What’s so special about Shah Rukh Khan? Let me count the ways – he came out of nowhere, established his own empire and has shown no signs of stopping. Erm... That should be enough I believe, no... Well, how about the fact that with his wealth capped at $600 million he’s ranked the second richest actor in the world. Still not satisfied. Okay. Look at those abs. Which other 48-year-old man has that kind of super awesome muscle tone. And, mind you, he hasn’t been a gym hound like some others but has taken up body sculpting only in his 40s. Cool isn’t it? Cool. Or rather the king of cool. That’s one way to describe SRK. He knew what was cool and went ahead to achieve, to acquire, to become that. He realised that Darth Vader was more cool than Han Solo, so he embraced the dark side to emerge as the coolest anti-hero this side of the multiverse in films like Darr and Baazigar. He realised Indian youth were becoming more aware of global fashion, so out went dress dadas and PYT stylists joined his brigade, dressing him up in designer labels from across the world. Soon, everyone followed suit. Pun intended. He knew the NRIs yearn to get a feel of the pind that they left behind. That gave birth to all those movies where the sarson fields intermixed with the fragrant tulip farms of Belgium, lassi and pinot noir intermingled into a fine cocktail of Western finesse and Eastern ethics. Everyone was a winner, it was all about loving your family and it was okay to marry your best friend. He also jumped onto the sports bandwagon before anyone else did and used his charisma and marketing skills to make sure his Kolkata Knight Riders were a team worthy of kings.
But apart from all this, he’s special because beneath all this rich facade, he remains the fresh-faced Delhi boy with unlimited dreams in his eyes. He knows his flaws and he accepts them. Who has learnt to embrace his loneliness and his chronic insomnia and learnt to live with it. In one of his interviews, he said he told his children he wanted to throw a party and call all his friends. His children pointed out that he didn’t have any friends... Which other superstar would share such an intimate detail with so much candour? He’s dared to put himself right up there, all raw and ready to be carved, to be served to the world... and he’s laughing about it while he’s doing it.
Here’s wishing a glorious birthday to someone who remains the most special man on earth for me personally, for various reasons known and unknown, and for Filmfare as well. Jiyo hazaron saal... and may your verve and passion increase a thousandfold every year...