Ahir is an Indian caste. The term can be used synonymously with Yadav, as the latter term refers to Ahirs who have identified as Yadavs.^[4] The major divisions of Ahirs are: Yaduvanshi, Nandvanshi, and Gwalvanshi.

Etymology[link]

Ahir is a Prakrit form of the Sanskrit word abhira (fearless),^{[citation needed]} The Indologist F. Max Müller stated in 1886 that the Abhira are the modern Ahir.^[5]

History[link]

Origin[link]

Asirgarh Fort, built by King Asa Ahir in Madhya Pradesh

Various theories exist regarding the origin of the Ahirs.

Sir William Wilson Hunter proposes that the word Ahir derives from the Sanskrit Ahi (snake) and that snake worship, compounded by other cultural facts, suggests a Scythic origin.^{[citation needed]} However, J. C. Nesfield refutes it by saying that snake worship is not peculiar to scythics but a common practice all over India, and he also argues that it is absurd to derive Ahir from ahi, a Sanskrit word, when the original name of the community is Abhira, and Ahir its Prakrit corruption. One study^{[citation needed]} in Deccan Ahirs have found out existence of totemistic septs, which is regarded as a sure sign of being non-Kshatriya, seconded by existence of a sect called Romabans, which is the regular corruption of word romak, frequently found in Sanskrit works on astronomy, and identified by Prof. Weber to be the town Alexandria in Egypt, from where the science of astronomy was cultivated and from whom people of India borrowed the concepts of astronomy. It is argued that foreign hordes from Romak might have settled in India, and incorporated into Ahirs.^[6]

Bhagwan Singh Suryavanshi claims that archaeological research in Deccan has revealed the presence of pastoral people of Neolithic era, who shares many attributes of Abhira. Hence, Abhira might have been present much earlier than what has been postulated so far. Finally he concludes, they spread from Indus to Mathura, and migrated southward and eastward.^[7] He also claims that similarity of culture and common belief that they are descendant of the god Krishna, is the proof that they sprang from a common source.

Finally, he concludes from Padma Purana, where Vishnu informed Abhiras, "I shall be born among you, O Abhiras, at Mathura in my eighth birth". D. R. Bhandarkar, supports the non-Aryan origin theory, by directly relating Krishna to the Rig Veda's "Krishna Drapsah", where he fights Aryan god Indra. Added to this Karmakar, shows Harivamsa says Yadu was born of Harynasva and Madhumati, who was the daughter of Madhu. Madhu says all the territory of Mathura belongs to Abhiras.^[8] Further, Mahabharata describes Abhira as forming one of the seven republics, Samsaptak Gunas, and as a friend of Matsyas, a pre vedic tribe.^[8]

Early history[link]

Ancient Sanskrit scholars such as Pāṇini, Chanakya and Patanjli mentioned Ahirs as followers of Bhagawat sect of Hindu religion.^[9][10][11]

In religious scriptures[link]

The Manusmrti refers to Abhiras as sons of Brahmin and Ambashta. The earliest inscription about them refers to them as Abhira Brahmin.^[12]

Ptolemy and Sreemad Bhagwatam wrote similar accounts of a country called Abhira at the mouth of the river Indus. Nineteenth century writers, such as Christian Lassen Gesenius, Sir Emerson Tennent, and Max Müller, mentioned an "Ophir", a seaport on the southwest coast of India which may correspond to Ophir,^[13] mentioned in the Tanakh. In the Coptic language, Sofir, the name of India, refers to Surabhir.

The original cult of Krishna, especially the aspect dealing with Krishna's boyhood in Vrindavan and his dalliances with the Gopis, has been attributed to the Ahir or Abhir tribe. The merging of this Krishna with the hero of the Mahabharat did not occur until about 4th century CE^[14][15][16]

Map of "Bharatvarsha" (Kingdom of India) during the time of Mahabharata and Ramayana. (Title and location names are in English.)

Ahir kingdoms[link]

Royal emblem of Kalachurya. Kalachuri belonged to Abhira Dynasty

Ahir kings ruled present-day India and beyond. At the beginning of the Christian era (CE), the invading Scythians and Kushans forced most of the Ahirs to lower Rajasthan in the Arbuda (Aravali region). In Marubhumi (Marwar), Saurashtra and Maharashtra areas, they served the local rulers and established their own rule. Ahirs laid the foundation of Ahir Batak town, which was called Ahrora, located in Central provinces, and Ahirwar in Jhansi district in 108 CE. Rudramurti Ahir became the chief of the army and later on the King. Madhuriputra, Ishwarsen and Shivdutta were well-known kings of this lineage. Ishwarsena, a great Ahir general, became master of Western Deccan in place of the famous Satavahanas. He took the title of Rajan and an era was named after him. His descendants continued to rule for nine generations. This generation of Abhira kings ruled for 167 years till last of them was ousted by their Traikutaka feudatory in AD 415.^[17] It is generally supposed that Traikutakas were a different dynasty of Abhira,^[18][19] and hence are sometimes called Abhira-Traikutika.^[20] Indradutta, Dahrasena & Vyaghrasena were well known kings from this dynasty.^[21] Traikutakas were known for their Vaishnava faith, who claimed to be Yadav of Haihaya branch^[22] and Dahrasena performed Ashvamedha yajna too^[23] Abhira Era started by Ishwarsena in AD 249, continued with them and was called Abhira-Traikutika era.^[24] This era was later continued by Kalachuri Dynasty, calling it Kalachuri era, and later Kalachuri-Chedi era.^[25] After the rule of five traikuta kings, they retired to central provinces and assumed the name Haiyhaya (Chedi) and Kalachuri.^[26] Historians call this entire era as Abhira-Traikutika-Kalachuri-Chedi era^[27]

In a cave inscription at Nashik, references were made to an Ahir prince named Ishwersena, son of Shivdutta. Another inscription, found at Gunda and dated 181 CE, in the reign of the Kshatrapa Rudrasinha, described his general Rudrabhuti, who was called Ahir. When the kathis arrived in Gujarat, they found the greater part of the country controlled by Ahirs. The old fort Asirgarh(short of Asa Ahir Garh), in Khandesh, retains the name of its founder Asa Ahir. For centuries the Ahirs were eclipsed as a political power in Haryana until the time of the Pratihara dynasty.^{[citation needed]}

Ahirs ruled the whole of Haryana under the Mogul rule and later were declared as independent kings. Vātsyāyana also noted the Abhira kingdoms in the Kama Sutra.Ahirs also ruled beyond the geographical borders of present-day India, as kings of the hilly terrain of Nepal. Eight kings of the first Ahir dynasty ruled Nepal, the first being Bhuktaman and the last Yaksha Gupta. Owing to pastoral disputes, this dynasty was replaced by another Ahir dynasty. The second Ahir dynasty had a succession of three kings: Badasimha, Jaymati Simha, and Bhuban Simha. Their rule ended when the Kirati invaders defeated Bhuban Simha.^{[citation needed]}

Ahir kings[link]

Painting of Jahal, sonbai and Devat Bodar who is killing his own son Uga to save RaNavghan

• Ra Mandalika (ruler of Somnath)
• Ra Graharipu
• Rao Tula Ram
• King Porus
• Rudramurti Ahir
• Madhuriputra (mingled with Rajputs) ^[28]
• Samudragupta ^[28]
• Ishwarsena (Western Deccan)
• Virsen (Jalgaon)^[29]
• Shivdutta ^[28]
• Indranigupta (a.k.a. Sudraka)
• Bhuktaman (Nepal)
• Jaya Gupta (Nepal)^[30]
• Param Gupta (Nepal)
• Harsha Gupta (Nepal)
• Bhim Gupta (Nepal)
• Vishnu Gupta (Nepal)
• Jaya Gupta II (Nepal)
• Yaksha Gupta (Nepal)
• Vishva Gupta (Nepal)
• Bhumi Gupta (Nepal)
• Jishnu Gupta (Nepal, His inscription reads Kshatriya of the Lunar Dynasty, Somavansa Bhushana)^[31]
• Badasimha
• Jaymati Simha
• Bhuban Simha

