PremiumHappy Birthday, Shah Rukh Khan! Finding purpose and healing through the magic of the superstar
As Shah Rukh Khan turns 58, here's a tribute to the superstar's resilience, compassion, and endless inspiration.
Last Updated: 11.26 AM, Nov 02, 2023
It's okay to wake up with a purpose, not just because you have to live. To keep your life going, there should be a reason, and for me, that reason this year has been Shah Rukh Khan. Whenever I feel dejected or lose my purpose in life, I tell myself to keep going, knowing that I have Shah Rukh Khan and his movie to watch.
Finding Purpose in Shah Rukh Khan
Before the year started, I had hopes that watching him in Pathaan would heal me in some way. Having said that, his special appearances in Rocketry: The Nambi Effect, Laal Singh Chaddha, and Brahmastra Part One: Shiva gave me all the more reasons to push myself till 2023.
After Pathaan, I told myself I had another purpose in life: to watch Jawan on the big screen in the next five months. However, that got further delayed for another three months, and I had to wait until September 7, 2023, to watch him on the big screen again.
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That purpose gave me a new life, and to keep myself going, I ended up watching Jawan four times on the big screen. Every time he came on screen, tears rolled down, and I thanked Shah Rukh for keeping me hopeful in life.
From Childhood to Adulthood: A Lifelong Fandom
Today, on his birthday, when I was asked what I should write about, I was left with no words and only a "thank you" for helping me find solace in this life and help me keep going to find another purpose to live. Now there's one more reason to watch Dunki on the big screen this December. That is the only way 2023 could have been planned for me prior to the release of SRK movies.
Since I was two, his movies, his voice, and his floppy hair all came down to him being my most favourite actor. It was my mom who introduced me to his movies and took me to watch his latest releases on the big screen. She still regrets taking me to Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna when I was 13, as we both didn't realise what Karan Johar had in store for the moviegoers.
But watching almost all his movies in theatres and fighting with people around and defending him like he is all mine (well, he is!) has done it all. Not once did I think showering my love for him should be a private affair, and I do end up calling him "my love" whenever I have to address SRK. What I feel about him might not have a novelty factor, as he has many of them expressing their love for him. But for me, he is one channel that will not be changed or replaced.
Thankfully, I have not had partners who felt insecure about my love for him, and I hope it continues the same. But there have been people around me who kept on saying, "Aren't you done loving him?" My reply to them is, "Woh star nahi, duniya hai meri."
Realizing Dreams: Meeting Shah Rukh Khan
We often hear people say, 'Never meet your hero in real life; you will be disappointed.' But if your favourite hero is Shah Rukh Khan, then disappointment hona mushkil hi nahi namumkin hai. I met him three times in life, and it taught me to become more confident. My first shy photo with him made me realise that I had a dream come true, but my face couldn't express it fully. Then, by the time the third meeting happened, something happened, and I confessed what he meant to me. I wished for a smile from him on hearing my story, but there came a hug, which melted me instantly.
I thought all this would happen when I turned 30 or so. I turned 30 this year, and my dream came true in my early 20s (the only time manifestation worked in my life).
But his passion for his work and life inspired me to dream of becoming a journalist. Yes, like many, he is one of the major reasons why I chose this path, and one of my dreams was to meet him at some point in my career. Little did I know that my dream would be fulfilled in just a month of stepping into this profession.
Shah Rukh Khan was more to me than a Bollywood superstar; his resiliency, compassion, and inspiration helped me find my way to a life with purpose.
If magic exists, it's him who made me believe in it. He created unrealistic standards of how a man should be through his characters. He let me believe with most of the characters who let the eyes do the talking and only spoke the language of love. In real life too, when he faced hard times about two years ago with all the negativity coming in, his emerging from ashes made me believe that SRK being an inspiration figure is not just a 90s thing. He has started to set new standards in his late 50s that only he can surpass.
A Timeless Love
On his birthday, all I want to say as a die-hard Shah Rukh Khan fan is, "Main aaj bhi usse utni hi mohabbat karti hoon, aur isliye nahi ki koi aur nahi mili, par isliye ki usse mohabbat karne se fursat hi nahi milti." (I still love him as much today, not because I haven't found anyone else, but because loving him leaves me with no time for anything else.)