SHAH RUKH KHAN

SHAH RUKH KHAN, is a highly-acclaimed award-winnng Indian film actor who works in Bollywood films, as well as a film producer and television host.

Khan began his career appearing in several television serials in the late 1980s. He made his film debut with the commercially successful Deewana (1992). Since then, he has been part of numerous commercial successes and has delivered a variety of critically acclaimed performances. During his years in the Indian film industry, he has won thirteen Filmfare Awards, seven of which are in the Best Actor category.

While some of Khan's best-known films: Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (1995), Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), Chak De India (2007) and Om Shanti Om (2007), remain some of Bollywood's biggest hits, films like Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001), Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003), Veer-Zaara (2004) and Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006) have been top-grossing productions in the overseas market, making Khan one of the most successful actors of Hindi cinema. Since 2000, Khan branched out into film production and television presenting as well. He is the founder-owner of two production companies, Dreamz Unlimited and Red Chillies Entertainment. In 2008, Newsweek named him one of the 50 most powerful people in the world.

Khan was born in 1965 to Muslim parents of Pathan descent in New Delhi, India. His father, Taj Mohammed Khan, was an Indian freedom fighter from Peshawar, British India. His mother, Lateef Fatima, was the adopted daughter of Major General Shah Nawaz Khan of the Janjua Rajput clan. He 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.

In a recent interview with Ariana Afghan Television, Shahrukh Khan has claimed that his grandfather is from Afghanistan and he himself been to Afghanistan and speaks some Farsi as well.

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 Economics (honors). 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 Khan (who is a Hindu) in a traditional Hindu wedding ceremony on 25 October 1991. They have two children, son Aryan Khan (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 gods.

Khan has been awarded a number of honours. In April 2007, a life-size wax statue of Khan was installed at the Madame Tussauds Wax Museum, London. During the same year, he was accorded the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Order of the Arts and Literature) award by the French government for his “exceptional career”.

In October 2008, Khan was conferred the Darjah Mulia Seri Melaka which carries the honorific Datuk (in similar fashion to "Sir" in British knighthood), by the Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Mohd Khalil Yaakob, the head of state of Malacca in Malaysia. Khan was honored for "promoting tourism in Malacca" by filming One Two Ka Four there in 2001. Some were critical of this decision.

Background
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 that, "The credit for the phenomenally successful development and management of Shahrukh's career goes to the superstar himself." Khan made his acting debut in 1988 when he appeared in the television series, Fauji, playing the role of Commando Abhimanyu Rai. He went on to appear in several other television serials, most notably in 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.

1990s
Upon moving from New Delhi to Mumbai in 1991, Khan made his Bollywood movie debut in Deewana (1992). The movie became a box office hit, and launched his career in Bollywood. His performance won him a Filmfare Best Male Debut Award. His second movie, Maya Memsaab, generated some controversy because of his appearance in an "explicit" sex scene in the movie. In 1993, he won his first Filmfare Best Actor Award for his performance in Baazigar. Later, in 1995, Khan starred in Aditya Chopra's directorial debut Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, a critical and commercial success, for which he won his second Filmfare Best Actor Award and which entered its twelfth year in 2007 in Mumbai theaters. By then the movie had grossed over 12 billion rupees, making it as one of the biggest movie blockbusters. 1996 was a disappointing year, however, as the movies he released that year failed to do well at the box office.

He later starred in a number of successful films including Yash Chopra's Dil to Pagal Hai (which became that year's second highest grossing movie and for which won his third Filmfare Best Actor Award),  Subhash Ghai's Pardes (one of the biggest hits of the year), and Karan Johar's 1998 debut, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (another box office "hit"). He also won acclaim for his performance in Mani Ratnam's Dil Se which did not do well in the Indian box office, but was a commercial success overseas. Khan's only release in 1999, Baadshah, was an average grosser.

2000s
Khan's success continued with Aditya Chopra's 2000 film, Mohabbatein, co-starring Amitabh Bachchan. It did well at the box office, and Khan's performance won him his second Critics Award for Best Performance. He also starred in Mansoor Khan's Josh, which was also a box office success. In that same year, Khan set up his own production house, Dreamz Unlimited with Juhi Chawla. Both Khan and Chawla starred in the first movie of their production house, Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani. His work with Karan Johar continued as he collaborated on Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham which was the second biggest hit of the year. He also received favorable reviews for his performance as Emperor Asoka in the historical epic, Asoka. Khan also starred in the 2002 remake of Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay's well-known novel Devdas, which was one of the biggest hits of that year. Additional box office hits included Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam, which did well at the box office, and Yash Chopra's Veer-Zaara, which was the biggest hit of 2004 in both India and overseas. Khan's performance in the film won him awards at several award ceremonies. In that same year, he received critical praise for his performance in Ashutosh Gowariker's Swades, which won him the Filmfare Best Actor Award for the sixth time, although the movie was a box office failure. He was nominated for the Filmfare Best Actor Award for all three of his releases in 2004, winning it for Swades. Khan's collaborative work with Karan Johar continued with Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna which did well in India and much more so in the overseas market. He also starred in the 2006 remake of the 1978 hit Don which was a box-office success.

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. Earning over Rs 639 million, Chak De India became the third highest grossing movie of 2007 in India and won yet another Filmfare Best Actor Award for Khan. and was critically acclaimed. In the same year Khan also starred in Farah Khan's 2007 film, Om Shanti Om. The film emerged as the year's highest grossing film in India and the overseas market, as well as earned him another nomination for Best Actor at the Filmfare ceremony. Khan's more recent films include the 2008 release, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi and Billu Barber which is soon to be released.

Current work
Khan is currently in Los Angeles filming My Name is Khan, due for a November release. Along with his wife Gauri and director Karan Johar, he took a break from filming to attend the 66th Golden Globe Awards also held in Los Angeles on 11 January 2009. Khan introduced Slumdog Millionaire along with a star from the film, Freida Pinto.

Producer
Khan turned producer when he set up a production company called Dreamz Unlimited with Juhi Chawla and director Aziz Mirza in 1999. The first two of the films he produced and starred in: Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani (2000) and Asoka (2001) were box office failures. However, his third film, as a producer and star, Chalte Chalte (2003), was the first box office hit from his production house.

In 2004, he set up another production company called Red Chillies Entertainment and produced and starred in Main Hoon Na which was another hit at the box office. In 2005 he produced and starred in the fantasy film Paheli, which was a box office failure. It was India's official entry to the Oscars for a nomination for Best Foreign Film, but it did not pass the final selection. That same year he also 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. The latest film Om Shanti Om, which he produced as well as starred in, has done very well at the box office. In 2008, The Red Chillies Entertainment became the owner of Kolkata Knight Riders in the BCCI backed IPL cricket league.

Television host
In 2007, Khan replaced Amitabh Bachchan as the host of the third series of the popular game show Kaun Banega Crorepati, the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. The previous had hosted the show for five years from 2000-05. On 22 January 2007, Kaun Banega Crorepati aired with Khan as the new host and later ended on 19 April 2007.

On 25 April 2008, Khan began hosting the game show Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain?, the Indian version of Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, whose last episode was telecasted on 27 July 2008, with Lalu Prasad Yadav as the special guest.