Shahrukh Khan is the only proverbial outsider who has made it huge in the big and complicated world of Hindi Films and still rules the Box Office. He is a global icon who has achived great heights in the film industry in a very short span of time. He is popularly known as King Khan who has been successful in holding on to the top rank for a decade now.
Shahrukh was at the forefront of the Bollywood explosion, when he just entered the industry. Over the years, the hits piled up and Shah Rukh became an incredibly successful, money-generating actor. He was the emblem of a new India and acquired countless fantasies across the generations. In 2005, the Indian government officially conferred on him the status of model citizen. Shah Rukh was also given the Padma Shri, the country`s fourth-highest civilian award, as recognition of his distinguished service in the performing arts. In January 2007, it was declared that Shah Rakh would be immortalized in wax at the Madame Tussauds museum in London. He was the third Bollywood actor re-created in wax, after the legend Amitabh Bachchan and actress Aishwarya Rai. And many other statues of actors have been created at Madame Tussauds ever since.
Shah Rukh Khan never tried to perish his older characters to recreate a new image, but gave innovative shades to his characters that touched the hearts of the viewers. Shah Rukh, the iconic Indian romantic hero is Bollywood`s ideal husband, ideal son, ideal boyfriend and also as an ideal father. Staring his journey in teleserials Shah Rukh Khan gradually became a global icon.
As a global icon Shahrukh once again proved that popularity of Hindi films did not only depend on the script but also the cast and indeed on "Jodi". After the release of films like Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, this message was even clearer and the duo Kajol- Shah Rukh became a name; an emblem of Bollywood cinema.
After the release of films like Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, it was clear that the popularity of Hindi films did not only depend on the script but also the cast. Kajol and Shahrukh was eventually said to be the most happening on screen couple. More films came up with this hot and happening duo, like Karan Arjun, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Kabhi Khusi Kabhi Gham. In 1997, at the insistence of Aditya Chopra, Yash Chopra opened a distribution office in the U.K. Their first release, Dil To Pagal Hai, netted around Å“1 million. No Indian film had done even a quarter of this business before. A year later, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai opened at the office in the U.S., this even broke DDLJ`s record, grossing over $7 million worldwide. In South Africa, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai brought quite a good business while making Shahrukh Khan a global icon.
Believing in himself, Shahrukh Khan has created a magnanimous space for his fan following; he knows that they will love him not because he is the King Khan but because he makes them laugh at any possible situation - that is the true definition of a performer.
