Shah Rukh Khan, the heartthrob of the nation and one of the most enduring superstars of Indian cinema, is often hailed as the ultimate embodiment of stardom. But what might surprise many is that he never actually planned to act in films. In a rare interview with Lehren Retro, given early in his film career when only three of his movies had released, he spoke candidly about how his entry into the film industry happened purely by chance.
“That show Fauji came out and became popular. People liked me in it. After that, I started getting film offers, but I was not at all interested in doing films, so I didn’t want to take them up,” he recalled. “At the time, I was also pursuing my master’s degree in Mass Communication, so I had no interest in films. Then I did another TV show, Dil Dariya, followed by a serial called Umeed that came from Bombay, and then Circus. After that, people started calling me in Delhi saying films were being made in Bombay. Heema ji called, Sippy saab also spoke to me, so I came to Bombay and signed five films, three of which have already released. It was just an experiment, I thought I’d do films for one year and see what happens.”
Despite the modesty in his words, Shah Rukh Khan’s early foray into films quickly turned into a meteoric rise, one that would eventually reshape Bollywood’s leading man archetype. In the same conversation, Shah Rukh also addressed comparisons made between him and his contemporaries, Aamir Khan and Salman Khan, both of whom had already established themselves in the industry when SRK made his debut.
“That never crossed my mind at all. Mr. Salman Khan is easily the biggest star ever. Mr. Aamir Khan, I personally feel, is the finest actor in the country,” he said. “Putting it politely, I’ve made my own place. Some people very impolitely say that I’ve replaced someone, which I think is completely wrong. Everyone has their own style of acting. And you see, an actor is not accepted because he is better than Salman, Aamir, or Ajay, but because he is unique, he has his own style. Let him also exist.”
Over three decades later, the so-called “triumvirate of Khans” — Shah Rukh, Aamir, and Salman, continues to reign over Bollywood alongside fellow veterans like Ajay Devgn and Akshay Kumar. All of them began their careers in the late ’80s or early ’90s and are still captivating audiences with their work.
