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Talk of intelligence, wit and perception, and the name that stays afloat is of Shah Rukh Khan. Living Life King Size always, this King of Bollywood is known for his audience reach and immense people’s connect. Be it his professional or personal side, Shah Rukh, the person has always scored over Shah Rukh, the actor. But it was just the leveler of 40 when Shah Rukh, the man who remained free from all link ups and controversies, became the major talk point of each debate and each Bollywood fight that followed suit.
While a major chunk of the audience love Shah for his real persona and charm, there are many who are obnoxious to his ever-growing attitude and egoistic pomp. Lets do a Koimoi post mortem:
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Playing the role of an autistic Rizwan Khan, driving a specially challenged character to utmost divinity and glory, Shah Rukh might had won hearts with his apt presentation of the angst and agony that plagued the Muslim community at large post the 9/11 attacks. But what seemed to be fallout between the BCCI and the Pakistani players, resulting in some important players being chalked off from SRK’s Kolkata Knight Riders, led to a controversy at the national level. Somehow lenient to the neighboring country, Shah Rukh questioned the ban on the Pakistani players; leading to nationwide uproar, enraging a battlefield with the Bal Thackeray led Shiv Sena. My Name is Khan suffered the biggest jolt with the film being banned all over Mumbai, except a few anticipated gatherings in some multiplexes that defied the orders. Shah Rukh might have moved on, but an apology from his side wasn’t necessarily the solution.
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My name is Khan and I am not a terrorist was all that Shah Rukh could say to US officials when he was detained, not once but twice at American airports. While one might have come across as a promotional activity to boat My Name is Khan, based on similar line, Shah Rukh underwent the pathos yet again last year when he was anointed as the speaker for the Yale University. While he was detained and question for over two hours at Newark airport, it was Congress MP Rajeev Shukla’s statement that freed him from necessary embarrassment. On the records, Shah Rukh even went to relive the moment recalling how he felt like a terrorist and was upset at the way he was insulted.
Two friends turned foes when a certain Mr. Shah Rukh Khan reportedly passed some snide remarks to a certain Salman Khan, ticking him off his radar. Salman lost his cool henceforth and so did Shah Rukh, and what led was an ugly spat that continues till date. While Shah Rukh enjoys mimicking and making fun of Salman publicly even now, Salman brushes aside any questions on his Karan-Arjun counterpart. Even a public apology on Koffee with Karan didn’t come to help for Shah, it seems! With such media attention on both the Khans’ moves, is it time that they chest pump and patch up? Given the fact that even Salman stood up for Shah Rukh’s dignity on reality shows like Bigg Boss, a friendship might just be on its way to rekindle.
Friends from ages, Farah Khan and Shah Rukh were fond of each other from times when no one had made their presence felt in the industry. When muh-boli behen Farah decided to don the director’s chair it was his ever understanding friend Shah Rukh Khan to take her ship across. Delivering back to back blockbusters together, the Farah-Shah Rukh pair gained momentum until an unwanted dispute over a film created a crack in their friendship pot. With Shah Rukh continuously procrastinating Farah’s ‘Happy New Year’ and refusing ‘Tees Maar Khan’, calling the film a ‘loose plot’, Farah lost her cool and unabashedly went on to sign Akshay in her film, much like her brother Sajid Khan. The film tanked at the box office and it was a disaster that the world would not witness in the coming century, hopefully. But the gap and animosity between Farah and Shah Rukh was palpably visible in the way the two ignored commenting on each other but it was just Gauri and Karan’s intervention that lead to another filmi patch up of sorts.
Agneepath was declared a super hit, and Sanjay Dutt’s Kancha Cheena was menacing as over. Those were reasons enough for Sanju baba throwing a lavish party at his place. With Shah Rukh’s increasing closeness to B-Town’s Khalnayak, his invitation to the party wasn’t quite of a shocker. But the Shah Rukh who greeted the media elegantly before entering the party arena was not the same that came out in front of the paparazzi. Unnerve, drunk and miles away from the epitome of humility that Shah Rukh is, this man bloated and was accused of physically man handling and slapping his then-one-time friend Farah Khan’s husband Shrish Kunder. While Shirish, passed some foul comments on SRK’s Ra.One and stalked him all the time at the party, even passing some lewd remarks against him, it was the angry Shah Rukh that knocked him down. Though Farah Khan’s husband got newly famous as the man-slapped-by-Shah-Rukh, this incident stands as a perfect testimony to the ever growing attitude and pompousness flaming within our otherwise cool-headed favourite romantic hero.
Shah Rukh Khan, the IPL franchise owner got into deep trouble initially with his smoking habits during a match in Jaipur last year but what followed suit was a controversy on a mammoth platform that fetched immense negativity and liable for the superstar. While Shah Rukh’s bad mouth and hurling abuses did come as a shocker, what took the nation with a storm was the way Shah Rukh, the once modest and down to Earth celebrity was falling prey to a mid life crisis, as was deemed by many reportages. The feud resulted in Shah Rukh getting banned from the stadium, with the nation getting divided into two sections: one that stood by him and one that did not. But Shah Rukh’s foul temper made him steadily lose the crown that he once enjoyed without much of a competition.
Shah Rukh’s infamous article on being a Muslim created a national stir when his alleged statements were considered blasphemous to the nation’s secular nature. To add much to his pangs, were comments flooded from Pakistani officials who even briskly asked Shah Rukh to shift to Pakistan as India would not be able to give him ample protection of sorts. Shah Rukh, the secularist in true form was upset being targeted for the same and he retracted and shunned all his critics with a powerful speech. Though this had very little of a fault, if any on Shah Rukh’s part, the controversy was one that caused a national upsurge right at the beginning of 2013. While some proposed Shah Rukh to leave India and emigrate to Pakistan, others who understand the difference between being a Muslim and being an Indian strengthened the actor.
While the world is not filled with Perfect Individuals and each one has their own share of Positives blended with their Negatives, Shah Rukh the actor might well be on a decline, but we wish Shah Rukh, the Human Being lasts fresh forever and basks in the same appreciation and applause for his grounded and earthy nature. Hopefully the warrior within SRK won’t sink so easy!
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