The King of Hearts turns 60: Why Shah Rukh Khan still rules millions of hearts

MUMBAI: What is it about Shah Rukh Khan that makes people cheer, cry, and sometimes even travel halfway across the world just to see him wave from his balcony? Maybe it’s his “chocolate boy” charm, maybe it’s his incredible journey, or maybe it’s just the way he makes everyone believe that no dream is too big to come true.

From millennials who watched ‘DDLJ’ in the ’90s to Gen Z who discovered him in ‘Pathaan’, SRK’s fan base spans generations; there’s something about SRK that speaks to people, no matter their age or where they’re from.

Every year on his birthday, the crowd outside Mannat swells past midnight. Fans sing, dance, and hold up banners that read “King Khan Forever”.
This year was no different. People came dressed in SRK T-shirts, some holding heart-shaped balloons, others recording every second on their phones.

A few fans had even flown in from Indonesia just to catch a glimpse of him.

“We’ve come all the way to India to see him,” one fan said. “We really love you, Shah Rukh, and we hope to meet you someday.” Among them were fans who had flown in from Indonesia just to catch a glimpse of their idol. “We’ve come all the way to India to see him,” one fan told ANI. “We really love you, Shah Rukh, and we hope to meet you someday.”

That kind of love can’t be manufactured. It’s not just about fame or fortune; it’s about connection. And Shah Rukh has built that connection over decades, brick by brick, smile by smile.

Long before the red carpets and blockbusters, he was just a boy from Delhi with big dreams. With no family ties in the industry, he started out on television in the late ’80s with ‘Fauji’ and ‘Circus’. But it was his big-screen debut in ‘Deewana’ (1992) that made people sit up and notice. The film, in fact, earned him the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut. Just a few years later, ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’ turned him into the “King of Romance”. As Raj, the boy who made love look effortless, Shah Rukh became more than just a character.

However, what truly set Khan apart, though, wasn’t just his good looks or his performances; it was his relatability. He was the everyman who made audiences feel seen. Whether as a lover, a friend, or a flawed hero, Shah Rukh made people believe he was one of them.

The kind of fan following SRK has today doesn’t just happen. It’s because he always believed in himself, right from the start. Even when he was just starting out, making his way to stardom, he had this confidence that he was meant to be a “superstar”.

Viveck Vaswani, one of his oldest friends, once told ANI, “The first time I met him, he said, ‘I’m a superstar.’ I said okay, and he made it true.”

Today, even at 60, SRK’s charm isn’t just limited to India. His fan following spans continents, and even Hollywood stars count themselves among his admirers.

Last year, while speaking to ANI, WWE champion and Hollywood actor John Cena minutely explained how Shah Rukh inspired him in his life. He also shared that he was “starstruck” and “emotional” when he met him in person.

“He (Shah Rukh) did a TED Talk that found me at the right time in my life, and his words were beyond inspirational to me. They helped orchestrate a change in my life. And since that change, I’ve been able to recognise all the jackpots that I’ve been given and been grateful and worked hard to make sure I don’t waste them,” Cena said.

He also recalled meeting the actor at Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s wedding: “It was just such an emotional moment to be able to shake a person’s hand that affects your life so drastically and tell them specifically what they did. He was amazing. He couldn’t have been more empathetic and kind and sharing. It really was wonderful. It was wonderful. I was awestruck, starstruck. It was fantastic.”

That’s the magic of Shah Rukh Khan, a man who can make a stadium roar, a fan cry, and even a global star feel inspired. But what binds them together is simple: the feeling that he truly cares. His movies, his dialogues, even his wave from Mannat, and of course, the iconic arms-outstretched pose, they all remind fans that he isn’t just a superstar. He’s their “King of Hearts”, forever. (ANI)