Shah Rukh Khan

Shah Rukh Khan (born 2 November 1965) is an Indian actor and film producer whose work in Hindi cinema spans more than 90 films. Widely called "King Khan", he has won a National Film Award and 15 Filmfare Awards. The Government of India gave him the Padma Shri, and France has honoured him with the Order of Arts and Letters and the Legion of Honour. He also co-chairs the production company Red Chillies Entertainment.

Early life and background

Khan was born in New Delhi. He spent his first five years in Mangalore and then grew up in the Rajendra Nagar area of Delhi. He went to St. Columba's School and then took a bachelor's degree in economics at Hansraj College, University of Delhi. During his college years he trained in acting at the Theatre Action Group under the director Barry John. He started a master's degree in mass communication at Jamia Millia Islamia but left it to concentrate on acting.

Career

Television and film debut (1988–1992)

Khan first became known on television. His screen debut was the 1989 army-training series Fauji, in which he played the lead, Abhimanyu Rai. He followed it with Circus and the miniseries Idiot. In 1991 he moved to Mumbai, and he made his film debut in Deewana (1992). The film was a hit and won him the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut.

Anti-heroes and romantic stardom (1993–2003)

Early on, Khan made his name with darker parts. He played a murderer in Baazigar and an obsessive lover in Darr (both 1993), and Baazigar won him his first Filmfare Award for Best Actor. A year later, Anjaam earned him the Filmfare award for Best Performance in a Negative Role.

With Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) he became Hindi cinema's best-known romantic lead. The film has run longer than any other in Indian cinema history. More hits followed, among them Dil To Pagal Hai (1997), Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), Mohabbatein (2000) and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001). In 1999 he co-founded the production company Dreamz Unlimited with Juhi Chawla and Aziz Mirza. He played the title role in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Devdas (2002), which won ten Filmfare Awards and was nominated for a BAFTA.

Red Chillies and range (2004–2014)

In 2004 Khan and his wife Gauri turned Dreamz Unlimited into Red Chillies Entertainment. That year he starred in Main Hoon Na, Veer-Zaara and Swades, in which he played a NASA scientist. Swades brought him another Best Actor award. He played a hockey coach in Chak De! India and a reincarnated star in Om Shanti Om (both 2007). For My Name Is Khan (2010) he won his eighth Filmfare Best Actor award, equalling Dilip Kumar's record in that category. He moved into science fiction with Ra.One and action with Don 2 (both 2011). After that he scored large commercial hits with Chennai Express (2013) and Happy New Year (2014).

Setbacks and a break (2015–2022)

The following years were mixed. Dilwale (2015) made money, but Fan (2016), Jab Harry Met Sejal (2017) and Zero (2018) did not perform as expected. After Zero, Khan took a four-year break from leading roles. In 2022 he appeared only in extended special roles, in Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva and Rocketry: The Nambi Effect.

Resurgence (2023–present)

Khan returned in 2023 with the spy thriller Pathaan and Atlee's Jawan. Each film grossed more than ₹10 billion worldwide, which made him the first Indian actor with two films above that mark. Jawan also brought him his first National Film Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. He ended the year with Rajkumar Hirani's Dunki, a third commercial success.

Selected filmography

• 1989 — Fauji (TV) — Abhimanyu Rai
• 1992 — Deewana — Second male lead
• 1993 — Baazigar — Anti-hero lead
• 1995 — Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge — Young non-resident Indian
• 1997 — Dil To Pagal Hai — Rahul
• 1998 — Kuch Kuch Hota Hai — College student
• 2002 — Devdas — Devdas
• 2004 — Swades — NASA scientist
• 2007 — Chak De! India — Kabir Khan
• 2010 — My Name Is Khan — Rizwan Khan
• 2023 — Pathaan — Exiled field agent
• 2023 — Jawan — Dual role (father and son)

Awards and honours

• National Film Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role — Jawan
• 15 Filmfare Awards, including eight for Best Actor: Baazigar, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Dil To Pagal Hai, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Devdas, Swades, Chak De! India and My Name Is Khan
• Padma Shri (2005)
• Order of Arts and Letters (2007) and Chevalier of the Legion of Honour (2014), from the Government of France
• Five honorary doctorates, among them from the University of Edinburgh and La Trobe University

Recent and upcoming work

Khan's next film is Siddharth Anand's action film King, due in 2026, in which he stars alongside his daughter Suhana. He also keeps up the television hosting and stage work he has done for years, alongside his role at Red Chillies Entertainment.

Khan married Gauri Chibber in 1991, and the couple have three children.