Shah Rukh Khan has turned 60. For those who grew up on his youthful charm, cheek dimples, and personification of romance, it is a hard pill to swallow. There were signs. The first hint of greys a decade back, the gradual folds of his skin deepening, and some ageing in his eyes over the years. Yet, 60 suddenly seems old. The biggest romantic star in the history of Indian cinema is ‘officially’ too old to be a romantic hero. 60 signifies that. Perhaps, SRK himself recognised this earlier than all of us did. Pathaan and Jawan may have solidified his action hero turn, but Shah Rukh had been itching to let go of the ‘King of Romance’ tag for a decade prior to that.
But eventually, he arrived exactly as his idol, Amitabh Bachchan – the other great Bollywood superstar of the era – had let go of his Angry Young Man tag, also at 60.
I need to correct myself a bit here. Shah Rukh truly turned action hero at 57, with the release of Pathaan in January 2023, almost three years ago. Eight months later, the success of Jawan made sure that Shah Rukh’s itch to do action on screen (something he has wanted to do ever since he was 30) – will not be relegated to the back of his wishes. King, his next film, builds on that.
SRK with the Thalaivaar blueprint
All three films have one commonality. Shah Rukh is greying, older, and yet still charming, handsome, and stylish, almost his own age. He is the mass action hero in his 60s, taking the Mohanlal and Rajinikanth route in that genre. Rajini embraces his age, even off camera. In films, he plays characters of a similar age to his own. Both in Jailer and Vettaiyan, his characters are on the wrong (or maybe right) side of 60. Shah Rukh seems to be getting there, too.
King presents him as a silver fox with completely grey hair. It is a refreshing change for an industry that ensures its ‘heroes’ appear 30 even if they are 70, and for a man who has built a brand on looking ever so young. Shah Rukh, the actor, and SRK, the superstar, both recognise the need to reinvent.
But this reinvention began almost two decades ago. When Shah Rukh – at the peak of his superstardom – made Swades, Paheli, Chak De India, and My Name Is Khan, it was an effort to move away from always being the lover boy on the big screen. Even when he romanced, like in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi or Om Shanti Om, he was no longer the Rahul/Raj template from the 90s. The experimentations continue, but failed to land. The failure of Fan, Raees, and Zero ensured that Shah Rukh knew he needed to recalibrate harder. And then came the pandemic. A short break turned into a five-year hiatus.
At 57, he returned with his first film in 5 years. Pathaan was an action film. The world didn’t know what to expect. And it became an all-time blockbuster. There are two parallels of this in Indian cinema. Curiously, both times it was a reigning superstar who did that.
How Shah Rukh follows Amitabh Bachchan and Dilip Kumar
Amitabh Bachchan ruled the silver screen for 15 years like nobody had before and nobody has since (with sincere apologies to the King Khan). But by the early 90s, his weight gain and ageing face no longer allowed him to be the Angry Young Man. Agneepath was an aberration, and Khuda Gawah a fitting farewell. He took a five-year break at 51, and returned with a string of flops in the mid-90s. But even as Mrityudata and Kohram failed, Amitabh continued to reinvent. He eventually found his niche, playing characters his own age. And Major Saab happened. Big B was 57 at that point. Mohabbatein and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham followed, and it seemed that Bachchan, the star, was back.
And then, as he approached 60, Big B did something quite curious. He starred in Kaante, Aankhen, and Baghban – three films where he was the lead, not a supporting act to any younger star. In one, he played a despicable negative role; in another, he played a hapless father. Both roles were as far removed from his Angry Young Man image as possible. Shah Rukh seems to be following the same template with the Jawans and the Kings in his late 50s and 60s.
And he has someone to follow here. Dilip Kumar was the only other Indian actor who remained a superstar for over a decade without ever doing action films. His stardom rested on tragedies and dramas, as well as his ability to master complex characters. But as he turned 50, the superstar began giving flops like Sagina. He quit acting, interestingly, for five years. In 1981, he returned, curiously at the age of 58. His comeback was Kranti, a masala potboiler in which he was grey, old, and an action star.
Success in Vidhaata and Shakti followed. In 1986, at the age of 64, Dilip Kumar starred in India’s biggest action film at the time – Karma. It was a stupendous success. Just a decade after being written off, the erstwhile Tragedy King had proved he was no one-trick pony, something Shah Rukh seems to be saying too, and not subtly at all.
Whether Shah Rukh can smoothly continue his transition into older yet still lead roles like the two older superstars did remains to be seen. But he has started well. At 60, he is still hungry, and willing to do something new. Lovers of his dimples may sigh in disappointment at King’s teaser, but mostly, we are just glad to see Shah Rukh back on screen, owning the space like the king he is.
