Shah Rukh Khan at 60 still reigns: A people's King for every generation

How do you know that you are ageing? Apart from constant back pains and weaker eyesight, the reminder comes when your screen idol reaches a milestone year. Shah Rukh Khan is now 60, and for a generation —the millennials —who grew up watching his films and idolising him, it is a subtle nudge that the beautiful childhood years are now considered retro by the newer generation. For about a week now, as WION’s Entertainment team churned out throwback stories on Shah Rukh Khan, celebrating his 60th birthday, it has been a trip down memory lane. Of his movies, charm, charisma and what makes him a bona fide superstar.

At 60, people tend to retire. In India, you are officially part of the senior citizen club at that age. Just a few weeks ago, SRK unwillingly came into focus thanks to his angry fans. The audio teaser of Sandeep Vanga Reddy’s Spirit was unveiled, and there Prabhas was called India’s biggest superstar- a phrase that irked many loyal SRK fans. Could the last few box office hits of the South actor replace the Bollywood Badshah from his coveted position? YouTube debates ensued, camps were divided, and many pointed out that while Khan had a great outing at the movies in 2023, several years preceding were dismal. The man was on a break for four years, reassessing his choice of films, keeping a low profile, and dealing with a huge personal crisis right under the public eye. Meanwhile, his contemporaries and juniors delivered box office hits. Some blind columns also alleged that the Spirit teaser made SRK’s PR team work overtime to churn out stories about the actor’s evergreen superstar status. But does Shah Rukh Khan, one of the most prominent Indian names in the world, need PR to counter a three-film-old director’s claim?

PR king or People’s king?

Khan has often been called a smart or clever businessman and for his ability to keep his image relevant. Not just through cinema, the brand Shah Rukh Khan has been sold to us through commercials, TV shows, public appearances, and even controversies. But Khan is above all calculated PR campaigns and machineries. A day before his birthday, I happened to watch Om Shanti Om in a south Delhi theatre. Farah Khan’s film, which featured Khan and Deepika Padukone, is part of the SRK Film Festival that is showcasing 7 of his films again in theatres. The afternoon show that I went to was housefull, and my friend and I got seats only in the front row. The audience did not only comprise millennials like us, but also Gen Z, a young audience who sang and danced along with the King as he appeared shirtless to Dard-e-disco or serenaded Padukone in Dhom Tana. Couples finished dialogues before he said it on screen, and almost every scene was welcomed with cheers and hoots. This could not be PR driven. It is impossible to orchestrate such a reaction for a film that is now 17 years old.

The overwhelming response to the festival has also prompted the multiplex chain to add more shows of his films, Om Shanti Om included.

Relevance of Shah Rukh Khan at 60

As a film critic and a long-standing fan of the actor, I have to admit, several of Khan’s films in the last decade felt jaded. Sure, his charisma and charm made me watch all of them, but I didn’t swoon over him and many of these films did not leave a lasting impression on me. I thought I had grown up and, since now exposed to all kinds of cinema, had developed more objectivity. But looking back at 2023, and the stupendous year that Khan had, I realise it was a passing phase. Khan never really left the stage. He was at the wings, reassessing and observing and taking calculated steps.

The audience reaction that I got to witness firsthand while watching Om Shanti Om is a testament to the fact that the man is for all ages. The enormous crowd that gathers every year outside Mannat on his birthday indicates that the man is the undisputed king. His National Award win feels like a personal victory for all. The way the audience with vengeance, watched Pathan in theatres multiple times, to counter his trolls, shows how loyal his fans are to him and will remain so. Shah Rukh Khan may have debuted in the 1990s and was loved by a generation who are now approaching (or turned) forty’s but that man remains a favourite for all age groups.

There is something about SRK that everyone can relate to. His self-deprecatting humour, his stand on politics, his ability to rise every time he is pulled back by his critics- the man knows how to inspire and be a role model to everyone.

Just a few hours back, the teaser of King- SRK’s next was unveiled. Makers promised to show a ‘new’ Shah Rukh Khan sporting grey hair and looking suave. On screen, he may be doing somersaults and taking on men double his size like he has done in many of his previous films, but he seems to be owing his age, sporting the grey stylishly, teasing fans for a thrilling ride ahead. King title reveal: Makers give sneak peek of a 'new' Shah Rukh Khan | Watch

His fans will age with time. But Shah Rukh Khan will remain the people’s King for generations to come.