Shah Rukh Khan’s journey from Delhi to Mumbai and his rise to become one of Hindi cinema’s biggest stars continue to inspire aspiring actors. But the superstar, who has sustained his stardom for decades, did not always dream of becoming an actor. In fact, he was more drawn to sports and played cricket, football and hockey. A back injury, however, forced him to give up his sporting ambitions and eventually led him to theatre. That interest in acting opened the doors to television and, later, films.
In a 1994 interview with The Week, the actor spoke about the circumstances that led him to pursue acting. I gave up the idea of being an engineer. I did the economics course. I could have done my MBA after that. I was good enough for that, with my marks…. I gave that up and enrolled for mass communication. To me, it was important that I should know all the aspects of a newspaper. I used to play at the state level; but I hurt my back. So I joined acting. I used to do that in school. Somewhere along the line I felt this is the aspect of creativity that I like. I can write a little. I have done a lot of theatre for six years, semi-professionally. It was important for me to keep myself in this kind of field. I did my first role in a Ram Leela as a monkey. I have always enjoyed it. I feel that an actor is an overgrown kid. So, I am still living my childhood. To be a child all your life is the greatest boon. Shah Rukh studied economics at Hansraj College in Delhi. During his college years, he developed an interest in theatre and joined Delhi’s Theatre Action Group (TAG), where he trained under theatre director Barry John.
He said, “I am quite educated. Talking about his love for sports and how he eventually turned to acting, he said, “I was good at cricket, football and hockey. As Shah Rukh Khan celebrates his 61st birthday today, we look back at this lesser-known chapter of his life and how an unexpected turn of events set him on the path to becoming an actor.
A look at SRK’s career in television and films
Shah Rukh began his acting career on television in the late 1980s. He later appeared in Aziz Mirza’s show Circus, followed by other shows such as Umeed and Wagle Ki Duniya. The film was a box-office success and earned him the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut. He is now gearing up for the release of his next film, King, which also marks his daughter Suhana Khan’s theatrical debut.
production delays meant that Fauji, which went on air in 1989, became his television debut Although he had first started shooting for Lekh Tandon’s Dil Dariya. Shah Rukh’s big-screen debut came with Deewana in 1992, in which he starred alongside Rishi Kapoor and Divya Bharti. After a brief break from films following the failure of Zero (2018), Shah Rukh made a strong comeback with two back-to-back blockbusters, Pathaan and Jawan. The film is scheduled to release in theatres on December 24.
