Birthday Love: Five risky roles Shah Rukh Khan was appreciated for
There have been many stars that have tasted fame and then for whatever reason were unable to keep that momentum going. However when it comes to Shah Rukh Khan that has never been the case. His fans are always excited to see him in a new project be it a film or a Television appearance, they can’t get enough of him.
This year Khan will be celebrating his 60th birthday with his family, friends and his dear fans. While many remember King Khan for his romantic films BizAsiaLive.com will explore 5 of his films that were risky to do but he achieved a lot of appreciation for them.
Rahul Mehra in ‘Darr’ (1993)
For many this was the first time they had seen an actor take on such a role in a Hindi film. Khan’s character Rahul looked like a normal guy on the outside but the truth was that no one really knew the real him, not even his own father.
Rahul wasn’t a man with many friends and usually stayed alone in his own dream world. His beautiful world consisted of Kiran (Juhi Chawla) and her photographs which he admired day and night. He fell in love with her at college but had never found the courage to express his feelings to her. Over time his love for Kiran turns into an obsession which for her becomes a nightmare as he begins to stalk her.
Many actors had been offered the role of Rahul but they had turned it down fearing it wouldn’t be received well by the audiences. In reality the character Rahul would be detested by people but Khan played the character of an obsessed lover so well that the audience couldn’t hate him. Khan was nominated for the best villain award at the 39th Filmfare Awards.
Ajay Sharma / Vicky Malhotra in ‘Baazigar’ (1993)
He was the hero that had shades of grey to his character. Meaning the things he did were morally wrong but when one learns why he took such actions it isn’t difficult to sympathise with him. Ajay Sharma (Khan) lived with his mother who was mentally unwell and believed that her husband and child still existed in the world. Since his childhood Ajay had vowed to take revenge on those that had ruined their lives. Not only had they taken his family’s wealth but they had betrayed his family and were responsible for the deaths of his father and baby sister.
On this path to revenge he takes on a new name and manages to win over his enemy. It was a great romantic thriller that kept the audience at the edge of their seat. Not to mention Khan’s acting especially at the climax of the film made many people cry. Khan won the best actor award for his performance proving that he has what it takes to do a role like this.
Vijay Agnihotri in ‘Anjaam’ (1994)
While some may feel that this role was quite similar to his previous films, this wasn’t entirely the case. His character was called Vijay Agnihotri a wealthy businessman who had the habit of attaining what he desired. When he meets Shivani (Madhuri Dixit Nene) an air hostess who he has an interesting encounter with on a flight, he immediately falls for her witty charm and beauty. He begins to woo her but to no luck as she is in love with a pilot named Ashok (Deepak Tijori) who she later marries.
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Still not willing to give up he continues to interfere in her married life and won’t take no for an answer. Vijay gets so obsessed he murders her husband and puts the entire blame on Shivani after she rejects him again. Khan’s performance of a psychopath was quite terrifying at times but so convincing that he won the best actor award at the 40th Filmfare Awards.
Ashoka in ‘Aśhoka’ (2001)
Unlike his previous films this one was based on the life of the emperor Ashoka, a historic film with Khan in a completely different avatar. While the film may not have done so well at the box office it deserves a mention for the performance of Khan. His character had many sides to him. At times a loving son, an amazing story teller to a child, a mischievous but caring lover and a heartless warrior. There were so many different personalities to this character Ashoka, which Khan played very well.
In the second half of the film when he believes he has lost everything close to his heart, his character begins to inherit shades of grey. He turns into a killing machine not caring who is at the other side of his sword. The audience gets to see how his character evolves for the worst and destroys everything around him only to be left feeling remorseful at the end.
Don/ Vijay in ‘Don’ (2006)
This was both a risk and a great honour in itself to play the role of Don that once the legendary Amitabh Bachchan had played in the year 1978. The risky part was whether the audience would accept this remake as people would be comparing every aspect of this film to the original. Also both actors would be compared and if Khan didn’t do a convincing job then people would be disappointed. Luckily though Khan made the 2006 version of Don his own, impressing everyone with his style and the way he carried himself in the role.
This Don had a different kind of charm that made the audience love him especially with his sarcasm. Again he wasn’t exactly the good guy in the film but you couldn’t hate him, in fact you wanted him to win.
The team at BizAsiaLive.com wishes Shah Rukh Khan a happy 60th Birthday and all the very best for his upcoming projects.
