Childhood & Early Life:
He was born to Meer Taj Mohammed Khan and Lateef Fatima on 2nd November 1965, in New Delhi, the capital city of India.
Khan received his education from the ‘St. Columba’s School’, Delhi, and was an exceptional student. He was also good at sports and was bestowed with the ‘Sword of Honour’, the greatest felicitation given to a student by the institution.
In the year 1985, he joined the prestigious ‘Hansraj College’ located in Delhi, to pursue his graduation with specialization in Economics. During this time, he also got trained in acting under the guidance of Barry John, who was a playwright associated with the ‘Theatre Action Group’.
He completed his bachelor’s degree in the year 1988, and then joined the ‘Jamia Millia Islamia University’, to pursue his post-graduate studies in Mass Communication. However, he dropped out from the institute and decided to embark on an acting career.
For quite some time, he joined the ‘National School of Drama’, Delhi before he was launched into his acting career.
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Career:
He got his first acting break with the 1988 television show ‘Dil Dariya’ which was the directorial venture of Lekh Tandon. This show’s launch was delayed due to a few production problems and was released eventually.
In 1989, another series named ‘Fauji’ which featured Shah Rukh was launched, which marked his debut in the world of television. The same year saw the release of a soap titled ‘Circus’, in which Khan played an important role.
During the same time, he also appeared in other television series, such as ‘Umeed’ and ‘Wagle ki Duniya’, as well as the telefilm named ‘In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones’.
In 1991, director Mani Kaul’s series ‘Idiot’ featured him, and the same year, this aspiring actor travelled to Mumbai (then Bombay), with a dream to join the Indian film industry.
The same year he signed four films, and started shooting for ‘Dil Aashna Hai’, which was the directorial debut of the Indian film actress Hema Malini.
His film ‘Deewana’ was released in the year 1992, and thus the actor’s Bollywood journey began. This year also saw the release of a few other films of the actor, such as ‘Dil Aashna Hai’, ‘Chamatkar’ as well as ‘Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman’.
After playing the protagonist in a few films, Khan ventured into the role of an anti-hero. In 1993, he played the anti-hero in the movies ‘Darr’ and ‘Baazigar’. The same year, his film ‘Maya Memsaab’, was released. The movie was surrounded with a lot of controversy due to a nude scene featuring Khan and actress Deepa Sahi. The following year, his films ‘Anjaam’ and ‘Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa’ reached the audiences.
In 1995, the re-incarnation themed film of the actor, titled ‘Karan Arjun’ was released. In this film, which was directed by Rakesh Roshan, he shared screen space with another famous actor named Salman Khan.
The year 1995 was a turning point for Khan’s career as well as the Indian film industry, since the path-breaking movie ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’ hit the theatres. The movie was released by the famous movie banner ‘Yash Raj Films’ and marked the directorial debut Aditya Chopra.
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This movie was a huge hit at the box office and was equally acclaimed by the audiences as well as the critics. It has broken all previous records of Indian film industry and created new records. The movie trade pundits had accredited it as an ‘all time blockbuster’. This movie has been running in movie halls since 1995 and is still being exhibited.
The year 1996 was a not a flourishing year for him as all the films released during that year failed to do well at the box office. These include ‘Army’, ‘English Babu Desi Mem’ and ‘Chaahat’. The following year his film ‘Yes Boss’ was released in cinema halls across India.
During the period 1997-99, he essayed the lead role in many movies such as ‘Pardes’, Dil Toh Pagal Hai’, ‘Duplicate’, ‘Dil Se’, ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’ as well as ‘Badshah’. His roles in these flicks helped the actor become an icon of the Indian film industry.
The year 1999, he turned into a producer and established the production house Dreamz Unlimited’ along with actress Juhi Chawla and acclaimed director Aziz Mirza.
The first film produced by the production house was ‘Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani’, which starred Juhi Chawla and Shah Rukh Khan. This flick, which released in the year 2000, was not successful at the box office.
The same year, his movie ‘Mohabbatein’ was released by the renowned banner ‘Yash Raj Films’ and it also starred the great Indian actor Amitabh Bachchan. The movie was claimed by many to be loosely inspired by the famous Hollywood flick ‘Dead Poet’s Society’.
