The Baadshah of Bollywood has not had a good run at the box-office for some time now. Shah Rukh Khan is pinning his hopes on Santosh Sivan’s tale of an ancient Indian emperor to boost his career. Asoka is not a typical Bollywood fare. And, it goes back in time to the 3rd century BC. But Shah Rukh is confident the film will find many takers, only because of its ‘different’ appeal.
How would the high-spirited Khan portray the role of a Buddhist monk, who makes it his life’s mission to spread the message of peace? Of course, this is at the end of the film. Shah Rukh plays the title role in Asoka. King Asoka goes on the rampage in his quest to expand the borders of his territory, leaving scores of people dead and maimed in the process. As he goes through a trail of destruction, which is his own making, Asoka has a change of heart. He denounces weapons and war; turns towards Buddhism and vows to spread the message of peace. “I hope the film brings some awareness to non-traditional viewers,” the actor-producer says with big expectations.
Life has come a full circle for Shah Rukh, who started his career in front of the camera with the television serial Fauji way back in the 1980s. Though he acted in three to four films, recognition came for his villainous roles in the 1993 films, Baazigar and Darr. Baazigar has a scheming Shah Rukh set to avenge the betrayal of his father death by his one-time employee, while Darr had an obsessive actor chasing the woman he loves even after she gets married to another man. Over the years, Shah Rukh has acted in different genres of films and has thoroughly enjoyed doing so. Some of his early films are Deewana, Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman, Maya Memsaab and Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa. His first big hit as a romantic hero was in the 1995 film Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge, followed by Karan Arjun. The pairing with Kajol in both the films came in for big appreciation. The two are acting together again in Karan Johar’s yet-to-be-released Kabhi Kushi Kabhie Gham.
In 1997, Shah Rukh had three hits to his credit in Dil To Pagal Hai, Pardes and Yes Boss. Mani Ratnam cast Shah Rukh and Manisha Koirala in his 1998 film, Dil Se, based on terrorism in Assam. The film was not a big hit, but the actor had a superhit in the same year in Karan Johar’s Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. His later films haven’t done all too well financially. Baadshah, Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani (Shah Rukh’s first production venture with Juhi Chawla and Aziz Mirza), Hey Ram, Josh and Gaja Gamini were flops while Mohabbatein that starred Shah Rukh and Amitabh Bachchan was a moderate hit. Apart from Asoka, the other films that Shah Rukh fans are looking forward to are Devdas (directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali), Kabhi Kushi Kabhie Gham and Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam. Bureau Report