The British civil servant Meadows Taylor noted of the Yaduvanshi subset of Ahirs: Some of the Jad-bansis have embraced Islam, and, in common with certain other tribes, are known as Ranghars.^[32]

Colonial depictions[link]

According to Herbert Hope Risley, who favoured a methodology now known as scientific racism, Ahirs of Mathura and Rajputana are characterized by tall stature, light brown complexion and finer features.^[33]

As a martial race[link]

The British rulers of India classified the Ahirs amongst the "martial races",^[34] and they were recruited into the army from 1898.^[35] In that year, the British raised four Ahir companies, two of which were in the 95th Russell's Infantry.^[36] The community continued their involvement with extensive participation in the Indian Army and police forces of independent India.^[37]

Subdivisions[link]

In many listings, Ahirs are divided into Yaduvanshi, Nandvanshi, and Gwalvanshi branches.^[38]

Distribution[link]

North India[link]

For centuries the Ahirs were eclipsed as a political power in Haryana until the time of the Pratihara dynasty. In time they became independent rulers of Southwest Haryana. They are majority in the region around Behror, Alwar, Rewari, Narnaul, Mahendragarh, Gurgaon^[39] and Jhajjar^[40][41] which is therefore known as Ahirwal or the abode of Ahirs.

Yadav dominated areas in National Capital Region(NCR) includes Gurgaon, Noida, Manesar, Behror,^[42] Neemrana,^[43] Bawal, Dharuhera, Pataudi, Bhiwadi, Badshahpur, Kosli, Alwar and Rewari.This belt is also called as Ahirwal Belt. Delhi has 40 villages.^[44] neighbouring Gurgaon has 106 villages ^[45] and Noida has around 30 villages.^[46][47]

Thousands of Yadav villagers from Gurgaon and Manesar are millionaires today after selling their agricultural land to private builders and HUDA,^{[clarification needed]} and many have become property dealers.^[48][49]

Rajasthan and Gujarat[link]

Kachchh (Kutch) District, State of Gujarat

There is a great concentration of Ahirs in Kutch.^{[citation needed]} There are five main castes of Ahirs in Kutch: Prantharia, Mochhaya, Boricha, and Sorathia and Vagadia. These communities are mainly of farmers who once sold milk and ghee but who now have diversified their businesses because of the irregularity of rain. The other community is of Bharwads those of Saurashtra use Ahir^[50] as a surname,^[51] Bharwad consider themselves as Nandvanshi Ahirs.^[50][52] Their mother tongue is Gujrati.

Rajasthan has 26 districts of which seven have Ahir Sabhas. These are Tonk, Jaipur, Sawai Madhopur, Boondi, Kota, Jhalawara Sikar and Alwar.^[53]

The very ancient race of Ahir also appears in Gujrat, once a ruling race, as inscriptions and grants mention their princes. Traditionally they appear in frequent connection with the Yadava – in the Krishan legend. Some historians say they may be Turanian.^[54][55]

In Jamnagar and Junagadh[link]

There is large number of Ahir population in Jamnagar and Junagadh, who have been said to be migrated along with Krishna during his migration from Mathura to Dwarka (Jamnagar). Ahirs in rural areas of Jamnagar and Junagadh are mainly involved in agriculture, while those migrated to cities of Jamnagar and Junagadh are involved in business of construction, real estate, travels agency and heavy construction machinery.^{[citation needed]} The Ahirs of Jamnagar region are the economically fastest developing community of Jamnagar in year 2009, with growth rate of around 80%.^{[citation needed]}

Maharashtra[link]

In Marubhumi (Marwar), Saurashtra and Maharashtra, Ahirs served the local rulers and established their own rule. Ishwarsena, an Ahir general, became master of Western Deccan in place of the Satava-hanas. He took the title of Rajan and an era was named after him. His descendants continued to rule for nine generations.^{[citation needed]}

There is a significant concentration of Ahers (as they are locally known) in Northern Maharashtra. They are influential in politics, administration. They are all Kshatriyas with classification as 96 Kuli Marathas since the establishment of Hindavi Swaraj by Shivaji.^{[citation needed]}

With the downfall of the Rashtrakutas which ruled Pune from the 8th century AD to the middle of the 10th century.It went under the control of the Yadavs. The Yadavs ruled Maharashtra from 10th century AD to the end of the 13th century. Singhania, the Yadav ruler was a lover of literature and art. Sant Dnyaneshwar, a Bhakti saint lived during this period. The Yadav rule came to an end with the coming of Ala-ud-din Khilji.^{[citation needed]}

Bundelkhand[link]

Historically, Ahir laid the foundation of Ahir Batak town which was later called Ahrora and Ahirwada in Jhansi district in AD 108. Rudramurti Ahir became the chief of the Army and later on, the king. Madhuriputa, Ishwarsen and Shivdatta were well-known kings from the lineage. As Jhansi was known for a long time as Ahirwada (land of Ahir's). Bundelkhand anciently known as Chedi Kingdom. The region is now divided between the states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, with the larger portion lying in the latter. The major towns are Jhansi, Datia, Tikamgarh, Lalitpur, Sagar, Damoh, Orai, Panna, Hamirpur, Mahoba, Banda, Narsinghpur, Khajuraho and Chhatarpur. However, the cities of Gwalior, Jabalpur and even Bhopal are under close cultural influence of Bundelkhand, especially linguistically.

Ahirs from Ahirwada and Bundelkhand also known as Dau sahab (Dau saab). Dau sahab means the powerful and mighty of all. Up to 1800 AD, ruling class among Ahirs in Bundelkhand use Rao as their title name which was replaced by the title Maate. Maate means Mother Goddess or Supreme authority of that region. zamindar having control over multiple villages known as Maate.In Bundelkhand, Ahirs are considered to be very strong and powerful class. In Bundelkhand both Chandravanshi Rajputs/Thakurs (Ahirs, Chandela, Bundela) and suryavanshi Rajputs/Thakurs has equal status. Ahirs of Jhansi and Bundelkhand either came from Rewari or Gurgaon. A town 22 km from Jhansi known as Niwari which is named analogous to the name Rewari of Haryana, since Niwari is in jhansi zone it is also an Ahir dominant region.,^[56]

Culture[link]

Diet[link]

Scholar K. S. Singh noted that the Rajasthan Ahir are non-vegetarian, though cooking their vegetarian and non-vegetarian foods on separate hearths. Though they eat mutton, chicken, and fish, they do not eat beef or pork. Their staple is wheat, they eat millet in the winters, and rice on festive occasions. They drink alcohol, smoke biri and cigarettes, and chew betel.^[57] In Maharashtra, however, Singh states that the Ahir there are largely vegetarian, also eating wheat as a staple along with pulses and tubers, and eschewed liquor.^[58] Noor Mohammad noted in Uttar Pradesh that most Ahirs there were vegetarian, with some exceptions who engaged in fishing and poultry raising.^[59] In Gujarat, Rash Bihari Lal states that local Ahirs were largely vegetarian, ate Bajra and Jowar wheat with the occasional rice, and that few drank alcohol, some smoked bidi, and some of the older generation smoked hookahs.^[60] S. D. S. Yadava writes that Ahirs in Madhya Pradesh and some other areas eat meat, while those of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are mostly vegetarian.^[61]

Dialects[link]

Ahirwati is an Indo-Aryan language, classified as a Rajasthani language,^[62] and is spoken in the Mahendragarh and Rewari districts of Haryana. According to historian Robert Vane Russell Ahirwati is language of Yaduvanshi Ahirs and spoken in Rohtak and Gurgaon districts of Punjab (now Haryana) and Delhi. This is akin to Mewati, one of the forms of Rajasthani or the language of Rajputana.^[63]

Politics[link]

The Ahirs were one of the more militant Hindu groups, including in the modern era. For example, in 1930, about 200 Ahirs marched towards the shrine of Trilochan and performed puja in response to Islamic tanzeem processions.^[64]

Through numerous political parties such as the Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Janata Dal (Republic), Janata Dal the Yadavs have considerable political influence, especially in the North Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.^[65] Laloo Yadav became the chief minister of Bihar and Mulayam Singh in UP and in Madhya Pradesh Subhash Yadav became the Deputy chief minister for two terms. Arun Subhash Yadav became the Centre Minister of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises.

