The Myth Of SRK | Under Lens

He never played a role that can come even a mile within Rick Blaine of Casablanca or George Bailey of It’s a Wonderful Life but still he is a heart stealer. He doesn’t as handsome as Tom Cruise but still have a fan following that can beat the Top Gun phenomenon by numbers. Something is special about him. His failures as actor were always masked by success as a star. He doesn’t belong to the league of Dileep Kumar or Aamir Khan known for their acting prowess but compensates it well with his charm and wit. He is undoubtedly the king of millions of hearts, more belonging to the fairer gender. This Valentine, we will try to understand what makes SRK such a myth.

When He Speaks He Speaks: Be it KJo or Barkha Dutt, whoever is the interviewer, SRK knows what to say and how to say. The way he articulates his thoughts you can’t stop admiring him. He takes his persona to another level which is far more mature and sensible than most of the roles he played. Maybe Swades’ Mohan Bhargava comes closest to his real persona. When he talks about his father, mother, wife, children, extended family and friends, when he talks about his memories from Delhi and old TV days, he shrugs away all the buffoonery his reel persona carries. One-to-one he seems to be more real than any other lead actor.

Romance: In OSO, he mocks his signature move of swaying arms for lead ladies. One of my female friends once said that whenever she sees SRK swaying his arms, her heart melt. String of romantic roles he successfully played in 90’s and early 00’s established him as a huge romantic hero. It started with DDLJ and Baazigar where he romanced talented Kajol. Then Pardes further cemented his image. Dil To Pagal Hai, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gam, Devdas etc. confirmed his market value. Apart from these blockbusters, there were romantic movies like Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa (incidentally one SRK favorite SRK Movie) and Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman which impressed critics but failed to deliver huge profits.

Wit And Comic Timing: Though SRK is known for his romantic hero image, in many movies he got the opportunity to discover and polish the comic side of his personality. Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman is a personal favorite where he plays a Tramp-like character. His sense of humor comes out well in his interviews and adds value to his image.

SRK is not an amazing actor. His best performances were in Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa, Swades and Chak De India but none of them qualify for ‘Amazing Performance’ tag. He has damaged his image with some of his latest outings. But still he is huge. And we know there are reasons.

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh