“What Shah Rukh Khan Means To Me” – Koimoi Reader’s View

“Shah Rukh Khan; naam to suna hi hoga?”

Shah Rukh Khan. Even on its own as word, it has an incantatory power. The man, who has been the cynosure of all eyes ever since he stepped into the film industry. Almost in every home there is a wall with SRK’s poster. For the youth, he is an idol, and for a mom, he is the son she wished she could have. So, what is that makes Shah Rukh Khan a key member of every Indian family? Is it his evergreen humble nature or his acting which seems to get better and better with each passing year? Let us try and dig out the very reasons which have made SRK what he is today; the common man’s superhero!

Shah Rukh Khan may have inspired others to write poetry but he has till date acted in robust prose. Not for him the tenderness and fragility of the poet, the excitement of a leaf fluttering in a gentle breeze. SRK is the skyscraper that stands tall, the phoenix which rises from the ashes and the canon that booms. He is solid, hardworking and focused. God has created Shah Rukh Khan not just to act in movies but to give common people like us a peace of mind and joy in our life that no one else can provide. Something inexplicable, something divine, something beyond the unrealistic statistics and the plethora of adjectives used to define him describe SRK’s genius. Every action, every emotion of his has resonated with our heartbeats and his achievement with our glory. We have felt Shah Rukh Khan’s pain when he dealt with bruised body, battered soul and ungrateful critics with silence. My generation that was born around SRK’s debut has not experienced the dark era of India. All I have seen is resurgence and prosperity, with a share of trademark disparity and the fairy-tale career of SRK. His acting has weaved magic, and the country, so thirsty for some surreal entity, has found her solace. He has not only erased a million sorrows, he has breathed a fresh hope and pure joy in the average Indian’s life. His boyish charm, pure innocence and dreamy demeanour has mesmerised people all these years. In a nutshell, he can single handedly elevate the entire nation. That is his strength. That is his aura. It is not just about praising this man’s greatness it is about getting inspired by his good deeds. Yes, he is an inspiration, an inspiration to millions of Indians exhorting them to rise above mediocrity.

SRK is an inspiration, an inspiration to millions of Indians exhorting them to rise above mediocrity.

I am indeed lost for words trying to explain the genius, elegance and sheer power of one of the greatest actors ever born, Shah Rukh Khan. Those that aren’t Shah Rukh Khan fans struggle to fathom exactly what SRK means to so many millions. He is very much a part of the national consciousness. All those who criticise Shah Rukh bhai need to understand that SRK has to be “experienced”, not examined. Do that and you will know what this man is.

Shah Rukh Khan typifies the spirit of modern India. Born and bred in independent India, he is a product of confidence and exuberance. SRK does not act out of indignation or for indulgence. His aim is not domination in Bollywood but giving joy to his fans. SRK’s remarkable skills and constant striving for perfection has made him grow as an actor. In the fast-paced world of contemporary cinema, SRK has matched the zeitgeist with an appropriate repertoire. It is praiseworthy.

A SRK movie is so sublime an intersection of passion and skill that it might be said he brings a shine to his trophy cabinet!!! But, I do believe that No TV camera can even get close to showing the extent of SRK’s ambition; his ability to stretch possibilities with every single film. In Shah Rukh Khan’s life, which has been intensely public for over 20 years and consequently under relentlessly media scrutiny, his record is spotless. In this nasty and crooked environment, we have the life and times of SRK, which, according to me goes well beyond his movies.

Shah Rukh Khan’s head should be high in the sky, but it is firmly put at five feet eight inch from the ground. He is the most humble and honest guy. It is a frantic appeal by a nation to one man, asking him to keep doing what he does best; acting. SRK’s challenges flow, increasingly, from himself, finding new ambitions, new directions, staving off satiety. From his early days, he has done nothing to sully his innocence, nothing to deaden the impish joy, nothing to disrupt the infinite patience. This is indeed praiseworthy. To be a fan, to have watched SRK’s magic through my teenage life, to find that reliable, intimate familiarity. It has been bliss.

Thank you sir. When I go up there in heaven (presuming I do!), I would sit besides the Almighty and tell him with extreme pride and honour that, “Once upon a time in a magical and mysterious land of India, there lived a wizard so powerful, he could conquer the nation with his acting. He was Shah Rukh Khan.”

Beatles’ member John Lennon once said, “Before Elvis there was none”. To put it in Bollywood scenario “After SRK, there will be none.”

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