• Siddaramaiah became the Deputy chief minister for two terms.
• Rao Birender Singh became the chief minister of Haryana and his son Rao Inderjit Singh became Minister of State of External Affairs and Defence.
• Chaudhary Brahm Prakash was the first chief minister of Delhi.Ram Baran Yadav became President of Nepal.Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev started a political party called Swabhiman.^[66]

All-India Yadav Mahasabha[link]

The emergence of an English-educated elite among the Yadavs led to the formation of the All-India Yadava Mahasabha in 1924 in Allahabad. The AIYM immediately engaged itself in two issues. It appealed to its castemen in all regions to add "Yadav" to their names and at the same time launched on a major programme of social reform. The regional organisation of the Gollas of Hyderabad, the Hyderabad Rashtra Yadav Mahajana Samajam, for example, appealed to the Census Commission that their caste names of Golla, Gowli, Gollawar and Ahir be changed to Yadava.^[67]

All India Yadav Mahasabha is also pressing Indian government for the formation of Yadav regiment in Indian Army after they showed their bravery in the 1965 Indo-China war. In 1966 the AIYM held its annual conference in Etawa, with Mulayam Singh Yadav as chairman of the reception committee and Rao Birender Singh the scion of the Rewari dynasty as president.^{[68][69] [70]}

See also[link]

• Ahir clans
• Abhira tribe

References[link]

External links[link]

• Maharastra History at Maharashtra.gov.in
• Ahir Community.com (Gujarati Ahirs)

Shahrukh Khan
Shahrukh Khan at TAG Heuer Press Conference.
Born	(1965-11-02) 2 November 1965 (age 46) New Delhi, India
Residence	Mumbai, Maharashtra, India[1]
Other names	King Khan, SRK, King of Bollywood, The Baadshah of Bollywood[2]
Occupation	Actor, producer, television presenter
Years active	1988—present
Spouse	Gauri Khan (1991—present)
Children	2

Shahrukh Khan (pronounced [‘ʃaːɦrəx ˈxaːn]; born 2 November 1965), often credited as Shah Rukh Khan and informally referred to as SRK, is an Indian film actor. Known as "The King of Bollywood", Khan has acted in over 70 Hindi films.^[3][4][5] He has won fourteen Filmfare Awards from thirty nominations for his work in Indian films and shares the record for the highest number of Best Actor awards with Dilip Kumar, eight wins. In 2005, the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri for his contributions towards Indian cinema.

After graduating with a Bachelor's degree in economics, he started his career appearing in theatre and several television serials in the late 1980s and later made his Hindi film debut in 1992 with Deewana. Early in his career he was recognised for his unconventional choice of negative roles in films such as Darr (1993), Baazigar (1993) and Anjaam (1994). Since then he has played leading roles in a wide variety of film genres, including romantic films, comedies, thrillers, action films, sport films, and historical dramas among others.

Eleven of the films he has acted in have accumulated gross earnings of over 1 billion (US$19.95 million).^[6] Khan's films such as Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (1995), Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), Devdas (2002), Chak De! India (2007), Om Shanti Om (2007), Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008), and Ra.One (2011) remain some of Bollywood's biggest hits, while films like Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... (2001), Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003), Veer-Zaara (2004), Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006), My Name Is Khan (2010), and Don 2 (2011) have been top-grossing Indian productions in the overseas markets thus making him one of the most successful leading actors of Hindi cinema.^[7]

In addition to movie acting, Khan is a television presenter, a regular stage performer, and a social activist. He is the founder/owner of two production companies: Dreamz Unlimited and Red Chillies Entertainment and, along with actress Juhi Chawla and her husband Jay Mehta, the owner of the Indian Premier League cricket team Kolkata Knight Riders. Khan is considered to be one of the biggest movie stars in history, with a fan following claimed to number in the billions.^[3][8] He has an estimated net worth of over 25 billion (US$540 million).^[9][10] In 2008, Newsweek named Khan one of the 50 most powerful people in the world.^[3]

Early life and background[link]

Khan was born on 2 November 1965 to Muslim parents of Pathan descent in New Delhi, India.^[11][12] His father, Taj Mohammed Khan, was an Indian independence activist from Peshawar, British India. According to Khan, his paternal grandfather was originally from Afghanistan.^[13] His mother, Lateef Fatima, was the adopted daughter of Major General Shah Nawaz Khan of the Janjua Rajput clan, who served in the Indian National Army.^[14] Khan's father came to New Delhi from Qissa Khawani Bazaar in Peshawar before the partition of India,^[15] Ethnically, he describes himself as being half-Pathan through his father and half-Hyderabadi through his mother, with his paternal grandmother being Kashmiri.^[16] His father died from cancer when Khan was 15 years old, and his mother died in 1990 after prolonged illness.^[17][18] Khan was very attached to his parents as a child and describes their early deaths as a turning point in his life and as his biggest motivation for hard work. Khan explained his ideology in life was "... to make movies so damn bloody big...that my parents somewhere sit down on a star and from there also can look at their son and say 'I can see his movies from here better than I can see the Wall of China or anything. We see his movies covering the face of this earth'."^[19] Khan has an elder sister named Shehnaz.^[20]

Growing up in Rajendra Nagar neighbourhood of Delhi,^[21] Khan attended St. Columba's School where he was accomplished in sports, drama, and academics. He won the Sword of Honour, an annual award given to the student who best represents the spirit of the school. Khan later attended the Hansraj College (1985–1988) and earned his Bachelors degree in Economics. When Hansraj College celebrated its 50th anniversary, it gave away 17 shields to its alumni who had excelled in their lives and professions. Khan was one of them. Though he pursued a Masters Degree in Mass Communications at Jamia Millia Islamia, he later opted out to pursue a career in Bollywood.^[22] He also attended the National School of Drama in Delhi.^[23]

After the death of his mother, Khan moved to Mumbai in 1991.^[24] He married Gauri Chibber, a Hindu, in a traditional Hindu wedding ceremony on 25 October 1991.^[17] They have two children, son Aryan (b. 1997) and daughter Suhana (b. 2000). According to Khan, while he strongly believes in Allah, he also values his wife's religion. At home, his children follow both religions, with the Qur'an being situated next to the Hindu deities.^[25]

Khan studied acting under celebrated theatre director Barry John at Delhi's "Theatre Action Group" (TAG). In 2007, John commented on his former pupil, "The credit for the phenomenally successful development and management of Shahrukh's career goes to the superstar himself."^[26] Khan started shooting for Lekh Tandon's television series Dil Dariya, but its delay meant that he made his acting debut with the 1988 television series, Fauji, playing the leading role of Commando Abhimanyu Rai.^[24][27] He went on to appear in other television serials, such as Aziz Mirza's Circus in 1989, which depicted the life of circus performers.^[28] The same year, Khan also had a minor role in the made-for-television English-language film, In Which Annie Gives it Those Ones, which was based on life at Delhi University, written by Arundhati Roy. When he appeared in those teleserials, people found in him some resemblance with actor Dilip Kumar and also compared his acting style with the latter's.^[29]

