Shah Rukh Khan Turns 61 on November 2: A Quick Look at the Career That Built a Global Fan Base

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Shah Rukh Khan was born on November 2, 1965, in Delhi, which means he turns 61 on Monday. He began on television in the late 1980s with the series Fauji and Circus, and his first film release was Deewana in 1992.

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Within a few years he was the biggest romantic hero in Hindi cinema. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, from 1995, is the film most associated with him, and it ran in a Mumbai theatre for years. Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham and Devdas followed, each bringing in huge audiences at home and abroad.

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I find his later work more interesting. Swades and Chak De! India let him play quieter, more serious characters, and he was very good in both. Then came a comeback in 2023, when Pathaan and Jawan were both big hits and Dunki followed that December.

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The fan culture around him is a story in itself. Every year crowds gather outside his home, Mannat, in Bandra on his birthday, and it has become a small annual ritual in Mumbai. He has also received honours from the Indian and French governments, including the Padma Shri in 2005.

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What is the first Shah Rukh film you remember seeing? And which of his roles do you think deserves more attention?