Shahrukh Khan

Shahrukh Khan ( born 2 November 1965), often credited as Shah Rukh Khan, is an Indian film actor, producer and television host. Often referred to as "The King of Bollywood", Khan has acted in over 70 Hindi films. Khan has won fourteen Filmfare Awards from thirty nominations for his work in Indian films and holds the record for the most number of Best Actor award won along with Dilip Kumar; 8 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 film debut in 1992 with the commercially successful Deewana which earned him a Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut. He was later recognized for a series of villainous roles in films such as Darr (1993), Baazigar (1993) and Anjaam (1994). He appeared in a wide variety of roles in a range of film genres, including Romantic films, comedies, thrillers, sport films and historical dramas.



Eleven of the films he has acted in have accumulated worldwide gross earnings of over INR 1 billion.[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) and 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 India.[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 and the Mumbai franchise in the motorsport racing league i1 Super Series. 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 one of the most watched movie stars in the world and one of the most recognizable faces of Indian cinema. In 2008, Newsweek named him one of the 50 most powerful people in the world.

Early life and background

Khan was born in 1965 to Muslim parents of Pathan descent in New Delhi, India. His father, Taj Mohammed Khan, was an Indian independence activist from Peshawar, British India. According to Khan, his paternal grandfather was originally from Afghanistan. His mother, Lateef Fatima, was the adopted daughter of Major General Shah Nawaz Khan of the Janjua Rajput clan, who served as a General in the Indian National Army of Subash Chandra Bose. Khan's father came to New Delhi from Qissa Khawani Bazaar in Peshawar before the partition of India, while his mother's family came from Rawalpindi, British India. Khan has an elder sister named Shehnaz.
Khan with his wife and children



Growing up in Rajendra Nagar neighbourhood, 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 (honors). 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 make his career in Bollywood.



After the death of his parents, Khan moved to Mumbai in 1991. In that same year, before any of his films were released, he married Gauri Chibber, a Hindu, in a traditional Hindu wedding ceremony on 25 October 1991. 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.[23]



Khan studied acting under celebrated Theatre Director Barry John at Delhi's Theatre Action Group (TAG). In 2007, John commented thus on his former pupil, "The credit for the phenomenally successful development and management of Shahrukh's career goes to the superstar himself." 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. He went on to appear in other television serials, such as the 1989 serial, Aziz Mirza's Circus, which depicted the life of circus performers. 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 and was written by Arundhati Roy. When Khan appeared in those teleserials, people found in him some resemblance with actor Dilip Kumar and also compared his acting style with the latter's.