Acting career[link]

1990s[link]

Khan received his first break upon moving from New Delhi to Mumbai when Hema Malini offered him a role in her directorial debut Dil Aashna Hai.^[24] However, the delay in the release of the film meant that his first release was Deewana opposite Rishi Kapoor and Divya Bharti.^[23][30] The movie became a box office hit, and launched his career in Bollywood.^[31] His performance won him a Filmfare Best Male Debut Award. In a 2001 interview with Rediff, Khan recalled: "Actually, June 26 marks exactly 11 years since I faced the cameras for my first shot for Dil Aashna Hai, in 1990. I knew it would be a tough field, a very demanding profession."^[23] He went on to star in Maya Memsaab, which generated some controversy because of his appearance in an "explicit" sex scene in the movie.^[32]

In 1993, Khan won acclaim for his performances in villainous roles as an obsessive lover and a murderer, respectively, in the box office hits, Darr and Baazigar.^[33] In Khan's entry in Encyclopædia Britannica's "Encyclopedia of Hindi Cinema" it was stated that "he defied the image of the conventional hero in both these films and created his own version of the revisionist hero."^[34] Darr marked his first collaboration with renowned film-maker Yash Chopra and his banner Yash Raj Films, the largest production company in Bollywood. Khan's scene in the film, in which he makes obsessive phone calls to Chawla's character stammering "i love you, kkkiran," attained great popularity.^[35] Baazigar, which saw Khan portraying an ambiguous avenger who murders his girlfriend, shocked its Indian audience with an unexpected violation of the standard Bollywood formula.^[36] His performance won him his first Filmfare Best Actor Award. In that same year, Khan played the role of a young musician in Kundan Shah's Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa, a performance that earned him a Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance. In a 2004 retrospective review by Rediff, Sukanya Verma called it Khan's best performance and added:"He was spontaneous, vulnerable, boyish, mischievous and acting straight from the heart."^[37] Khan maintains that this is his all-time favourite among the movies he has acted in.^[38] In 1994, Khan once again played an obsessive lover/psycho's role in Anjaam, co-starring alongside Madhuri Dixit. Though the movie was not a box office success, Khan's performance earned him the Filmfare Best Villain Award.^[39]

In 1995, Khan starred in the two biggest hits of the year in India. His first release was Rakesh Roshan's Karan Arjun, Khan was part of an ensemble cast including Salman Khan, Kajol, Mamta Kulkarni, Raakhee and Amrish Puri. The film, which dealt with reincarnation, became the second-highest grossing film of the year in India.^[40] He followed it with Aditya Chopra's directorial debut, the romance Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. A major critical and commercial success, the movie became the year's top-grossing production in India and abroad.^[41] The film was declared an all time blockbuster and it remains the longest-running film in the history of Indian cinema. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge grossed over 1.2 billion. The film won ten Filmfare Awards, and Khan's performance as a young NRI who falls for Kajol's character while on a college vacation won him much critical acclaim and his second Best Actor Award. In 2005, Indiatimes Movies ranked the movie amongst the 25 Must See Bollywood Films, citing it as a "trendsetter of sorts".^[42] In that same year's retrospective review by Rediff, Raja Sen stated, "Khan gives a fabulous performance, redefining the Lover for the 1990s with great panache. He's cool and flippant, but sincere enough to appeal to the junta. The performance itself is, like the best in the business, played well enough to come across as effortless, as non-acting."^[43]

1996 proved a disappointing year for Khan, he appeared in two films—English Babu Desi Mem and Mahesh Bhatt' Chaahat both of which proved critically and commercially unsuccessful in India.^[44] This was, however, followed by a comeback in 1997. He saw success with Subhash Ghai's social drama Pardes opposite newcomer Mahima Chaudhry. The film brought to light the culture shock and difficulties that may be involved in the cases of young Indian women immigrating to foreign countries after their marriage to Non Resident Indian men. It was one of the biggest hits of the year and earned him a nomination for the Best Actor Award at the Filmfare ceremony. He then appeared in Aziz Mirza's comedy Yes Boss which paired him with Juhi Chawla for the fourth time. The film was a moderately successful feature.^[45] His second project with Yash Chopra as a director, Dil to Pagal Hai became that year's second highest-grossing movie, and he won his third Filmfare Best Actor Award for his role as a stage director who falls in love with one of his new actresses.^[45]

In 1998, Khan starred in Karan Johar's directorial debut, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, which paired him with Kajol and Rani Mukerji. The movie was declared an all time blockbuster, with a worldwide gross of over 1.03 billion.^[46] Khan played the role of Rahul Khanna, a young college student who falls in love with his best friend after the death of his wife, years after breaking contact with her. His performance won him the Best Actor award at the Filmfare Awards for the second consecutive year. He won critical praise for his performance in Mani Ratnam's critically acclaimed Dil Se.., in which he played the part of Amar Varma, an All India Radio correspondent who falls deeply in love with a mysterious woman terrorist, played by Manisha Koirala.^[47] Rediff wrote: "Khan delivers a compelling performance. He plays the part with taut restraint, and expresses exasperation superbly."^[48] The movie failed financially in India, however, it was a commercial success overseas.^[49] becoming the first Indian film to enter the top 10 in the United Kingdom box office charts.^[50][51] Khan's only release in 1999, Baadshah opposite Twinkle Khanna, was an average grosser, for which he earned a Filmfare Award nomination for Best Performance in a Comic Role.^[52]

2000s[link]

Khan's success continued with Aditya Chopra's 2000 film, Mohabbatein, co-starring Amitabh Bachchan. The film was a major financial success, and Khan's performance as a college teacher was acclaimed by critics; Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama wrote that he "is outstanding as Raj Aryan." He was awarded his second Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor for the role. He also starred in Mansoor Khan's action film Josh. The film starred Khan as the tough leader of a Christian gang in Goa and Aishwarya Rai as his twin sister, and was also a box office success.^[53] In a positive review, Vinayak Chakravorty of Hindustan Times wrote that Khan "basks in his tailormade role, donning with panache the garb of a streetsmart tough."^[54] He further played the role of an archaeologist Muslim beaten to death by Hindu fanatics during the unrest following the partition of India in Hey Ram. Directed by and co-starring Kamal Hassan, the film was critically acclaimed and was selected as India's entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars that year.^[55] Khan also dubbed his own voice in Tamil for the film.^[56] In that same year, Khan set up his own production house, Dreamz Unlimited with Juhi Chawla and director Aziz Mirza (see below). The three collaborated on the first film of their production house, Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani.^[53]

In 2001, His collaboration with Karan Johar continued with the family drama Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham in which he featured as part of an ensemble cast that included Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Kareena Kapoor, Kajol and Hrithik Roshan. the movie was a major financial success and became India's second highest-grossing film of the year and one of the biggest Bollywood success of all time in the overseas market, earning over 1,000 million (US$19.95 million) worldwide.^[57] Khan's portrayal of Rahul Raichand, an adopted young man who's disowned by his rich and powerful father, played by Bachchan, for marrying a middle-class girl Anjali, played by Kajol was well received by critics. Taran Adarsh commented, "Khan sparkles yet again", noting that he performed the part "with amazing poise, class, honesty and maturity".^[58] It garnered him a nomination for the Filmfare Best Actor Award. This was his last collaboration with Kajol until they would be cast again by Johar as a lead pair in early 2010.

