The more you say about Shah Rukh Khan, the less it is. One look at his journey so far, and you will be awe-inspired with his story, with what he has made of his life. A young Delhi boy nobody knew existed arrived in Mumbai and changed the face of cinema forever, and went on to rule the Indian film industry like nobody ever has! Whether you love his films or not, there can be no denying that SRK has been a role model for the Indian youth for years with his inspiring success. And, here we bring to you 17 lesser known facts about his life that will make you respect him even more!
1. There aren’t many men who have tasted success like SRK has. He happens to be the 2nd richest actor in the world. That makes him richer than the most famous Hollywood actors like Tom Cruise, Clint Eastwood, Tom Hanks and many others. His wealth is estimated to be $600 million, according to a study by Wealth X.
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2. Shah Rukh Khan always wanted to serve the country by joining the Indian Army, but destiny had other plans for him, bigger plans!
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3. Shah Rukh Khan’s grandmother (nani) adopted him because she never had a son. Shah Rukh Khan lived with her till he was 5-6 years old, after which he started living with his parents.
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4. If you were to look at Shah Rukh Khan’s personal life, you’d realize he is the King of romance even in real life. He was just 18 when he met his wife Gauri for the first time, fell in love and they have been married for almost 23 years now!
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5. Shah Rukh Khan deserves a grand salute for the way he has brought up his kids, the values he has instilled in them. Even though SRK is Islamic in belief, he celebrates other religious festivals, like Diwali too, with equal vigour. He organizes Lakshmi Puja at his residence every year and celebrates Christmas too. SRK has taught his kids to treat all religions alike.
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6. Shah Rukh Khan is very attached to his house Mannat. It is said that he bought it because it had a beautiful prayer room. And, he has also gone on record to say that even if he were broke, he would never sell Mannat.
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7. Shah Rukh Khan’s Hindi wasn’t very strong when he was in school. His mother once told him that if he scored well, she’d take him to watch a movie. He loved watching movies so much, he went on to score great marks in Hindi from thereon.
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8. As a child, Shah Rukh Khan threw a stone at a neighbour’s kid and broke his teeth. Later that night, the neighbour came looking for SRK with a knife in one hand, in a drunken state. Shah Rukh Khan’s dad made him confront the neighbour even though he could have harmed SRK. SRK handled the situation tactfully by apologizing.
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9. Shah Rukh Khan is not just a great actor, but also one of the wittiest men ever. He’s smart, intelligent and well read. He loves to read and often spends hours in libraries reading.
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10. Hema Malini and Harry Baweja offered SRK films when they saw his performance in Fauji and Circus, but Shah Rukh Khan declined the offers because he wasn’t too keen on taking acting professionally.
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11. His father died when he was 15. He was just 25 when he lost his mother too. Most of us wouldn’t know what to do with our lives without our parents’ guidance but SRK took control of his life and steered it towards the right direction, all by himself.
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12. SRK has always been an achiever. When he was young, he played Cricket at zonal and national level. He was also the captain of his school’s football and hockey teams.
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13. He has been honoured with UNESCO’s Pyramide con Marni award for helping educate the children of India. He is the first Indian to have won the award.
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14. After his mother’s death, Shah Rukh Khan came to Mumbai to make it big in the movies. And, he signed five films back to back in a single day, before he started out his career in Bollywood.
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15. Shah Rukh Khan had his own share of struggles too. Before becoming the biggest Bollywood superstar, there was a time when SRK ran a dhaba at Daryaganj, Delhi.
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16. The first salary he ever received in his life was at a Pankaj Udhas concert. He worked as a usurer and earned Rs. 50. Do you know what he did with that money? He bought a train ticket to Agra to see the Taj Mahal.
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17. He stood at the booking window of a theatre and sold tickets for his own movie ‘Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa’ when it released. He was paid just Rs. 25,000 for being a part of that film.
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Photo: © YashRajFilms (Main Image)