King Khan is back, and how!
The word ‘comeback’ won’t quite apply to Shah Rukh Khan as he never went into oblivion.
He was always around, through his cameos in Laal Singh Chaddha, Brahmastra and Rocketry: The Nambi Effect and even the voice-over in The Forgotten Army: Azaadi Ke Liye.
Pathaan has made Rs 200 crore (Rs 2 billion) more than Khan’s last big success Happy New Year, and that number will keep increasing.
Joginder Tuteja looks at Shah Rukh’s 10 biggest recent hits.
Pathaan
Box office collection: Rs 427 crore* (Rs 4.27 billion/in 12 days)
There was so much at stake here, for Shah Rukh Khan as well as Yash Raj Films.
Neither has had a good run for the last four-five films and so it was imperative that Pathaan does well.
And then it did so well that it broke records.
Chennai Express, 2013
Box office collection: Rs 227 crore (Rs 2.27 billion)
Shah Rukh Khan last tasted big success in 2013 with Rohit Shetty’s Chennai Express.
Over a period of time, the romantic comedy went on to have a good run in the satellite and OTT segments too, hence resulting in huge recall value.
It was SRK’s first Rs 200 crore (Rs 2 billion) film.
Happy New Year, 2014
Box office collection: Rs 205 crore (Rs 2.05 billion)
The following year, Shah Rukh scored a double hundred again, with Farah Khan’s Happy New Year.
It also set a record for being the the highest opening day, which took years to break.
Though the film didn’t turn out to be a blockbuster like Chennai Express, it was a clean superhit.
Surprisingly, the film did not get its due.
Dilwale, 2015
Box office collection: Rs 148 crore (Rs 1.48 billion)
After Chennai Express, Shah Rukh went on to work with Rohit Shetty again in Dilwale.
There was wholesome entertainer with drama, humour and action.
While Kajol played his leading lady, Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon starred too.
But the result didn’t quite match up to expectations.
This was the first jolt for Shah Rukh Khan.
Raees, 2017
Box office collection: Rs 137.51 crore (Rs 1.37 billion)
It was during this time that Shah Rukh was also working on Raees.
Conscious of the kind of outcome this Rohal Dholakia film would get, he paused the release for a while and reworked on some scenes and edits.
He released it with much fanfare and though it wasn’t a major success, it didn’t disappoint either. It did average business.
Jab Tak Hai Jaan, 2012
Box office collection: Rs 122 crore (Rs 1.22 billion)
Yash Chopra’s swan song had to be special and Shah Rukh stepped in to play the main lead.
A romantic drama, Jab Tak Hai Jaan was meant to be the mother of all romantic affairs with music (by A R Rahman) playing a pivotal role as well.
Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma played the leading ladies.
While the film did have its moments, it didn’t go the distance.
Ra.One, 2011
Box office collection: Rs 115 crore (Rs 1.15 billion)
Clearly, the film was ahead of its time.
Ra.One saw a very good release, but met with some backlash.
It was a labour of love for Shah Rukh and took some time to be made.
Looking back, it set the stage for VFX in India and remains a benchmark.
Don 2, 2011
Box office collection: Rs 107 crore (Rs 1.07 billion)
If Shah Rukh Khan was good in Don, he was better in Don 2.
One wonders why Don 3 is not taking off.
Style and swag come naturally to King Khan.
Zero, 2018
Box office collection: Rs 90.28 crore (Rs 902.8 million)
One of Shah Rukh’s most disappointing films in recent times is Zero.
It lost the plot when the narrative moved to space and in the process, was rejected by the audience.
Directed by Aanand L Rai, the film did take a start. but tapered quickly to end up with a score of under Rs 100 crore.
Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, 2008
Box office collection: Rs 85 crore (Rs 850 million)
Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi came at a time when no movie had scored a century yet at the box office, so its box office numbers are really good.
But just a fortnight after its release, Aamir Khan’s GhajinI arrived and invented the Rs 100 crore club.