The same year, Khan essayed the role of Emperor Asoka in Santosh Sivan's historical epic, Asoka, a partly fictionalised account of the life of Ashoka the Great.^[59] It was widely screened across the United Kingdom and North America, and was also selected for screening at the Venice Film Festival and the 2001 Toronto International Film Festival, where it got positive response.^[60] While promoting the film in New York City, Khan along with the film director, Sivan were stuck in the city due to the 11 September terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.^[60] The film received generally positive reviews and Khan received favourable reactions for his performance, Rediff concluded that "He puts in a strong performance, in this well defined role."^[61]

Khan during the filming of Swades (2004), his performance in the film is considered one of his best to date and earned him another Filmfare Best Actor Award.

In 2002, Khan played the title role in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's award-winning period romance, Devdas which was the most expensive Bollywood film ever made at the time.^[62] This was the third Hindi movie adaptation of Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay's well-known novel of the same name. Featured opposite Aishwarya Rai and Madhuri Dixit, Khan's performance as a rebellious alcoholic is often considered one of his best performances, and won him a Filmfare Best Actor Award. The film surfaced as the highest-grossing film of the year in India and overseas, earning a revenue of 39 million (US$778,050) domestically.^[63][64] Devdas won numerous awards, including 10 Filmfare Awards and received a special screening at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival.^[65][66] It received a BAFTA nomination for Best Foreign Language Film as well and was India's entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars. After the release of the film, Khan took a six months break from acting, he explained that during that period he "Just enjoyed the feeling of being sad". In an interview with Rediff, Khan commented: "For an entire year, that is what I did. I was sad. " and added, "We stars live in this bubble where everyone is smiling at you, where everyone loves you. Somehow, you lose touch with real, deep down sadness. Working on this film put us in touch with that emotion."^[23] Khan also starred opposite Madhuri Dixit and Salman Khan in the family-drama Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam. The film took six years to make, with huge sabbaticals in between shoots due to unending production problems,^[67] and was an average grosser at the box office.^[63]

In 2003, Khan starred in Aziz Mirza's romantic drama, Chalte Chalte opposite Rani Mukerji. The film was moderately successful in India but fared much better in the overseas.^[68][69] Khan played the role of Raj Mathur, a middle class man who falls in love and marries Priya Chopra, a successful fashion designer whose family is quite wealthy. But after the marriage, differences arise between the couple, leading to an irreversible separation. Manish Gajjar of BBC mentioned that he is "a sheer natural which explains why he is a great asset to Bollywood." Several critics were not as positive, including Vivek Fernandes from Rediff, who noted: "Shah Rukh hams and haws his way through the film – biting his lip, crinkling his eyebrows – it is oh-so-familiar. He is over the top, especially as the inebriated Raj who confronts the estranged wife."^[70]

That same year, he starred in Kal Ho Naa Ho a drama set in New York City, written by Karan Johar and directed by Nikhil Advani co-starring Jaya Bachchan, Preity Zinta and Saif Ali Khan. Khan's performance as a man with a fatal heart disease was met with positive response from critics. The Hindu noted, "His enthusiasm unbounded, his energy unbridled, Shah Rukh is in form here. And as a guy with a few days to live and a life to spend in a moment, he looks for your sympathy. He reduces many to tears. And with each tear he rises a rank higher in the echelons of actors".^[71] while rediff concluded, "Shah Rukh excels as the supercool Aman (...) He steals the show with a designer-made role."^[72] The film was a critical and commercial success, becoming the second top-grossing movie domestically and the top-grossing Bollywood film in the overseas market that year.^[68] When adjusted for inflation its total gross worldwide is 1.3 billion.^[73] The film earned him another Filmfare Best Actor Award nomination.

2004 was a particularly good year for Khan, both commercially and critically. He produced and starred in Farah Khan's directorial debut, the action comedy Main Hoon Na. The movie did well at the box office. He then played the role of an Indian officer, Veer Pratap Singh in Yash Chopra's love saga Veer-Zaara, which was the biggest hit of 2004 in both India and overseas, with a worldwide gross of over 960 million.^[57][74] It was also screened at the Berlin Film Festival.^[75] The film relates the love story of Veer and a Pakistani woman Zaara Haayat Khan, played by Preity Zinta. Khan's performance in the film was praised by critics and won him awards at several award ceremonies. Rama Sharma from The Tribune wrote:"Shah Rukh Khan here scales the heights of sensitivity, rising above the mundane. His expressions are mature and reach out to touch the heart of the common man. As a prisoner lodged in a Pakistani jail, he breathes life into the story. His trauma becomes a saga and speaks about the untold sufferings of innocent prisoners."^[76]

In that same year, he received critical acclaim for his performance in Ashutosh Gowariker's drama Swades which most of the critics deemed as one of his best performance till date.^[77] Jitesh Pillai said of his role, "Ultimately your heart leaps out to the magical Shah Rukh Khan, who unarguably gives his career's finest performance. Shorn of any artifice or nervous energy, his anguish is tangible. He inhabits Mohan Bharghava with consummate ease, you can feel the earnestness of his intentions, the wetness of his tears".^[78] His performance was later included in the 2010 issue of the "Top 80 Iconic Performances" by Filmfare.^[79] He was nominated for the Filmfare Best Actor Award for all three of his releases in 2004, winning it for Swades.^[74] The film itself was featured on Rediff's list of the 10 Best Bollywood Movies of the Decade.^[80]

His only release in 2005, Paheli opposite Rani Mukerji, was screened at the Sundance Film Festival and was chosen as India’s official entry to the Oscars for the 79th Academy Awards.^[81] The film was critically acclaimed, as was Khan's performance, which Raja Sen called " A top-notch performance, [That] justifies his supremacy in the film world".^[82] In 2006, Khan collaborated with Karan Johar for the third time with the melodrama Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, with an ensemble cast including Amitabh Bachchan, Preity Zinta, Abhishek Bachchan, Rani Mukerji and Kirron Kher. The film told the story of two unhappily married couples in New York, which later results in an extramarital affair. Khan played the role of Dev Saran, a bitter and cynical former football player who is jealous of his wife Rhea's successful career as a fashion magazine editor, played by Zinta. The film opened to mixed reviews but emerged as a major commercial success; becoming the biggest Bollywood hit in the overseas market of all-time. It grossed over 1.13 billion worldwide^[57][83]

His second release that year saw him playing the title role in the action film Don, a remake of the 1978 hit film of the same name. He played the character of Don, a role which was played by Amitabh Bachchan in the original movie. While the film was generally well received, Khan's performance received mixed critical reactions. His performance was extensively compared to that of Bachchan. Taran Adarsh noted that Khan "carries a massive responsibility on his shoulders since direct comparisons with Bachchan are foreseeable" adding that "He does very well as Don. He enacts the evil character with flourish. But he fails to carry off the other role [Vijay] with conviction. It looks made up, it doesn't come natural to him at all."^[84] While Derek Elley of Variety argued that "it's hard to accept him (Khan) as the title character" and that "Khan is far more convincing as Vijay, playing up to his rom-com fanbase with plenty of boyish humor."^[85] The film became the fifth-highest grossing film of the year in India.^[83] and the highest grossing film of the year in the overseas market. It grossed a total of 1.04 billion worldwide.^[57] Both the films earned him Filmfare Best Actor Award nominations while his role as Don earned him a nomination for the Asian Film Awards.

