Shahrukh Khan (
Hindi: शाहरुख़ ख़ान,
Urdu: شاہ رخ خان) born November 2, 1965, sometimes credited as Shah Rukh Khan, is an Indian
actor, who has been a prominent
Bollywood figure, as well as a
film producer and
television host.
Khan began his career appearing in several television serials in the late 1980s. He made his film debut in
Deewana (1992). Since then, he has been part of numerous other commercially successful films and has earned major critical acclaim for many of his performances. During his years in the
Indian film industry, he has won thirteen
Filmfare Awards, seven of which are in the
Best Actor category.
While some of Khan's best-known films,
Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (1995),
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998),
Chak De India (2007) and
Om Shanti Om (2007), remain some of Bollywood's biggest hits, films like
Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001),
Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003),
Veer-Zaara (2004) and
Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006) have been top-grossing productions in the overseas market, making Khan one of the most successful actors of Hindi cinema. Since 2000, Khan branched out into
film production and
television presenting as well. He is the founder/owner of two production companies,
Dreamz Unlimited and
Red Chillies Entertainment. In 2008,
Newsweek named him one of the 50 most powerful people in the world.
Biography
Khan was born in 1965 to
Muslim parents of
Pathan descent in
New Delhi,
India.His father, Taj Mohammed Khan, was an
Indian freedom fighter from
Peshawar,
British India. According to Khan, his father's father was originally from
Afghanistan.His mother, Lateef Fatima, was the adopted daughter of
Major General Shah Nawaz Khan of the
Janjua Rajput clan. He served as a General in the
Indian National Army of
Subash Chandra Bose.Khan's father came to New Delhi from
Qissa Khawani Bazaar in
Peshawar before the
partition of India,while his mother's family came from
Rawalpindi,
British India.Khan has an elder sister named Shehnaz.

Khan attended
St. Columba's School where he was accomplished in sports, drama, and academics. He won the Sword of Honour, an annual award given to the student who best represents the spirit of the school. Khan later attended the
Hansraj College (1985-1988) and earned his
Economics (honors). Though he pursued a
Masters Degree in
Mass Communications at
Jamia Millia Islamia, he later opted out to make his career in
Bollywood.
After the death of his parents, Khan moved to
Mumbai in 1991. In that same year, before any of his films were released, he married
Gauri Chibber (who is a Hindu) in a traditional
Hindu wedding ceremony on 25 October 1991.They have two children, son Aryan Khan (b. 1997) and daughter Suhana (b. 2000). According to Khan, while he strongly believes in
Allah, he also values his wife's religion. At home, his children follow both religions, with the
Qur'an being situated next to the Hindu gods.
In 2005,
Nasreen Munni Kabir produced a two-part
documentary on Khan, titled
The Inner and Outer World of Shah Rukh Khan. Featuring his 2004 Temptations concert tour, the film contrasted Khan's inner world of family and daily life with the outer world of his work. The book Still Reading Khan, which details his family life, was released in 2006. Another book by
Anupama Chopra, "King of Bollywood: Shahrukh Khan and the seductive world of Indian cinema", was released in 2007. This book described the world of Bollywood through Khan's life.
Khan has been awarded a number of honours. In April 2007, a life-size wax statue of Khan was installed at the
Madame Tussauds Wax Museum,
London.During the same year, he was accorded the
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Order of the Arts and Literature) award by the French government for his "exceptional career".
In October 2008, Khan was conferred the Darjah Mulia Seri Melaka which carries the honorific
Datuk (in similar fashion to "Sir" in British knighthood), by the
Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Mohd Khalil Yaakob, the head of state of
Malacca in
Malaysia. Khan was honored for "promoting tourism in Malacca" by filming
One Two Ka Four there in 2001. Some were critical of this decision.
Film careerBackgroundKhan studied acting under celebrated Theatre Director Barry John at Delhi's Theatre Action Group (TAG). In 2007, John commented thus on his former pupil that, "The credit for the phenomenally successful development and management of Shahrukh's career goes to the superstar himself."Khan made his acting debut in 1988 when he appeared in the television series,
Fauji, playing the role of Commando Abhimanyu Rai.He went on to appear in several other television serials, most notably in the 1989 serial,
Aziz Mirza's Circus, which depicted the life of circus performers. The same year, Khan also had a minor role in the
made-for-television English-language film,
In Which Annie Gives it Those Ones, which was based on life at Delhi University and was written by
Arundhati Roy.