Shah Rukh Khan^[a] (pronounced [ˈʃaːɦɾʊx xäːn] ^ⓘ; born 2 November 1965), also known by the initialism SRK, is an Indian actor and film producer who works in Hindi cinema. Referred to in the media as the “Baadshah of Bollywood” and “King Khan”,^[b] he has appeared in more than 100 films, and earned numerous accolades, including 14 Filmfare Awards. He has been awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India, as well as the Order of Arts and Letters and Legion of Honour by the Government of France. Khan has a significant following in Asia and the Indian diaspora worldwide. In terms of audience size and income, several media outlets have described him as one of the most successful film stars in the world.^[c] Many of his films thematise Indian national identity and connections with diaspora communities, or gender, racial, social and religious differences and grievances.

Khan began his career with appearances in several television series in the late 1980s and made his Bollywood debut in 1992 with the musical romance Deewana. He was initially recognised for playing villainous roles in the films Baazigar (1993) and Darr (1993). Khan established himself by starring in a series of top-grossing romantic films, including Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), Dil To Pagal Hai (1997), Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), Mohabbatein (2000), Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham… (2001), Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003), Veer-Zaara (2004) and Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006). He earned critical acclaim for his portrayal of an alcoholic in the period romantic drama Devdas (2002), a NASA scientist in the social drama Swades (2004), a hockey coach in the sports drama Chak De! India (2007), and a man with Asperger syndrome in the drama My Name Is Khan (2010). Further commercial successes came with the romances Om Shanti Om (2007) and Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008), and with his expansion to comedies in Chennai Express (2013) and Happy New Year (2014). Following a brief setback and hiatus, Khan made a career comeback with the 2023 action thrillers Pathaan and Jawan, both of which rank among the highest-grossing Indian films.

1988–1992: Television and film debut

Khan’s first starring role was in Lekh Tandon‘s television series Dil Dariya, which began shooting in 1988, but production delays led to the Raj Kumar Kapoor directed 1989 series Fauji becoming his television debut instead.^[41] In the series, which depicted a realistic look at the training of army cadets, he played the leading role of Abhimanyu Rai.^[42][43] This led to further appearances in Aziz Mirza‘s television series Circus (1989–90) and Mani Kaul‘s miniseries Idiot (1992).^[44] Khan also played minor parts in the serials Umeed (1989) and Wagle Ki Duniya (1988–90),^[44] and in the English-language television film In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones (1989).^[45] His appearances in these serials led critics to compare his look and acting style with those of the film actor Dilip Kumar,^[46] but Khan was not interested in film acting at the time, thinking that he was not good enough.^[44][47]

Khan changed his decision to act in films in April 1991,^[48] citing it as a way to escape the grief of his mother’s death.^[49] He moved from Delhi to Mumbai to pursue a full-time career in Bollywood and was quickly signed to four films.^[48] His first offer was for Hema Malini‘s directorial debut Dil Aashna Hai,^[34][42] and by June, he had started his first shoot.^[50] His film debut was in Deewana, which was released in June 1992.^[51] In it he starred alongside Divya Bharti as the second male lead behind Rishi Kapoor. Deewana became a box office hit and launched Khan’s Bollywood career;^[52] he earned the Filmfare Best Male Debut Award for his performance.^[53] Also released in 1992 were Khan’s first films as the male lead, Chamatkar, Dil Aashna Hai, and the comedy Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman, which was his first of many collaborations with the actress Juhi Chawla.^[54] His initial film roles saw him play characters who displayed energy and enthusiasm. According to Arnab Ray of Daily News and Analysis, Khan brought a new kind of acting as he was “sliding down stairs on a slab of ice, cartwheeling, somersaulting, lips trembling, eyes trembling, bringing to the screen the kind of physical energy … visceral, intense, maniacal one moment and cloyingly boyish the next.”^[55]

1993–1994: Negative characters

Among his 1993 releases, Khan garnered the most appreciation for portraying villainous roles in two box office hits: a murderer in Baazigar, and an obsessive lover in Darr.^[56] The former, in which Khan played an ambiguous avenger who murders his girlfriend, shocked Indian audiences with an unexpected violation of the standard Bollywood formula.^[57] In The Cambridge Companion to Modern Indian Culture, Sonal Khullar called the character “the consummate anti-hero“.^[58] His performance in Baazigar, which would be his first of many appearances with actress Kajol, won Khan his first Filmfare Award for Best Actor.^[59] In 2003, the Encyclopaedia of Hindi Cinema stated that Khan “defied the image of the conventional hero in both these films and created his own version of the revisionist hero”.^[59] Darr marked the first of Khan’s many collaborations with filmmaker Yash Chopra and his company Yash Raj Films. Khan’s stammering and the use of the phrase “I love you, K-k-k-Kiran” were popular with audiences.^[60] Malini Mannath of The Indian Express argued that he “walks away with the acting honours in yet another negative role”.^[61] For Darr he received a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role, also known as the Best Villain Award, but lost to Paresh Rawal for Sir.^[62] Also in 1993, Khan performed a nude scene with Deepa Sahi in Maya Memsaab, although parts of it were censored by the Central Board of Film Certification.^[63] The ensuing controversy prompted him to eschew such scenes in future roles.^[6