The head of state was known for his hardline stance on national protests and nuclear talks
mena4 hours ago
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 |
The head of state was known for his hardline stance on national protests and nuclear talks
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