Shah Rukh Khan at 50

Superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who will be turning the half-century corner next month, is reinventing himself as an 'intelligent' actor, taking up off-beat roles that do justice to his acting chops

He's still capable of springing surprises, and that too of the pleasant kind. Anyone who has tracked the professional and private life of Shah Rukh Khan, cannot accuse him, at the very least, of being predictable.
In one breath, this Khan can say he doesn't believe in 'art cinema' although some of his initial batch of films were helmed by such off-mainstream filmmakers as Mani Kaul (who did an adaptation of Dostoevsky's The Idiot), Ketan Mehta (Maya Memsaab, a take on Gustave Flaubert's Madame Bovary), Pradip Krishen (SRK starred in his off-the-wall In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones), and Kundan Shah (whose Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa was not strictly 'mainstream').
In another breath, he will admit that these endeavours were responsible for clueing him into the craft of acting.
Either way, these films will be remembered as the top drawer actor's association with cinema of some sense and sensibility.
However, with super success, SRK vented that he couldn't quite understand what on earth he was doing in Idiot and that he was somewhat fazed when one of his most accomplished performances in Ashutosh Gowariker's Swades wasn't exactly a money-spinner.
No more of the unconventional stuff for him, he reiterated churlishly. And then - what do you know? - he's now in the throes of filming Raees (believed to be in the genre of Ram Gopal Varma's Satya), in a role which demands more realism than flights into a febrile fantasyland.
Indeed, one was worried when commerce seemed to be the only motivating force behind the Khan's choice of projects. The promos of Raees, directed by the socially concerned Rahul Dholakia, which went viral as soon as they were released, assert that he's back into an area of darkness. Commercially dicey maybe, but no pain, no fame.
After all, at the outset, those strong shades of grey in Baazigar, Darr and, to a degree, Anjaam - did garner Shah Rukh Khan an instantaneous fan base. His initial performances, like those of Amitabh Bachchan in Zanjeer and Deewar, have conveyed a kind of complexity that few Bollywood heroes have transmitted to the viewer.
Some of the earliest characterisa-tions of Bachchan and then of Shah Rukh Khan have been trend-setting in their own distinct ways. The men of frailties enacted by them didn't baulk at the idea of being 'human', so to speak. On their heels, practically every actor worth his sugar and salt - ranging from Govinda and Akshay Kumar to Ajay Devgn - have strived to be edgy and even nasty but never with the same intensity or impact.
Khan dared to be different, was adored - but, sadly, a stasis set in once the actor in him took a backseat to superstardom, which endemically kills an artiste's creative instincts. There's nothing left to prove, which is why, after Chak De! India, no SRK performance has qualified for that 'wow' effect. He was overshadowed by Deepika Padukone in Chennai Express. Even the patently inert Abhishek Bachchan scored over the Khan in Happy New Year. As for Ra:One, it was worth the price of a ticket only for its special effects. The bid at establishing himself as a superhero was in vain. Like it or not, by comparison, Hrithik Roshan has executed the gravity-defying stunts with more credibility in the Krrish series.

So, for a Shah Rukh Khan admirer like myself, it was serious cause for worry.

FILMS Film production: Red Chillies Entertainment (founded in 2002) Special Effects: VFX (a unique, state-of-the-art visual effects studio, Red Chillies VFX has brought Hollywood's slick sophistication to Indian cinema) Television Shows: Red Chillies Entertainment has spread its wings to the television industry with successful shows like Ishaan, Tere Mere Beach Mein (in photo), First Ladies With Abu Sandeep etc and telefilms like Like I Love You and Love Ho Jaane De Also, Red Chillies' TVC division produces commercials for global brands like Pepsi, Nokia, Hyundai, ITC and Emami.

