Whenever people think of Bollywood they think of Shah Rukh Khan. As he turns 60, we look at his journey that transformed him from a star to a cultural icon.
A self-made man with a humble middle-class background, carrying a deep sense of grief from the loss of his parents at a young age, he packed his bags chasing a dream and a girl with little money in his pocket. He not only ended up achieving his dreams but also ended up conquering an entire industry and the hearts of millions of people all over the world. Through his varied filmography and off the cuff wit displayed in his public persona he left an indelible mark on the collective psyche of an entire nation, a cultural impact that has lasted decades and will continue to define what film means for this country. He transcended the boundaries of stardom and transformed into an icon that reflected the hopes and aspirations of millions of people. Being the entire Indian film industry’s frontrunner for three decades, he has become synonymous with the country, its cinema and its people expanding India’s cultural imprint on the world map while strengthening his own clasp on the nation’s heart.
Shah Rukh anchors the Indian Identity in 1990’s
While most actors modulate their pitch and their accent to fit in to appease the Western audiences presenting themselves on the global stage, reflecting a post-colonial hangover and a quiet sense of inferiority complex, Khan stands straight without a crooked spine and unlike many Indian actors who gleefully bend down on their knees to worship them, Khan holds firm with a sense of pride and self-respect.
The person he would go on to become has its roots in the humble beginnings of his filmography in the 1990s when India grappled with economic turmoil opening its doors to globalization and therefore cultural flux, Shah Rukh became the screen’s moral anchor, reminding audiences of their values and identity in an era of uncertainties.
Amidst this, Shah Rukh’s films emerged as a beacon, addressing themes of morality, modernity, and cultural preservation. With Pardes, Yes Boss, and Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani, he did more than entertain; he helped shape the idea of Indianness, nationhood, and the Indian man at a time when the country was searching for its own reflection.
In Pardes, Mahima Chaudhary’s character, the female protagonist of the film sings a song on a metaphorical and literal global stage about her struggles of leaving her country behind, supported by the voice of Alka Yagnik, whose voice was the symbol of Indian femininity in the 90s. While her father-in-law, played by Amrish Puri, the archetypal masculine patriarch of 90s Indian cinema silently but in a glaringly obvious manner whispers “I love India”. When Shah Rukh steps in front of her, her demeanor brightens instantly, bringing an energy that had been sorely missing. Before his arrival, the performance felt like an obituary at a funeral, perhaps, in this moment, a metaphorical funeral for India itself.
Khan also plays the role of an underdog here much like India felt back in the 90s on the global stage. The antagonist, an NRI, embodies the wave of modernity and Western values that India embraced in the 90s. He mistreats his soon-to-be wife, Ganga, a name deliberately chosen to underscore her symbolic representation of India. The film moves its location to America along with its antagonist carefully curating all the wrongs India assumed about it back in the day. Ganga’s soon to be husband initiates intercourse with her only for her to refuse his advances in line with the Indian tradition of preserving one’s virginity till marriage. The man once again slanders not just her but the Indianness she represents. Shah Rukh takes a beating, rescues Ganga, the pride and reflection of India itself. With such films, Shah Rukh became the emblem of the country’s cultural values helping him gain traction as the nation’s primary film star.
Re-defining Indian Masculinity
The year 1997 marks the start of Khan following an age-old trusted pattern that he follows till this day, of getting beat up by the bad guys to garner the watcher’s sympathy only to overpower them in the end, successfully preserving the Indian culture and its values and emboldening the statement on the superiority of Indian masculinity. What sets him apart from his predecessors is that he did not assume an aura of violence and reflect the ideals of traditional masculinity often depicted in Hindi cinema but rather possesses a romantic nature and an emotional vulnerability previously unseen in the likes of Amitabh in Agneepath, Deewar and Trishool. Khan’s films made it acceptable for an Indian man to take a beating, get knocked down and make a comeback through an emotional conviction to finally stand as a victor and preserver of morality.
Once again he reincarnates as the underdog in the film Yes Boss set in the urban landscape amidst the onset of modernity in the country. It follows the same script as Pardes, where Khan posing as a sidekick of the richer, more affluent guy, “wins” the girl from the clutches of his boss. The boss in this instance, embodies all that the country thought wrong with the city life and modern office culture. Khan portrays a quintessential middle-class social climber who initially blends into the cutthroat corporate world but eventually pauses to reflect and takes a principled moral stand. A stand against success if it comes at the cost of values of goodness, a stand against his exploitative boss, symbolic of the ills of westernization and capitalism, all that modernity had brought into the country in the 90s. In this instance, he re-defines masculinity through a lens of morality. He ends up taking a beating from his boss in front of the love of his life, displaying a romantic vulnerability only to rise and redeem himself for being blind in chasing success. He never fights but always fights back, not to display his brawn but to display the strength of love. Yet again, he becomes the preserver of the nation’s cultural values helping him strike a chord with the common folk, who found themselves at the brink of confusion and change.
Shah Rukh’s Second Prime and his Enduring Legacy
Khan entered his second prime in the 2000s with films like Mohabbatein, Devdas, Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, Kal Ho Na Ho, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and became a cultural force to reckon with, expanding Indian cinema’s print on the global map. He did not stop and continued building his exceptional filmography with films like Don, Mai Hoon Na, Om Shanti Om and Chak De India.
Khan’s journey from a middle-class background to superstardom symbolizes meritocracy and upward social mobility, a powerful narrative not only during India’s economic liberalization but today as well. He has transcended the boundaries of superstardom with at least 30 iconic films under his belt, showcasing his range, garnering critical acclaim for films like Swades, My Name is Khan, Paheli and becoming a household name with films such as Baazigar, Baadshah and Darr.
Despite a string of box-office flops in 2010s, he made a strong comeback in his late 50s. But his legacy extends far beyond box-office statistics. It lies in his versatility, his ability to keep on reinventing himself as the industry and the audiences evolve. His longevity has only deepened his connection with the audiences and his place in the hall of fame of cinema has already been long secured.
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