Shah Rukh Khan turns 61: A back injury forced him to quit sports for theatre; his first role was as a monkey in Ram Leela

Shah Rukh Khan’s interest in theatre grew during his college years in Delhi, after sports ambitions were cut short by a back injury.

Shah Rukh Khan’s journey from Delhi to Mumbai and his rise to become one of Hindi cinema’s biggest stars continue to inspire aspiring actors. But the superstar, who has sustained his stardom for decades, did not always dream of becoming an actor. In fact, he was more drawn to sports and played cricket, football and hockey. A back injury, however, forced him to give up his sporting ambitions and eventually led him to theatre. That interest in acting opened the doors to television and, later, films.

Shah Rukh Khan once opened up about his journey to becoming an actor.

As Shah Rukh Khan celebrates his 61st birthday today, we look back at this lesser-known chapter of his life and how an unexpected turn of events set him on the path to becoming an actor.

‘I hurt my back, so I joined acting’

In a 1994 interview with The Week, the actor spoke about the circumstances that led him to pursue acting. He said, "I am quite educated. I gave up the idea of being an engineer. I did the economics course. I could have done my MBA after that. I was good enough for that, with my marks.... I gave that up and enrolled for mass communication. To me, it was important that I should know all the aspects of a newspaper."

Deep Dive

How did Shah Rukh Khan's back injury lead him to acting?

What was Shah Rukh Khan's first acting role?

How did Shah Rukh Khan move from theatre into television and films?

Powered ByAsk HT

Talking about his love for sports and how he eventually turned to acting, he said, "I was good at cricket, football and hockey. I used to play at the state level; but I hurt my back. So I joined acting. I used to do that in school. Somewhere along the line I felt this is the aspect of creativity that I like. I can write a little. I have done a lot of theatre for six years, semi-professionally. It was important for me to keep myself in this kind of field. I did my first role in a Ram Leela as a monkey. I have always enjoyed it. I feel that an actor is an overgrown kid. So, I am still living my childhood. To be a child all your life is the greatest boon."

Shah Rukh studied economics at Hansraj College in Delhi. During his college years, he developed an interest in theatre and joined Delhi's Theatre Action Group (TAG), where he trained under theatre director Barry John.

A look at SRK's career in television and films

Shah Rukh began his acting career on television in the late 1980s. Although he had first started shooting for Lekh Tandon's Dil Dariya, production delays meant that Fauji, which went on air in 1989, became his television debut. He later appeared in Aziz Mirza's show Circus, followed by other shows such as Umeed and Wagle Ki Duniya.

Shah Rukh's big-screen debut came with Deewana in 1992, in which he starred alongside Rishi Kapoor and Divya Bharti. The film was a box-office success and earned him the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut.

He went on to establish himself with films such as Baazigar and Darr, in which he took on unconventional negative roles. He later became one of Hindi cinema's most celebrated stars with films such as Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Dil To Pagal Hai and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.

After a brief break from films following the failure of Zero (2018), Shah Rukh made a strong comeback with two back-to-back blockbusters, Pathaan and Jawan. He is now gearing up for the release of his next film, King, which also marks his daughter Suhana Khan's theatrical debut. The film is scheduled to release in theatres on December 24.