Legendary actor Irrfan Khan once said, “Hollywood doesn’t have Shah Rukh Khan,” perfectly capturing the unparalleled power, charm and charisma of Bollywood’s Baadshah. The world has many stars but only one Shah Rukh Khan, and this isn’t merely due to his remarkable acting talent or the iconic performances that have captivated audiences for decades, but also because of the person that he is beyond the screen. His humility and grace in real life have earned him millions, if not billions of fans.
An absolute outsider who carved his path into show business without the backing of influential godfathers or power groups, Shah Rukh Khan’s journey is a testament to his grit and determination. His parents — Mir Taj Mohammed Khan, an Indian independence activist, and Lateef Fatima, a magistrate — passed away long before he achieved fame. His father succumbed to cancer in 1981 and his mother to complications from diabetes in 1991, even before he entered the world of cinema.
The superstar recently reflected on how his parents’ untimely deaths shaped his outlook and career. “A lot of things that happened in my life were need-based. After my parents died, I had no money. I (initially) studied to be a scientist, then I went on to be an economist, then I learned mass communication. So I did my masters in all these things which, sometimes, may not be relatable to why would he become an actor after this. But television came into India and I was sitting there and they paid me Rs 1,500 which was a lot of money then. So, I said okay, this is a job and I’ll start doing it. Then, one thing led to the other,” he said at the recently held third Global Freight Summit in Dubai.
Shah Rukh was 14 when his father died, and 24 when his mother passed. Quoting poet and playwright Oscar Wilde, he said, “‘To lose one parent may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness’. I felt very sad and I had nowhere to go. It was just me and my sister left. Then, one morning, I felt that my parents are there somewhere and that I will meet up with them again. I believe that they’re stars in the sky and I’ll meet them; these are simple, true beliefs I have. Then I thought, won’t they worried right now thinking, ‘Oh my god, what must be happening to my 24-year-old kid who has no sustenance?’ So I started working very hard, I became very determined to be successful because I didn’t want my parents to feel bad that they’ve not fended for me. So it’s a very strange way to look at things. But I knew they shouldn’t feel that way.”
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“So I decided to try and work very hard, earn some money, become successful and turn around and tell them, ‘I’m doing good; don’t feel guilty you died early.’ It (their demise) was unavoidable, so I didn’t want them to feel bad. Now I am determined for my children and in a good way that their lives should be healthy and they should be happy. All three of them are very beautiful, lovely, loving and hardworking. I just want them to be healthy and happy.”
Shah Rukh also shared the moment he discovered his passion for acting. “I remember, I was riding in a three-wheeler. There were two ladies (in another vehicle) and they were, I think, a little disturbed with life. As soon as my vehicle came and stopped next to theirs, they both suddenly smiled and got very happy. That’s when I realised, this is what I need to do… I need to make people happy. I don’t know them, they don’t know me, yet they got so happy despite the humdrum of their daily life. Thus, I became an actor,” he added. In his signature style, blending life’s poignant realities with humour, Shah Rukh quipped that he became a producer because his producers never allowed him to have cars with power windows.
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