5 films that prove Shah Rukh Khan was always a risk-taker

Here we list some of his films that were odd choices as an actor, especially when SRK had already delivered a hit in Deewana.

He might be known as the king of romance today, but Shah Rukh Khan probably never intended to be called this. In fact, his initial choices in films show that he was more inclined towards darker roles.

Initially, Shah Rukh Khan was more experimentative than his contemporaries.

Here we list some of his films that were odd choices for him as an actor, especially considering that they came after SRK had already delivered a hit in Deewana.

Dil Aashna Hai (1992): Hema Malini decided to turn director with this film, and cast Shah Rukh Khan in it. The film also featured actors like Jeetendra, Mithun Chakraborty, Dimple Kapadia and Divya Bharti. It was a small role, but somehow SRK turned out to be the hero of the story when the film released.

Maya Memsaab (1993): Ketan Mehta saw in Shah Rukh Khan what later became the actor’s trademark style: A romantic hero. Though the film had a marvellous lead in Farooque Shaikh, but nobody could contain SRK from being noticed. Melodious songs and lovely locations earned the film a good following, and Shah Rukh Khan once again showed his versatility.

Darr (1993): Made at a budget of Rs 3.25 crore, this film went on to become a superhit. Karan Mehra, played by SRK, is still a nightmare for women who’ve been haunted by obsessed stalkers. Thanks to director Yash Chopra, the Hindi film audience witnessed such an unapologetic anti-hero. Needless to say, Khan started a trend of grey leads with Darr.

Oh Darling Yeh Hai India (1995): Ketan Mehta’s film was probably ahead of its time. It was a surreal-fictional world in which SRK played the hero called Hero. Deepa Shahi played the heroine called Miss India and Amrish Puri appeared as Don Quixote. Critics praised the film for its pointed satire, but it failed to make money at the box office. Not many mainstream actors were willing to take up such a project back then.

Asoka (2001): By now, Shah Rukh Khan had become the new Bollywood superstar. He knew his strengths and fanbase, and was delivering money spinning romantic films. Still he signed Santosh Sivan’s ambitious period drama that intended to throw a new light on the life of Samrat Ashoka. Again a commercially failed project, but these are the films that made SRK the actor we see today.

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