For us, SRK will forever remain one of the best antagonists the Indian film industry has ever produced
Fondly called the Badshah of Bollywood, Shah Rukh
Khan has, over the years, earned the moniker of ‘King of Romance’—thanks to films like Veer-Zara and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and his iconic pose. However, in our book of thoughts, SRK is one of the finest villains the Indian film industry has ever produced. In fact, despite his global fame as a romantic hero, we firmly believe he could’ve been one of the best antagonists even in Hollywood had he walked down that path.
As SRK hits 60 this November, we take a look at the negative roles he played that left the audience with a horrid taste, while convincing them that he can nail the worst of characters without breaking a sweat.
Baazigar
In his first year as a film actor, SRK starred in a few romantic and comedy films. However, in his second year, he dared to pick scripts that many mainstream actors would avoid. While Darr made SRK into a scary villain, it was actually Baazigar that gave us a glimpse of what SRK could do in negative roles.
(Credit- INDIA TV NEWS)
To be honest, Baazigar can be put above Darr, given SRK’s character manipulated and m*rdered multiple people to reach his goal. Probably these are the reasons he won the Filmfare Award for Best Actor for Baazigar but not for Darr, both released in the same year.
Darr
(Credit- The Indian Express)
Darr needs no introduction. The story of an obsessive stalker who gave sleepless nights to many women countrywide. SRK’s acting hit the roof, prompting people to glorify his character even though it shouldn’t have been. Against Sunny Deol, who was a huge star back then, SRK completely stole the limelight, creating a rift between the two actors.
Don 2
(Credit- Mint)
SRK did well in Don, but given that it was a remake, there wasn’t much to be done in terms of twisting the plot until the very end. Therefore, the character could not be developed to a great extent. Khan did infuse his flavours, but it was Don 2 in which he created his own identity as an international villain, getting out of Amitabh Bachchan’s shadow. Be it his arrogant dialogues, devilish smile, or the well-crafted hand-to-hand combat scenes, SRK hit the ball out of the park.
Fan
(Credit- The Hindu)
In all the above films, SRK was depicted as physically and mentally strong. However, in Fan, SRK, playing the role of Gaurav, was portrayed as a puny fellow from Delhi. At the same time, his character was determined and obsessed with going to any lengths for Aryan Khanna, and to do so, Gaurav used his brain. Playing dual roles is tough, especially when the characters are polar opposites, but SRK demonstrated his versatility.
As SRK turns 60, we certainly hope to see him play more negative characters, because the Badshah, as a bad boy, is always a treat to watch.