Khan’s film ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham’ directed by renowned filmmaker Karan Johar’s banner, ‘Dharma Productions’, was released in 2001. The family drama movie garnered the highest international box office collection for a period of five years.
The same year, his film ‘Asoka’ based on the life of the great Indian emperor with the same name, hit the theatres. Unfortunately, this film too went on to be a flop at the box office. However, it was received well by the audiences on its screenings at film festivals such as ‘Venice Film Festival’ and ‘2001 Toronto International Film Festival’.
In the year 2002, the period drama movie ‘Devdas’, directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali was released. The film was highly acclaimed by the audience and critics. Khan’s performance in the film also received much appreciation.
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During the period 2003-07, he played the lead role in several movies which went on to become blockbusters. These works include ‘Kal Ho Naa Ho’, ‘Chalte Chalte’, ‘Veer-Zaara’, ‘Swades’, ‘Main Hoon Na’, ‘Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna’, ‘Paheli’, ‘Don’, ‘Chak De! India’ and ‘Om Shanti Om’.
In 2004, he revived his production house after parting ways with his business partners Juhi Chawla and Aziz Mirza. This new business venture, which is managed by his wife Gauri, was named ‘Red Chillies Entertainment’.
In the year 2007, he presented the famous quiz show ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’. He was also the presenter of a few more television shows such as ‘Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain?’ and ‘Zor Ka Jhatka: Total Wipeout’.
In 2008, he starred in Aditya Chopra directed film ‘Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi’ and the following year, he made a special appearance in the movie ‘Billu’.
In 2008, he purchased the ownership rights of the cricket team representing Kolkata in the ‘Indian Premier League’ (IPL) cricket tournament along with actress Juhi Chawla and her husband Jay Mehta. This team was named ‘Kolkata Knight Riders’.
His movie ‘My Name Is Khan’ based on a true story was released in the year 2010, and this film was much acclaimed. The movie went on to shatter box office records overseas, and earned the reputation of being one of the highest grossing Indian films in the foreign markets.
During the period 2011-14, he acted in a few movies such as ‘Ra One’, ‘Don 2’, ‘Jab Tak hai Jaan’, ‘Chennai Express’, and ‘Happy New Year’. He has many cinematic projects lined up and one of his upcoming films is ‘Fan’, which has been directed by Maneesh Sharma. The shooting for this film is said to be completed.
Awards & Achievements:
This star has won innumerable awards till date, which started with a ‘Filmfare’ award for his first film ‘Deewana’, in the ‘Best Debut’ category.
He has won the ‘Filmfare’ in the ‘Best Actor’ category several times, ‘Baazigar’, ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’, ‘Dil Toh Pagal Hai’, and ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai ’,‘ Devdas ’,‘ Swades’, ‘Chak De India’ and ‘My Name Is Khan’.
He has also been the recipient of the ‘Filmfare’ in the ‘Best Villain’ category for the movie ‘Anjaam’. He has won the ‘Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performane’ for the film ‘Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa’ and ‘Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor for ‘Mohabbatein’.
He has been honoured with the ‘Best Indian Citizen Award’ in the year 1997.
This star has received the ‘Global Indian Film Awards’ (GIFA) in the year 2005 for his film ‘Swades’ in two categories namely ‘GIFA Best Actor Award’ and ‘GIFA Most Searched Male Actor on Internet’.
During the period 2001-14, he has won the ‘International Indian Film Awards’ for the ‘Best Actor’ category for his films ‘Devdas’ and ‘Veer-Zaara’, ‘Chak De! India’. IIFA has also presented him with the ‘Most Popular Actor’ award and also ‘Star of the Decade’ and ‘Digital Star of the Year’ awards.
In 2002, he won the ‘Rajiv Gandhi Award for Excellence’ in the ‘Field of Entertainment’.
He was bestowed with the ‘Padma Shri’ award in the year 2005, by the Indian Government. This ranks fourth among the highest civilian awards in India.
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In 2011, the ‘UNESCO’ recognized his philanthropic work and awarded him with the ‘Pyramide con Marni’ award.
