The gargantuan persona of Shah Rukh Khan is enough to cloud the judgement/analysis of anyone, who likes to have a keen eye on the way the megastar’s career has been so far spanning over three decades. It is easy to bask in the glory and glamour that SRK managed to bring in with a dream comeback (of sorts) in 2023 after a preceded lull of films that didn’t work and an unanticipated 4-year break. But what’s not easy is to sceptically wonder if SRK will ever be able to take risks again.
This isn’t about the man’s wide gamut of choices over the years but the fear of momentary success decimating the love for craft and memorable cinema. SRK is an institution itself when it comes to giving memories that literally become the reason for people’s introduction to and love for Hindi cinema. One might or might not be sold on the idea of romance in films like Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge among many more – but you can’t deny that not only were these films commercially viable but became a part of cinematic history in a way that cannot be replicated ever! And that’s just one genre we touch upon but then SRK made it a point to diverge from what he is primarily known for to other kinds of films – a choice that would have been questionable and risky as well.
What followed was a slew of films that did not shatter box office records but still made up for fascinating subjects that are now remembered by us for all the right reasons. Films like Swades, Chak De! India, Don: The Chase Begins Again, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, My Name Is Khan and even Ra. One and Don 2 among others reminded us that SRK is much more than a romance magic maker and his craft is unparalleled. Interestingly, the propeller for SRK to keep taking these risks was the fact that despite not being big record breakers per se, the majority of them were successful enough for him to maintain his superstardom and his acting prowess as well.
I mean, if the likes of films like Chak De! India, My Name Is Khan or Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi didn’t do well commercially, we wouldn’t have seen another set of bolder choices coming in ahead. Then followed a string of labelled failures like Fan, Jab Harry Met Sejal and Zero which in essence were relatively different choices from the usual but the failure of those perhaps had SRK questioning what is working and what isn’t.
Shah Rukh’s big break from movies served as a reminder for everyone as to what we miss about him – the sheer love and aura he exhibits on-screen. The big ‘switch’ to action got him unparalleled love and big moolah – just what the business needed. From being labelled a ‘saviour of the box office’ to ‘rising from the ashes’, terms and jargon were loosely used for him and to a large extent, rightfully so.
What is unfortunate in this glossy outlook is how and if these films will be memorable enough years down the line – one might argue that is only a question that can be answered in the future – but what doesn’t change is the organic nature of emotions and recall value – which films like Pathaan, Jawan and Dunki might not necessarily have.
That leads one to the million-dollar question – will we ever see an experimental SRK ever again? Will we ever see Shah Rukh Khan deciding to let go of his aura like he did for Swades or My Name Is Khan ahead? Will we see him pushing the envelope like he did with Ra. One or Zero? The addiction to success is worrisome and easily leads to anyone getting complacent and comfortable by bringing in tiny variations of the same, as long as it is working. But what’s encouraging is that if there is someone who isn’t the above – it is Shah Rukh Khan. Even at the peak of his success and popularity (which never died down by the way), he has proved he is capable of pirouetting to choices that are ‘out-of-the-box’, that might make for memorable cinema, even though he essentially doesn’t need to ‘prove’ any of that. And I sense We have only touched the tip of an iceberg of a set of films and characters that will redefine him and cinema for the ages. We love Shah Rukh Khan, period! Nothing changes that.
