If ageing with grace would have been an art, then Shah Rukh Khan is surely the master of it. No matter what is his age, King Khan still has the capability to win our hearts with his dimpled smile. Though Bollywood has got a number of young and handsome actors today, Shah Rukh is still the crush of many girls from different age groups. The actor is considered as the pioneer for being the romance king in Bollywood.
Such is the craze of the hero, who has not aged with time, that people still celebrate SRK's birthday as any other festival. Years may be catching up with him, but his fandom is only getting bigger by the day. On his birthday, people remember him for being the person, who had no Godfather in the industry, and yet has made such a big name for himself. However, today, we will take you through some of the unknown facts about Shah Rukh's life that you were not aware of.
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Born on November 2, 2021, Shah Rukh was born at a Muslim family in Delhi. SRK's father, Meer Taj had moved to Delhi in 1948, after the partition of India, and had married his mother, Lateef Fatima in 1959. After SRK's birth in 1965, his naani (maternal grandmother) had named him Abdul Rashid Khan. SRK had spent the first five years of his life with his maternal grandparents in Mangalore. However, once he returned back to his parents in Delhi, they had changed his name to Shah Rukh Khan.
Today, Shah Rukh Khan has worked so hard that his wife, Gauri Khan, and their kids, Aryan Khan, Suhana Khan and AbRam Khan are known by his name. However, not many know about the family that he hails from. He is the grandson of a freedom fighter, Gen. Shah Nawaz Khan. Shah Rukh's grandfather was the major general of Indian National Army under Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. Not only that, his father, Meer Taj was also a freedom fighter, who had migrated from Pakistan to Delhi during the time of partition. His excellence in his professional career has led him to become the recipient of Tamra Patra from the Indian Government.
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Though Shah Rukh Khan is mostly remembered for his role in the 1992 film, Deewana, it was television that had given him his first break. He had started his career in acting with the show, Fauji, which had become one of the most popular serials of Doordarshan. His character, 'Abhimanyu Rai' had gained popularity instantly and he had become a star overnight with the show's mega success. Later on, Shah Rukh was also seen in the television shows, Dil Dariya, Wagle Ki Duniya and Umeed.
Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge is one of the most loved films of Shah Rukh Khan and it also claims the honour to be the film that still runs at the Maratha Mandir in Mumbai. However, Shah Rukh had not made the move of signing this film after a lot of thinking. In fact, his love for the filmmaker of the movie, Aditya Chopra, that had made him sign the film without even reading the script.
Shah Rukh Khan's most famous character onscreen was that of Raj or Rahul. However, do you know in how many films he has played the role of 'Rahul'? Well, he has acted in nine films as the hero with this name. These nine films are Darr, Zamaana Deewana, Gudgudee Yes Boss, Dil Toh Pagal Hai, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Har Dil Jo Pyaar Karega, Kabhie Khushi Kabhie Gham and Chennai Express.
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Well, not many people know this, but Shah Rukh Khan is a superstitious person and believes that the right number can bring him good luck. Therefore, he has the number 555 on most of the number plates of his car. In fact, some of his staff's mobile numbers also ends with 555.
It is very common for celebrities to receive a lot of gifts from their fans on their birthdays. But have you heard of any fan, who gifts his favourite actor with a piece of land on the moon? Well, King Khan enjoys such fandom that one of his fans from Australia gifts him with a piece of land on the moon from Lunar Republic Society on every birthday of his. She has also gifted him several acres on The Sea of Tranquility, which happens to be one of the most sought-after addresses on the moon.
Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan's friendship makes headlines quite often. Whether it was being best of friends, or a split between them and then reconciling with each other after years, all of it is not unknown to the people. However, what many people don't know is that in 1998, SRK had won the Zee Cine Award for the best actor, and to everyone's surprise he had called his best friend, Salman Khan on stage. Handing over the award to Salman, he had asked him to deliver the thank you speech instead.
Shah Rukh Khan's years of hard work and dedication have brought him where he is today. Thereby, he has earned the recognition as the 'King of Bollywood'. On his 55th birthday, to pay a special tribute to the actor, the world's biggest skyscraper, Burj Khalifa had displayed his visuals through a special light show. The whole tower was lit up with birthday wishes for him. It was indeed a proud moment for every Indian as he was the only actor to have got this chance.
Shah Rukh Khan is the only actor in Bollywood, who holds three foreign doctorates from three well recognised universities. His works of philanthropy, altruism, and humanitarianism, as well as his worldwide scope as a filmmaker, have earned him an honorary degree from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. Henceforth, Dr. Shah Rukh Khan is his formal name.
Shah Rukh Khan is the only actor in Bollywood, who boasts of being the Knight of Legion of Honour. After the filming of the 2001 film, One 2 Ka 4, at a popular resort in Malacca, the number of tourists, who visited from India had increased significantly. Henceforth, he was conferred the Malaysian title, 'Datuk', which is equivalent to the British Knighthood.
During an interaction at Tehelka's Think 2012 event, Shah Rukh Khan had once talked about stabbing a journalist with a sword for publishing rumours about his affair with a co-star. It was just after two years of his wedding with Gauri Khan. In his words:
“I behaved very badly. I was jailed. My father-in-law had given me a sword, as they do in Punjabi weddings. I carried that sword to that journalist's house. My father-in-law, who is an army officer, said, ‘Son, you have to protect my daughter’. Nobody was saying anything to his daughter but I thought this is a good weapon, sanctioned by the Indian Army. ”
When Shah Rukh Khan was given a chance to make one call from the jail, he had called the same person and had threatened to beware of his actions once Shah Rukh was out of jail. Talking about the same, he had said:
“Saale ab toh jail bhi chala gaya hu. Ab toh nikal ke aauga aur tereko kaat ke jaauga.''
Girls are SRK's fan not just because he is a good actor or human being. His loyalty and love towards his wife, Gauri Khan makes them want a husband like him. He had fallen in love with Gauri when he was living in Delhi. When he had decided to marry his ladylove, first, he and Gauri had registered themselves as husband and wife in a court marriage. After their court marriage, they had a nikaah, which is a Muslim traditional wedding on August 26, 1991. After that, on 25th October 1991, the couple had decided to marry again in Hindu traditional wedding style. As SRK is a Muslim and Gauri is a Hindu, the couple had decided to marry each other by embracing both religious traditions.
On May 16, 2012, there was an IPL match going on between Mumbai Indians and Shah Rukh Khan's team, Kolkata Knight Riders. However, after that match he had got into a fight with one of the security guards of the Wankhede Stadium. To handle the situation, the MCA officials had put a ban on his entry for the next five years on charges of misbehaving and abusing the security guards. SRK was not at all sorry for his actions. Therefore, the managing committee had to put a ban for five years.
Not many people know that Shah Rukh Khan is not much fond of ice cream and refrains from eating it. Not just that, King Khan, who rules the hearts of many people with his charismatic personality also has a very weird phobia of riding horses. That has also prevented him from doing a lot of scenes in a few movies.
Also Read: Film, 'Dil To Pagal Hai' Marks 24 Years, These Lesser Known Facts About It Will Make You Nostalgic
From running a restaurant in Darya Ganj in Delhi, during his struggling days to being the actor, in front of whose home, millions of fans gather on his birthday, Shah Rukh Khan has proved that hard work can take you places if you have the will.
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