SPORTS Kolkata Knight Riders: In 2008, Red Chillies introduced and bought the Kolkata Knight Riders cricket franchise in the Indian Premier League, promoted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India. Caribbean Premier League: According to reports, Red Chillies, along with Kolkata Knight Riders co-owners Juhi Chawla and her husband Jay Mehta, has invested in the Trinidad & Tobago franchise.

CHILDREN'S EDUCATION/ENTERTAIMENT KidZania: A stake in the Indian franchisee of KidZania, a Mexican chain of family entertainment centres.

At home, with SRK Mannat (above), his six-storied mansion in Bandra, Mumbai, that occupies over 26,000 sq ft of land A 14,000-sq ft signature villa in Palm Jumeirah, Dubai A house in Delhi An apartment in London

Fortunately, the actor in him appears to have resurfaced now. Besides Raees, he also has Fan on his slate, in which he is believed to play a schizophrenic. Since Fan is being directed by the sparkling Band Baaja Baaraat director Maneesh Sharma, the outcome is more than likely to be several cuts above the commonplace.
Another surprise: Shah Rukh has repaired whatever personal differences he may have had with his one-time bestie. Reportedly, Karan Johar has convinced him to accept a project with Alia Bhatt as the leading lady, to be directed by English-Vinglish director Gauri Shinde. Alia Bhatt and Shah Rukh Khan? An odd pair, in the mould of Humbert Humbert-Lolita. Or is the Khan playing an Uncle or Daddy to the 24-year-old Alia? The story is being kept under wraps. Much will depend, naturally, on the script and the emotive strength in the storytelling.
On November 2, Shah Rukh Khan, the Baadshah of Bollywood - a catchphrase which he has never disapproved of - will turn 50. Inevitably, he has to reinvent himself if he has to continue competing with Salman and Aamir Khan. To ace them, he has to belong to two disparate worlds: the brainless blockbusters as well as films that have a semblance of intelligence.
For Shah Rukh, a voracious reader with a high IQ quotient besides being endowed with a wicked sense of humour in real life, a new innings could be just around the corner.  
Real-life nuggets on the reel-life hero
. A gizmo-holic, Shah Rukh Khan, was the first one in Bollywood to acquire himself a Kindle to read the books he's ever wanted to as a kid. He showed it off with child-like glee to me, and offered to get me one from London. Being a devotee of books as they were originally meant to be read - on paper and in print - here was an offer I could refuse without thinking twice. Incidentally, Douglas Adams' sci-fi comedy book, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, is his favourite read - a book he possesses in several editions.
. A huge wing in his sprawling home, Mannat, houses practically every costume he has ever worn in the movies. He is extremely sentimental about the outfits designed for him, but is not too picky about his everyday wear, which means jeans and tees, in solid black and whites, albeit designer. Of late, he can be extremely finicky about the clothes he wears on screen, and can also get peevish if, before giving a shot, it looks as if he's having a bad hair day.
. A workaholic, the only indulgence he allows himself are long hours (two to three hours, at least) in the bathtub, where he reads, answers SMS messages (if he wants to reply to them. if he doesn't, that means he isn't interested in responding) and has, of late, changed his number to one perilously close to that of filmmaker Shyam Benegal. On being dialled by mistake, Benegal, more amused than bugged, said that he has to "convince his lady fans that I'm not a superstar."
. There was a time when he would fix his appointments with journalists himself. Now, it has to be his PR agents who take the calls and decisions, except on the eve of the release of a new film, when it becomes a free-for-all, either at Mannat or at a hotel venue. A glib talker and fluent writer, he has innumerable books inside him but still has to complete an autobiography of his initial days in Bollywood. He's been at this potential mega-bestseller for almost 20 years now.
. An ageing American couple, living in the vicinity of Washington DC, believes Shah Rukh could be a reincarnation of their son whom they lost on the warfront. They watch all his films repeatedly, and are especially fond of Paheli. Through a friend, they requested him for a signed poster of Paheli. He sent them a dozen signed posters personally.

Khalid Mohamed

• khalid@khaleejtimes.com