fanatic’s attempts to take down SRK and his mixed-religious family – his wife is Hindu – a young fan among those I interviewed said: “He’s a secular person, but he’s also very attractive and sexy.”
But most importantly, SRK has always represented in the roles played by the human fragility within, the fragility that we all share as human beings.
Shah Rukh Khan usually chooses in his films to portray sensitive or fragile characters, he is the fragile lover, the fragile hero, the fragile husband, or the fragile Muslim. Even a fragile villain. The characters he embodies are rarely of men who feel comfortable with themselves and their surroundings.
photo released, Getty Images
The insecurities experienced by SRK’s on-screen characters have evolved over the course of his three-decade career. His roles often depict men who are emotionally deprived, unable to fully feel loved, and at the same time unable to overcome their need to find love.
SRK is also the South Asian romantic superhero and the model for all romance films.
The data shows that his characters interact with women much more than the characters performed by other Bollywood stars. But the love that Shah Rukh Khan characters seek is not only the traditional between women and men, they are characters who desperately seek love and recognition from parents, friends and citizens of the country.
photo released, Archyde.com
Shah Rukh Khan is known as the ‘King of Romance’
The men in Shah Rukh Khan’s roles are deeply touched by how each other looks at them, and shed many, many, many tears. Filmmakers often point to SRK’s ability to cry, and at that he is better than most actors in the world.
His touching, tearful human scenes have won him the hearts of countless fans.
photo released, YRF PR
He also never presented in his roles the character of the “masculine macho”, but rather the sensitive man who adores deeply. One of his fans said, “We love him for his love of women!”
In addition to his roles in films, his television interviews and public speaking have further emphasized his humility and humor.
There are many of his urban elite fans who are more interested in following his interviews than his films.
These interviews and media talks are arguably the actor’s best performance to date: his own model of an uncompromising, middle-class star.
photo released, Getty Images
Khan has created an outstanding public figure, in which a singularity of arrogance and poise is deliciously combined, one who will forever charm us with moments of self-disclosure followed by self-deprecation and sharp, erudite sarcasm.
And Khan is a heavy smoker, can seem rude, self-aware, funny, and you can never get bored with him. He goes from giving wise advice regarding a precarious financial situation or troubled friendships to making very funny jokes regarding getting old, working in the film industry, or regarding his sexuality.
And in all his sayings and jokes, both regarding himself and regarding the world, there is always a hint of a hard-working man who cares deeply regarding his profession, and who enjoys laughing and making fun of himself.
In a world whose reality is harsh and nothing is certain in it, the imaginary characters presented by Khan remain admirable and intimidating, as well as a means of entertainment and escape from reality.
After a period of hiatus, Khan is back on the screen with three mega hits to come in 2023.
Although his fans are very excited and anticipating, they are also concerned regarding the extremist Yemeni campaigns on social media, which are calling for a boycott of Muslim stars and Bollywood versions.
photo released, Getty Images
As mainstream politics becomes increasingly divisive, SRK’s ability to unite so many of us is even more apparent in the smiles he brings to our faces and the stories his characters keep us eager to follow.
I can’t wait another thirty years to see what the iconic SRK can achieve. Our shattered culture desperately needs his satirical jokes, his arms wide open.