Khan's success continued with a few more highly popular films. One of his most successful works was the multiple award-winning 2007 film, Chak De! India, about the Indian women's national hockey team. The film was a major critical and commercial success in India and abroad.^[86] Earning over 1.03 billion worldwide.^[57] Chak De! India became the third-highest grossing movie of 2007 in India and won yet another Filmfare Award for Best Actor for Khan. Rajeev Masand from CNN-IBN wrote about his performance, "For the first time since Swades, Shah Rukh plays a role without any of his typical trappings, without any of his trademark quirks. He sinks his teeth into the part of the determined coach and comes up with such a terrific performance. He's hopeful at times and despondent at others, he's humorous at times, and stern at others. He plays Kabir Khan like a real flesh-and-blood human being."^[87] Filmfare also included his performance in the 2010 issue of the "Top 80 Iconic Performances" and commented:

In the same year Khan also starred in Farah Khan's 2007 film, Om Shanti Om. A re-incarnation melodrama. Khan essayed the role of Om Prakash Makhija, a junior artiste from the 70s who is reborn thirty years later as a superstar named Om Kapoor, he then attempts to discover the mystery of his demise and avenge the death of his lost love. His performance was generally well received by critics; Khalid Mohammed from Hindustan Times wrote, "Above all the enterprise belongs to Shah Rukh Khan, who tackles comedy, high drama and action with his signature style – spontaneous and intuitively intelligent."^[89] The film emerged as the year's highest grossing film in India and the overseas market, and became India's highest grossing production ever up to that point with a worldwide gross of over 1.48 billion.^[90] It earned him another nomination for Best Actor at the Filmfare ceremony.

In 2008, Khan collaborated with Aditya Chopra for the third time with the romantic drama Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi opposite newcomer Anushka Sharma where he played a double role, one of Surinder Sahni, a shy self-described geek who works for Punjab Power in Amritsar whose love for beautiful, vivacious Taani, played by Sharma, causes him to transform himself into the loud and fun-loving Raj to win her love. The film received positive reviews and was declared a blockbuster, and had been concluded as the second-highest grossing film of all-time to that point by the end of the year.^[91] His performance was appreciated by critics. Rachel Saltz of New York Times stated: "The Surinder/Raj dual role seems tailor-made (probably was) for Mr. Khan, who gets to show off his twin talents: he suffers nobly and entertains with panache."^[92] It earned him yet again another nomination for Best Actor at the Filmfare ceremony.

In December of the same year, Khan suffered a serious shoulder injury while filming a special appearance in Mudassar Aziz's Dulha Mil Gaya. He went through extensive physiotherapy sessions while shooting for My Name Is Khan at the time, but due to immense pain that left him almost immobile, he had to undergo an arthroscopic surgery in February 2009 after the shooting schedule for the film in the United States was over.^[93][94]

2010s[link]

Khan's next film was My Name Is Khan, his fourth collaboration with director Karan Johar and the sixth movie in which he is paired with Kajol. Filming commenced in December 2008 in Los Angeles and ended in October 2009. While in Los Angeles, along with his wife Gauri and director Karan Johar, he took a break from filming to attend the 66th Golden Globe Awards, held in Los Angeles, on 11 January 2009,^[95][96] where he was introduced as the King of Bollywood.^[97] Khan introduced Slumdog Millionaire, a movie he had previously turned down, along with a star from the film, Freida Pinto.

Khan with Kajol and Johar while promoting My Name Is Khan.

My Name Is Khan was released on 12 February 2010.^[98] Based on a true story, and set against the backdrop of perceptions on Islam post 11 September attacks, My Name Is Khan stars Khan as Rizwan Khan, a Muslim man suffering from Asperger syndrome who sets out on a journey across America on a mission to meet the country's President and clear his name. Khan admitted that it was a very difficult role to play and that he had to spent several months of research including reading books, watching videos and talking to people affected with the disorder in an effort to get into the skin of the character.^[99] In an interview with Hindustan Times he said, "Whenever you're dealing with a disorder or a near atypical situation, the first thought is that the sort of parameters you have to set that in no which way you are derogatory or deriding the disorder. The second part is you have to come as close to reality in depicting that characterization and so one had to study a lot and one does get worried"^[100] During a promotional visit to the United States, Khan was detained at Newark Airport, New Jersey because of the similarity of his last name to known terrorists.^[101] Upon release, the film received positive reviews from critics and became the highest-grossing Bollywood film of all-time in the overseas market up until then. Khan's performance in the film was appreciated by most critics and earned him his eighth Filmfare Award for Best Actor, thereby joining Dilip Kumar as the record holder in this category. Jay Wesissberg from Variety wrote, "Khan uses the mannerisms associated with Asperger's – averted eyes, springy steps, stuttered repetitions of memorized texts – yet captures the personality beneath the condition in a standout performance sure to receive the Autism Society's gold seal of approval."^[102]

His first release in 2011 was Anubhav Sinha's science fiction superhero film Ra.One opposite Kareena Kapoor. The film, which follows the story of a London-based videogame designer who creates the strongest villain that escaped to the real world was billed as Bollywood's most expensive film.^[103] With an estimated budget of 125 crore (US$24.94 million),^[104] it witnessed massive campaigning and the use of several technology equipments not used in Bollywood before.^[105] The film was a box office success, grossing 2.4 billion worldwide.^[106][107] Khan was involved in other aspects of the making of Ra.One—he volunteered to write the film's console game script, dubbed for it, and oversaw its technical development; he also authored the digital comics based on the film's characters.^[108][109] Upon release, the film which saw Khan playing a double role, received mixed reactions from critics in India and Khan himself received mixed reviews. While most critics praised his performance as the robotic superhero G.one, they panned the one of Shekhar, the videogame designer. Rajeev Masand concluded: "The only real standout performance is by Shah Rukh Khan. His Aiyyo-speaking Shekhar Subramaniam is caricaturish but charming, while as G.One, he gives even his robotic video-game character a charismatic edge." while DNA India added: "Another half attempt comes from the lead actor: Khan is in his element and endearing as superhero G.One, but annoyingly over the top as video game creator Shekhar".^[110][111]

His second release of the year was Don 2, a sequel to his 2006 film Don. The film marked Khan's return to playing villainous characters since his earlier films like Darr and Baazigar.^[112] Khan experimented with a variety of looks, including long unkempt hair and stubble.^[113] He also bulked up for the film by developing a six pack and decided to perform all of his own stunts.^[114][115] His performance fetched him critical praise, Nikhat Kazmi of The Times of India noted, "Shah Rukh remains in command and never loses his foothold, neither through the dramatic sequences nor through the action cuts."^[116] The film was a major success in India and it went on to become the year's highest-grossing Bollywood production abroad with a worldwide gross of more than 2.1 billion.^[117][118] It earned him another nomination for Best Actor at the Filmfare ceremony .^[119]

In January 2012, he has started filming for Yash Chopra's Untitled project, opposite Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma.^[120]

Producer[link]

Khan turned producer when he set up a production company called Dreamz Unlimited with Juhi Chawla and director Aziz Mirza in 1999.^[121] The first film he produced and starred in, Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani (2000), co-starring Chawla herself and directed by Mirza was a critical and commercial failure. The following year, he produced Asoka which was a box office failure.^[59] However, it was well received by critics, and was nominated for the Filmfare Best Movie Award. The film was also selected for screening at the Venice Film Festival and the 2001 Toronto International Film Festival. His third film as a producer and star, Chalte Chalte, proved a box office hit.^[122]

Khan with Kolkata Knight Riders co-owners Juhi Chawla and Jay Mehta at the launch of the team's new marketing campaign, February 2012.

