The 'Rags To Riches' Story Of Shah Rukh Khan Who Turns 58 Today

The “Baadshah” of Bollywood is turning 58 today. Shah Rukh Khan, the biggest crowd puller in the history of Bollywood, celebrated his birthday with the iconic open arms, spreading his immense love for his fans. The star did not skip the ritual of meeting all his fans congregated outside Mannat (Mr. Khan’s home).

Every year, on Shah Rukh Khan’s birthday, thousands of fans would gather outside Mannat, hoping to get a glimpse of their “King”. B-Town stars rush in to wish their forever favourite star on his birthday. Responding to the sea of love in front of his home, Mr. Khan wrote on his X (former twitter) that he is just a “mere actor” who “live in a dream of your love”.

It’s unbelievable that so many of u come & wish me late at night. I am but a mere actor. Nothing makes me happier, than, the fact that I can entertain u a bit. I live in a dream of your love. Thank u for allowing me to entertain you all. C u in the morning…on the screen & off it

— Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) November 1, 2023

The “princess” Suhana Khan also wished her Papa on his birthday with cute pictures of them when she were younger.

“King Khan” can be called as the brand ambassador of “rag-to-riches”.  Hailed from Delhi, Mr. Khan started his on-camera career with TV show Fauji. Before that he used to work in theatre. Mr. Khan had said earlier that he was never interested in movies. But Abhimanyu Rai from Fauji stole the hearts of many, including film makers.

The global star lost his parents at very early age. He lost his father, Meer Taj Mohammed Khan to cancer. It was a sudden death. 10 years later, he lost his mother Latheef Fathima Khan, who was a magistrate. She also succumbed to death after a prolonged illness.

Having lost his father, the economic status of the family started going south. During his interviews, he said that he agreed to act in Fauji as he needed money for new home. From there on, Mr. Khan’s life was filled with dramatic events. Every turn he took, something big awaited him. Mr. Khan called his fame in movie industry as “instant popularity”.

Coming to Mumbai, Shah Rukh Khan signed 5 movies in a row. The five movies included his earlier works like Darr, Baazigar, and Anjaam. Mr. Khan appeared in the role of psychotic negative character in these movies. His portrayal of the inner mechanisms of psychopathic villainism was marvellous, and somehow, instead of feeling averted to the “villain”, the actor has charmed the audience to find explanation for the characters villainism than siding with the heroes. All the five movies were earlier rejected by the already “launched” super stars of B-Town.

King Khan’s language of love is what entranced the millions of fans around the globe towards him. From Aditya Chopra’s Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge onwards, the Baadshah has started a new brand of love and named it SRK. But ironic to his fame of being the romantic hero, Mr. Khan never liked love stories. He yearned for anti-hero characters.

The epic love story of Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan is another version of fairy tales. They met at a party when he was 18 and Gauri was 14. Talking about it, Mr. Khan said “my wife was the only girl who held talk with me for more than three seconds”. He said he was inspired by her and decided then and there that “she is the one”.

While participating in David Letterman’s ‘My Next Guest Needs No Introduction’, SRK revealed that Gauri once left him because of his toxic possessiveness. She came back to him one year after his mother’s death and talked about getting married.

When the newly wedded couple went to Mumbai, they could not afford to buy a decent apartment that won’t leak or basic furniture like bed. Once when his mother-in-law visited them in Mumbai, he promised her that he would by his young wife a “bungalow”. True to his words, the “Queen” is now at Mannat and they fondly call it Land’s End. The Khan family often find themselves as the talk of the town.

Everyone who met Mr. Khan cannot help saying “there is something special about him”. If asked what it is, many of them shrug their shoulders and say “don’t know”. They say it is hard to point it out. He said he himself do not understand the immense love he received from the foreign countries.

2023 has been a hit year for Mr. Khan. After two difficult years of with his dropping brand value and his son Aryan Khan getting apprehended for Mumbai cruise drug case, haters marked it as the end of Shah Rukh Khan era. But the “reigning monarch” came back with biggest bang reminding everyone who actually rules, with his two ginormous hits, Pathaan and Jawan. “King Khan” once again unlocked another level of victory. Riding high from the victory brought by Jawan, Shah Rukh Khan is getting ready to smash his own record with Dunki, which is helmed by Rajkumar Hirani. The movie is expected to hit theatres in December. As a birthday gift for his fans, Mr. Khan declared about the release of Jawan in Netflix with extended cut. 

The mystery behind people getting slanted towards the charismatic star is yet to be discovered. Shah Rukh Khan claims himself to be the “last of stars” and said he wanted to go “with a bang” when the time comes, and for him that time is at the age of 106.