How SRK Impacted Fans Through His Real And Reel Life Persona

Every year, SRK makes an appearance to greet hundreds of fans gathered outside his residence Mannat at midnight on his birthday. He expresses gratitude to them all for making the effort to stand outside his home and shower their love on him. This year, on his 58th birthday, SRK stood on a custom-made porch near his residence gate to thank his well-wishers.

As several people write notes for the 'Jawan' actor online, declaring their love and admiration for him, we ask a few what is it about SRK that inspires them.

SRK, often referred to as King Khan, has a three-decade worth of work behind him. While he is celebrated for his films globally, it's his impact on people's lives, both through his reel and real-life persona, that stands profound and rare.

Dare To Dream

As Shah Rukh Khan's underdog story from rags to riches makes him an embodiment of aspiration for millions to dare to dream, an Instagram writer Noor, said she wants to stick a big poster of him on her wall to remind herself every day why everything is possible if one dares to dream. SRK once said: "Never ever love somebody's dream." She opined that SRK has taught her to be a dreamer in her own right and never give up on her dreams. She reminds me of his Om Shanti Om dialogue, "Agar kisi cheez ko poori shiddat se chaaho, toh poori kaaynaat bhi usse tumse milane ki koshish mein lag hai. (if you love something so dearly, the universe conspires to make it happen for you)" 

Promoting Diversity and Inclusivity

In his films and public life, SRK has been a strong advocate for diversity and inclusivity. He has consistently spoken out against discrimination based on religion, race or nationality. A childhood friend, Madiha, talked to me about how in Dance Plus 5 SRK narrated a personal life anecdote of how he told his daughter that their religion is none but Indian. 

In times when men have been glorifying the idea of respecting women in their lives in the name of "special treatment" but continue to mistreat other women, SRK teaches us to treat every woman special and give them the respect one would give to their own family members. 

Redefining Romance

SRK, through his reel-life roles, has moulded everyone's "idea of love" debunking the narratives around masculinity. 

Biki Das, A friend on my Instagram whom I also call a walking fan page of SRK, told me how "Khan may have played some characters labelled as problematic without understanding that a decade or two back, but he has also played roles that have taught a million a less-complexed love and a selfless one too."

Priya Prakash, Entertainment Editor at SheThePeople, also highlighted that "some of the many on-screen characters of SRK reflect how men can be vulnerable and it is okay for them to fall back and take help from the women in their lives."

Shahrukh Is More Than An Actor, He Is A Symbol

My colleague and sub-editor at SheThePeople, Oshi Saxena, shed light on how success can do a lot in feeding one's ego, but it is SRK who showed that his ego is not fragile enough to let his success get on his mind and that being, humble, generous and ever-so gracious was the real treasure of success. 

A close friend Abhi, who shares the same admiration for SRK as me, shared an important insight. "I struggled in my teen years for a long time for not understanding the thin line between joking around my female friends and annoying them as I noticed after a certain time my over-the-top jovial comments offended them, which was certainly not my intention. It was later through SRK's witty nature and his graceful words around his female co-stars that I realised the thin line between toxic humour and a jovial-friend banter. I always take inspiration from SRK when it comes to feeling positive and spreading positivity around.

Impact On My Personal Life

For as long as I remember, Shah Rukh Khan has been the only actor, whose intelligence I followed. I recall how being born in the times of no YouTube accessibility, the first song I remember was Chaiyyan Chaiyyan, and how my brother and I would cry for the song to be played on a loop on TV. It wasn't long after that when I started closely following his interviews, speeches, and public appearances, in all of which he sounded proportional and witty.

Khan was also my mother's big-time crush. My mother and I have watched several of his films together including Main Hoon Na, DDLJ, Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Yes Boss, Baadshah, Fir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani, among others. 

Today, on his birthday, I didn't want to miss the chance to write on my part about the impact SRK has on millions of people, and why he is the "last of the stars." 

Views expressed by the author and contributors are their own.