In 2004, Khan took over his old production company Dreamz Unlimited and transformed it into Red Chillies Entertainment with his wife Gauri also serving as a producer.^[123] In the same year he produced and starred in Main Hoon Na, another hit, which was directed by his friend and well-known choreographer Farah Khan.^[74] The film earned a nomination for the Filmfare Best Actor Award. The following year, he produced and starred in the fantasy film Paheli, which did poorly.^[124] It was, however, critically acclaimed and was selected as India's official entry to the Academy Awards for consideration for Best Foreign Language Film, but it did not pass the final selection. Also in 2005, Khan co-produced the supernatural horror film Kaal with Karan Johar, and performed an item number for the film with Malaika Arora Khan. Kaal was moderately successful at the box office.^[124]

In 2007, Khan produced Om Shanti Om also directed by Farah Khan. The film was a major commercial success, and was declared India's highest grossing production ever up to that point. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, and went on to win several awards for special effects and Art Direction. It was also nominated for the Filmfare Best Movie Award. His company has further gone on to produce Billu (2009), and Always Kabhi Kabhi (2011). During the filming of My Name Is Khan, Karan Johar producer of the film and head of Dharma Productions, asked Khan to co-produce the film under his production company.^[125] The both will further collaborate in Johar's next directorial venture Student Of The Year.

Since the creation of his company, Khan was keen on making a VFX-loaded film.^[126] The company continued working on other projects and seeking for the right film until they finally decided on Ra.One (2011). The pre-production work began in 2007 after the release of Om Shanti Om.^[126] The film's crew consisted of more than 5,000 members from India, Italy and the US, and was pieced together by more than 1,000 people, working in shifts, in around 15 studios across the world.^[127] It saw the inclusion of several visual effects techniques being incorporated in the production which were carried out by Red Chillies VFX.^[126] With an estimated budget of 125 crore (US$23.75 million), Ra.One was the second-most expensive film ever produced in Indian cinema, and the most expensive Bollywood film^[103][109] The film witnessed a level of publicity campaigning previously unseen in India films, with marketing taking place over a period of nine months and involving major brand tie-ups of a 52 crore (US$9.88 million) which set the record for the largest marketing budget in India.^[128] Khan is also one of the producers of Don 2 (2011), but not through his production company. The movie was a major success in India and abroad.

Apart from film production, the company also has a visual effects studio known as Red Chillies VFX which had been involved with many major movies like Chak De India, Om Shanti Om, Dostana, and Kurbaan. As well as studios for TV commercials known as Red Chillies TVC and TV shows/serials known as Red Chillies Idiot Box, which conceived popular shows like Up Close & Personal with PZ and Ishaan. The company also has a little over 50% stake in the Cricket team Kolkata Knight Riders often abbreviated as KKR, in the BCCI-backed IPL cricket competition.^[129]

Philanthropy[link]

Khan is known for keeping a low profile and secrecy on his social commitments and Humanitarian work.^[130][131] In an interview with The Guardian he stated that his reason for keeping his charity work guarded was because "it's not out of guilt. Somewhere in the Qur'an it says that if you do charity for a reason, it's not charity."^[132] Apart from regular donations to organisations and individuals, especially in the case of AIDS and cancer patients, he is behind the creation of a children's ward at the Nanavati hospital in Mumbai, in memory of his late mother.^[131][133] Khan is also active with relief funds when the Indian nation faces a natural calamity.^[131] He also lent his name to various government campaigns throughout the years, notably those of Pulse Polio immunisation campaign which was established in 1995 to eradicate poliomyelitis in India by vaccinating all children under the age of five years against the polio virus, the National AIDS Control Organisation and the National Rural Health Mission of India which aims to provide accessible, affordable, effective and reliable health care service to the people of India residing in villages.^[134] Khan is a member of the board of directors of Make-A-Wish Foundation in India.^[135]

Khan adopted 12 villages during his visit to The NDTV Greenathon 2012

In March 2004, Khan visited the border post at the Attari-Wagah section of the Indo-Pak border, near Amritsar (the only one where people can cross over to the other side) to boost the morale of the jawans. It was for a TV show called Jai Jawan where entertainers and stars visit Indian troops in far-flung regions to encourage them along with the NDTV team.^[136] In February 2005, Khan performed at the HELP! Telethon Concert to help raise money for the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake in company with other Bollywood stars and also donated 2.5 million for the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Tsunami Relief Fund for the tsunami-affected areas in India.^[137][138] He organised and participated in the Temptations 2005 show in New Delhi which helped to raise funds for the National Centre For Promotional of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP), a leading disabled rights group.^[139] In 2007, he collaborated with veteran artist M.F. Husain to create a canvas in celebration of 60 years of Indian independence at a charity auction in Bonhams, London. The painting was sold for over 12 million.^[140]

During his 2009 appearance at the NDTV Greenathon, Khan adopted five villages in Bhitarkanika National Park in Kendrapara, to provide them with electricity under the solar energy harnessing project in its title initiative 'Light A Billion Lives'.^[141] The following year, he adopted eight more villages, and again adopted eleven during his appearance in in the third edition of the event. In the 2012 edition of of the initiative, he again adopted twelve villages.^{[142][143][144]} In 2009, Khan committed to bear all the expenses for the treatment of two Kashmiri orphan children who suffered severe burns during a terrorist grenade attack in Srinagar. He also visited the two orphans at the hospital.^[145]

In 2011, Khan teamed up with Amitabh Bachchan and English actress Judi Dench to promote Resul Pookutty's foundation that works to better the living conditions of the underprivileged in India. The campaign aims to spread awareness on the cause of education among the impoverished, in India and also discourages child labour in the low income bracket of society and focus on providing opportunities to let children have a proper childhood.^[146] the same year, he was honoured with the UNESCO's Pyramide con Marni award for his charity engagements and social commitment towards providing education for kids thus becoming the first Indian to win the accolade.^[147] Later that year, Khan was appointed by The UNOPS to be the first global ambassador of The Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council that works to improve the lives of poor people by enhancing collaboration among sector agencies and professionals around sanitation and water supply.^[148] During Ra.One's premiere in Dubai in October 2011, Khan along with co-stars Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal held a high-profile dinner and charity auction, which raised AED 30,000 for building a workshop for children with special needs.^[149]

Non-film work[link]

Television presenting[link]

In 2007, Khan replaced Amitabh Bachchan as the host of the third season of the game show Kaun Banega Crorepati popularly known as KBC, the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?.^[150] The previous had hosted the show for two previous seasons in 2000 and 2005. On 22 January 2007, Kaun Banega Crorepati aired with Khan as the new host. The grand prize amount of 2 crore rupees (approx. $430,000 USD) was still used in KBC3.^[151] and later ended on 19 April 2007 with a special finale.^[152] In an interview with The Times Of India, Khan explained that he was offered to host the second season of the show as well but he turned it down because Bachchan wanted to do it then.^[153] For his work at KBC 3, Khan won the best anchor at various awards ceremonies including The Global Indian Film and Television Honours and Indian Telly Awards.

A year later, Khan began hosting the game show Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain?, the Indian version of Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?,^[154] The show premiered on 25 April 2008 and the last episode was telecast on 27 July 2008 with Lalu Prasad Yadav as the special guest.^[155] On 1 February 2011, he began hosting Zor Ka Jhatka: Total Wipeout, the Indian version of the American game show Wipeout, on Imagine TV. The show ended on 25 February 2011 with Kushal Punjabi as the winner.^[156]

Stage performances[link]

Khan during a performance in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Khan is a stage performer and has participated in several world tours and concerts. In 1997, he preformed in the Asha Bhosle's: Moments In Time in Malaysia. He returned to another concert there the following year with Shahrukh—Karisma: Live in Malaysia concert. In 1999, he was part of The Awesome Foursome, which included Salman Khan, Juhi Chawla and Twinkle Khanna.^[157] In November 2002, Khan took part in the Fire & Flames concert in Malaysia, alongside Rani Mukerji, Saif Ali Khan and BPL-Oye VJ Raageshwari with a 40-member troupe of singers and dancers.^[157] In the same year, he participated in the show From India With Love in the UK, along with Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Preity Zinta and Aishwarya Rai. It took place at two outdoor venues, Manchester's Old Trafford and London's Hyde Park, with over 100,000 spectators.^[158]

