Shah Rukh Khan is one of those rare film personalities who not only appeals to cineastes but also social scientists who want to analyse the times through the rise of SRK. He is somebody, who is not politically correct, one of the biggest brands of consumerism but still an enduring symbol of old world values – a family man who doesn't make it to gossip columns for his link-ups.
“Yes, this is an interesting dichotomy about SRK. He is a masaledar commodity who would stand in all his fineries to make a special quote on Diwali and will be equally cool about celebrating Valentine's Day. He reaches out to both Channel V and Star Plus kind of audience. It is a difficult thing to achieve and the market knows its value. Perhaps that's why he gets to sell Pepsi as well as Sona Chandi Chyawanprash,” says Mushtaq Shiekh, who has come out with his biography, “Shah Rukh Can”. Published by Om Books International, it captures Shah Rukh's early life, his theatre days and most importantly his thought process with amazing sincerity.
“People love to read biographies of people who have an inspiring tale. SRK's rise from nobody to superstardom has that ingredient. Today he is the man of the world but it was not always like that. I wanted to bring out his struggle to the top without a godfather. Yes, the lady luck was with him but a lot of hard work has also gone into the making of SRK.”
Mushtaq says as he went into the details of SRK's life he realised that he had that winning streak in him right from kindergarten. “His success in films is not a freak accident. Some of his school records still stand. Even if he would have been a doctor or a hockey player, he would have been at the top of the heap.”
According to Mushtaq, it is his education that gave this outsider an edge over his contemporaries. “He is not only one of the most well read actors in the industry but also used it to good effect. If you are interviewing him you won't have to wait for an hour to get that quote that needs to be highlighted. He uses the media to his advantage and since he was the first one, he always has the advantage of the first mover.”
Mushtaq got this idea quite early in his career when he was asked to do a story on Khans. “He has this magical quality to give some quotable quotes on the most inane of subjects. While some other actors (referring to Aamir Khan) love to quote from books, SRK's quotes are largely original and come through naturally.”
But of late, Aamir seems to have taken a lead over him in backing socially relevant themes which have some box office appeal. “It is all about Friday magic. Paheli didn't work, Peepli Live has. But it doesn't mean SRK doesn't take risks or doesn't come out of the safety net.”
Still critics find him repetitive? “I don't want to comment on what critics say but I see we have a tendency to run down people who take their success lightly. SRK wears his success like a T-shirt but it seems some of us like people who wear it like a tuxedo. He has given films like Swades and Chak De ! Of course, you can't go completely off the tangent because ultimately it is the masses which have created the three Khans. Aamir also has to do a Ghajini after a Taare Zamin Par. ”
Once a representative of youthful angst, somebody who showed them the way to own something you don't get the usual way, today SRK's female fan following is flowing beyond borders. Recently, we came to know that social scientists are studying his impact on German women. “See, he has a strong female fan following since Fauji . With films like Baazigar , Darr and Anjaam it changed but with Kuch Kuch Hota Hai , he won back not only women but also got a huge following of kids. It is mixture of his onscreen and real life persona. For the foreigners, he doesn't come across as a sexual creature. For them he is a romantic, sensual figure, who will open the door of the car for a woman and ask what she wants. You know that song ‘Main Koi Aisa Geet Gaoon, Arzoo Jagaoon, Agar Tum Kaho.' It reflects SRK's way with women.”
