Shah Rukh Khan is the King of Romance. But films like Swades, Chak De India, and My Name Is Khan changed the trajectory of his career, proving why SRK goes beyond love stories.
In 2004, Shah Rukh Khan had just delivered hits like Veer-Zaara, Chalte Chalte and for that matter, even Devdas, all of which released within a span of a year or two, each one presenting a different emotion of love. In short, SRK was at his peak of being Bollywood’s King of Romance. Then in 2004, he chose to appear in plain shirt-pant, oiled hair, trying to find his roots and learning much from his Kaveri Amma. This was the year of Swades that probably altered the trajectory of Khan’s filmography. Ashutosh Gowariker had managed to present SRK not as Raj or Rahul, but Mohan Bhargav in a film that was everything but romance. And the movie redefined the course of his career. This was Shah Rukh Khan beyond romance!
Shah Rukh Khan – King of Romance
What Aditya Chopra had succeeded in achieving with Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), Karan Johar cemented that with Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) – of putting SRK into the mould of an absolute epitome of love stories. No fan complained, as we found a dimpled face that could light a thousand candles with his shy smile, spread arms and a sheer look with the depths of those eyes. Shah Rukh Khan was ruling Bollywood, as more romantic blockbusters followed – Dil To Pagal Hai, Mohabbatein, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Kal Ho Naa Ho and many more. However, for the critics, Khan had gotten into a mould.
Swades broke the mould
Swades initially failed to strike a chord. Many deemed it experimental, others were not ready to see SRK in a non-glam avatar, who preaches the real lesson of Ramayan, sets up a hydroelectric power generation facility, reconnects with his village roots, woos a local teacher, and refuses to return to NASA. It took Swades several years to find its audience and become a classic cinema.
Hitting the ball beyond love stories
Shah Rukh Khan yearned for more, to challenge his own typecast image of a romantic. He then did a film in 2007 that had a dozen women, but again, no romance track. Chak De India! SRK played a middle-aged man, a mentor, a hockey coach, who was back in an unshaved, non-manicured look, trying to push an impossible team towards World Cup victory. This one hit the bull’s eye, as the audience started believing in his conviction towards breaking the clutter.
Different shades of Khan
By the time 2010 came, even his close friend Karan Johar started believing in SRK’s craft. The two made My Name Is Khan, where KJo got both his favourites, Khan and Kajol, doing something very different from what we’d expect from a Dharma film. This was a new dawn for even Johar that opened doors for Dharma 2.0 storytelling.
SRK’s Rizwan Khan was an autistic Muslim who embarks on a journey across the United States to meet the President after his Hindu wife, suffers from Islamophobic discrimination in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. “My name is Khan, and I’m not a terrorist” was not just Rizwan’s entire fix, but a huge statement in terms of the socio-political scenario the world was facing following the dreadful incident. For any other actor, it would’ve been a risk to sign such a subject. But SRK used his brand and position with utmost caution and sincerity to win the hearts, and even awards.