Khan participated in a concert tour titled Temptations 2004 which was the most successful Bollywood concert at the time. Khan performed alongside Saif Ali Khan, Rani Mukerji, Preity Zinta, Arjun Rampal and Priyanka Chopra in nineteen stage shows across the globe. He sang, danced and performed in skits.^[159] In 2008, Khan set up Temptation Reloaded 2008, a series of concerts showcased across several different countries. The show, which also featured Kareena Kapoor, Arjun Rampal, Katrina Kaif, Ganesh Hegde, Javed Ali and Anusha Dandekar, took place at the Ahoy Rotterdam venue in Rotterdam, Netherlands.^[160] Several months later, he again joined Kapoor, Rampal and Kaif to perform for 15,000 spectators at Dubai's Festival City Arena.^[161] In 2010, Khan performed alongside Rani Mukerji, Arjun Rampal, Neeraj Shridhar and Ishaa Koppikar for a concert at the Army Stadium, Dhaka, Bangladesh to a packed audience.^[162] And in 2011, he joined Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra in the Friendship Concert, celebrating 150 years of India-South Africa friendship in Durban, South Africa.^[163]

Ownership of IPL cricket team[link]

In 2008, Khan in partnership with actress Juhi Chawla Mehta and her husband Jay Mehta acquired ownership rights for the franchise representing Kolkata in the Twenty20 cricket tournament Indian Premier League, for a price of USD 75.09 million (Rs 357 crores), and have since named the team Kolkata Knight Riders. KKR is the richest team in the IPL and it has been ranked as the most valued with a brand value of $42.1 million.^[164] Financially, the KKR are the most profitable and successful franchise in the IPL as well.^[165][166] The team was surrounded with controversy and poor on-field performance through the first three years of the tournament.^[167] It's performance, however, improved from the fourth season and they eventually became the IPL champions for the first time in 2012.^[168]

In 9 April 2012, Khan was served a notice by the Rajasthan Police for smoking in public after he was caught smoking on camera during a match between the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Rajasthan Royals on April 8.^[169] and in 16 May of the same year he received a five-year ban from the Wankhede Stadium for arguing with security at the ground after a match between his team and The Mumbai Indians.^[170] Khan later apologised to the children and his fans after his team won the final match at Chennai on May 27.^[171] The Mumbai Cricket Association in return stated that it had taken note of the apology but had not withdrawn the ban.^[172]

In the media[link]

Khan at the launch of his official Opus, in 2011.

Khan was given the birth name "Shahrukh" (meaning "Face of the King"), but prefers his name to be written as "Shah Rukh Khan", and is also commonly referred to as SRK.^[173] Khan has various homes in India and abroad. His house in Mumbai called Mannat is a well-known tourist spot and is considered a heritage building, deemed important to the townscape and hence exempt from demolition.^[1] In addition, he also had a house in New Delhi.^[174] Khan also owns a £20 million apartment in London and a villa on the Palm Jumeirah. He said in a television interview that "I bought the house, because one can see the island from the moon."^[175][176] Khan's net worth is estimated at over 25 billion (US$540 million)^[177][178]

Khan has been noted for having several trademark mannerisms, gestures and ways of delivering dialogues.^[37][87] As it has been cited by CNN-IBN: "The mannerisms that have earned him both brickbats and endeared him to his fans over the years – that half nod, raised brow gesture, a deep dimpled smile and a deliberate stammer – were absent when he debuted. If he picked them up later to addapt to the big screen, they stayed for the rest of his acting career."^[179] Due to his appearance in numerous romantic films, Khan has developed a "romantic lover boy" image and is referred to as the "King of Romance" by media outlets.^{[180][181][182]} He has been accused of repeating himself through the type of characters that he played, referred to as the "Rajs and Rahuls", or him not being able to shed the superstar persona on screen and often playing himself.^[183] In 2011, Rediff listed him in the top 10 "Readers Choice: The Greatest Actors of all time".^[184]

Globally, Khan is considered to be one of the biggest movie stars, with a fan following claimed to number in the billions. He is also of one the most watched movie stars in the world, and one of the most recognisable faces of Indian cinema.^{[185][186][187][132]} In 2008, Newsweek named him one of the 50 most powerful people in the world.^[3] In 2011, The Los Angeles Times noted: "He is the biggest movie star you’ve never heard of. And perhaps the world’s biggest movie star, period."^[188] His success and popularity has been attributed as the result of his emergence in the era of liberalisation and changing economic scenario in the 1990s. He was often described as the face and catalyst of a new consumerist urban society, and that he has managed to personify "the restless spirit of post-liberalization, ambitious, assertive and yet feel-good India."^{[189][190][191]}

In 2004, Khan was awarded the Filmfare Power Award (shared with Amitabh Bachachan) for topping the Filmfare list of the "Ten Most Powerful Names of Bollywood", and again in 2005. In 2006 he was ranked as second overall behind Yash Chopra and his son Aditya and the most powerful actor, an achievement he would go on to repeat till 2009.^[192][193] He occupied the top slot of Box Office India's Top Actors list for the first time in 1994 for two consecutive years, then again in 1998 and for the majority of the 2000s (from 2002 till 2008).^[194] He was voted the sexiest Asian man in the world by Eastern Eye in 2007, and was ranked third in 2008 and 2011.^[195][196] In a 2009 poll conducted by the newspaper DNA, he was voted as India's second most popular icon behind Sachin Tendulkar.^[197] In a 2012 Hindustan Times Youth Survey, Khan was declared as the biggest role model for youth in India.^[198]

Khan is often labelled by the Media as "Brand SRK" due to his various brand endorsement and entrepreneurship ventures. The Times Of India noted “Khan has established himself as a brand on the map of the film industry. Hailing from a non-filmi background with no pedigree to boast of and no godfather to pull strings, the St. Columba's alumnus has become a muse. ”^[199] In 2005, he launched his own perfume, labelled "Tiger Eyes by SRK" by the French perfume brand Jeanne Arthes.^[200] In 2009, Khan was crowned as the "Brand Ambassador of the Year" at the CNBC Awaaz consumer awards and in 2010 won the ‘Brand Ambassador of the Year’ award at NDTV Profit Car & Bike Awards.^[201][202] He is also is one of the top paid Bollywood actors in this respect.^[203] While in 2003, he endorsed eight brands, his endorsement rose up to a total of thirteen brands in 2004 and in 2005, he endorsed twenty one brands, thirty four brands in 2009 and twenty five in 2011.^[204][205] Some of the brands that he has endorsed over the years are Pepsi, Nokia, Hyundai, Sunfeast, Videocon, Airtel, Himani, Nerolac Paints, Dish TV, D'decor and Tag Heuer.^[204][205] In 2011, Khan was appointed the brand ambassador of the Champions League Twenty20.^[206]

In 2005, Nasreen Munni Kabir produced a two-part documentary on Khan, titled The Inner and Outer World of Shah Rukh Khan. Featuring his 2004 Temptations concert tour, the film contrasted Khan's inner world of family and daily life with the outer world of his work. The book Still Reading Khan by Mushtaq Sheikh, which details his family life, was released in 2006. Another book by Anupama Chopra, King of Bollywood: Shahrukh Khan and the seductive world of Indian cinema, was released in 2007. It describes the world of Bollywood through Khan's life.^[207][208] In 2010, Discovery Travel & Living channel produced a ten-part series titled Living with a Superstar-Shah Rukh Khan. The series was the biggest Indian show on television, with a budget of nearly 20 million, highlighting Khan’s daily living, film-making, IPL venture and global lifestyle.^[203][209] Khan is also the first actor and the second Indian after Sachin Tandulkar to have an official Opus dedicated to him.^[210]

Awards and honours[link]

Filmography[link]

See also[link]