At an #AskSRK session on social media platform X a few days before he turned 60, Shah Rukh Khan was asked by a fan: “Why are you so handsome?” King Khan’s trademark quick-as-a-whip reply? “I think age suits me… sexy at sixty!!! Superb at seventy…. Enticing at eighty and so forth.”
Sixty, for sure, sits pretty on Shah Rukh, who, for all seasons and reasons, remains ageless. So do a few other superstars in their 60s — and some who are just about getting there — who may have six decades showing on their faces (or not) but continue to remain icons, some now perhaps bigger than what they have ever been.
What binds most of them is their enduring appeal. That appeal rests on equal parts talent and hard work, with the latter often trumping the former. Their evergreen charm on screen is matched by their charisma off it. A few of them — unlike their earlier years in the business of cinema — may be overexposed, courtesy paparazzi cameras and social media, but unlike Team Gen Z, their popularity is inversely proportional to the time you see them popping up on your feed. In fact, the more they are seen, the more we can’t have enough of them.
SHAH RUKH KHAN: the eternal ‘King’
Leading that pack in Bollywood is Shah Rukh Khan. Even in the august company of the other two Khans — Aamir turned 60 in March, Salman does so in December — SRK is clearly the most popular. There are a number of reasons that set Shah Rukh Khan apart from the rest of his ilk, and that includes Bolly NextGen too, led by the Ranbirs and Ranveers, both clearly being star-actors in their own right.
Right from the beginning, Shah Rukh’s fan base has been diverse. His image of a romantic hero (even at 60-plus) right from the time he started out — and then crowned with classics like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai — has given him the largest female fan following among all the three Khans. To quote a cliche, SRK’s female fandom spans ages six to 60... and beyond.
Children also form a large part of his audience base, with films as recent as Jawan and Pathaan being tween-friendly and teen-appealing enough to ensure that both crucial demographics trooped into halls to watch these 2024 blockbusters. And, then of course, are the diehard fans — the ones that dance in front of cinemas on the morning of every SRK release; the ones that put up his posters on the facades of shops and the interiors of autorickshaws, the ones who start SRK fan clubs, which in itself is a full-time job.
Also, a big part of SRK-dom, but not mutually exclusive from all the other fan communities listed above, are the ones who stand outside his palatial Bandra Bandstand address Mannat for days, and often weeks, on end. Year after year after year. And not only on his birthday. No other Bollywood star, except Amitabh Bachchan, can stake claim to such frenzy.
His currency among the NRI crowd has only but increased in the last 30 years, starting from Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. In these testing times for Hindi cinema, if there is one man who can still work the international market — and that also includes hordes of screaming German women that form a large part of his fanbase — it is SRK.
Shah Rukh’s longevity as a star and as an actor is courtesy his innate likability. Everyone wants him to do well; no one wants him to fail. When his films hit bullseye at the box office, we all feel like celebrating. He is the quintessential example of good guys finish first, no matter what life may throw at them.
The fact that his persona outside his films is, without a doubt, more enchanting, has always sieved SRK from the rest. His sense of humour — both self-deprecating and sarcastic — is legendary, and his ability to stay relevant will put most current generation stars to shame. In his 60th year alone, SRK has debuted at the Met Gala, won his first-ever National Award, and according to conservative estimates, become the world’s richest actor. More importantly, he has passed on his sense of humour and subtle cock-a-snook attitude to his son Aryan, as evident in the Khan progeny’s smashing directorial debut with The Ba***ds of Bollywood.
SRK’s biggest achievement, however, lies in the fact that he unites a country that is now more divisive than ever. When you stand in front of Mannat waiting for SRK to metaphorically envelope you in his trademark spread-eagled arms, you are no longer a Muslim, a Hindu, a Christian... you are an SRK fan.
AAMIR KHAN: the filmmaking genius
While SRK’s appeal is all encompassing, Aamir’s innate ability to transform cinema has been the highlight of his almost four-decade-long career. Few others could have made a Lagaan and taken it as far as it went to the Oscars. Very few can meld art and commerce in the way Aamir has done, taking a step forward with his films, in style or substance and often both, and ensuring that they make money even while delivering quality. The pioneer of the ₹100-crore club, the first to use TV as a medium to highlight social and cultural malpractices with his show Satyamev Jayate, the first and only among the three Khans (so far) to turn director, the man with films that have indelibly gone down in the annals of Bollywood. Lagaan, Dil Chahta Hai, Rang De Basanti, 3 Idiots, Taare Zameen Par, Dangal.... all belong to Aamir.
AAMIR KHAN, SALMAN KHAN, ANIL KAPOOR
Aamir is a star without the trappings of a star, and that sets him apart from his contemporaries even now. His filmmaking brain is unrivalled. Known for being a marketing genius, he thinks 360-degree, something that has contributed both to the longevity of and the variety in his career. Unafraid to take risks, Aamir, in his 60th year, attempted a revolution of sorts by not selling his latest film Sitaare Zameen Par to a streaming platform; instead, after its theatrical run, he made it available on YouTube on a nominally priced pay-per-view model, paving the way for a fresh look at breaking monopolistic practices and marketing cinema.
Aamir is perhaps the most self-aware superstar. He is also the most humble. He isn’t afraid to show his emotions. He shuns social media. He stays away from awards. He puts his money where his mouth is. His fandom may not be frenzied, but it comprises the intelligentsia that expects quality out of him. In most cases, barring an aberration or two, he delivers. The fact that he thinks long-term and doesn’t focus on short-term dividends also makes him a creative force in the true sense of the term.
SALMAN KHAN: brute box-office power
When asked a few years ago what separates Salman from his other two Khan contemporaries, Aamir had said without batting an eyelid: “His raw, brute power at the box office”. Salman is box office. Barring the last few years when he has faltered a bit, his films have consistently come in with the promise of huge box office. While the quality of a lot of these films has been questionable, his enduring appeal as a true box-office superstar has not.
Salman’s films have often rescued Bollywood from a crisis. His acting skills may not be superlative, his inherent stubbornness to reinvent himself is well known, but his appeal at the ticket windows — and beyond — endures even as he is about to touch 60. His fans are a loyal set, always rallying around ‘Bhai’ in the most testing times. As a pioneer of cinema, Salman may not have done as much as some of his contemporaries, but he ranks first when it comes to “shirtless on screen” appeal.
Even as he rakes in hundreds of crores, his simple, no frills lifestyle makes him relatable to many in his fandom. That he is a man-child at heart appeals to many, and among the three Khans, he is perhaps the best when it comes to striking a chord with children. And that presence? Strong enough to hold a room, no matter who else is in it. That is raw, brute power... even beyond the box office.
ANIL KAPOOR: ‘youth’ icon
Anil Kapoor may have never tasted superstardom of the level that the others on this list have, but his superpower has always remained the same: consistency. At 68, the 1-2-ka-4 man, Bollywood’s resident Benjamin Button, remains a force of “youthful” energy and exuberance, bringing the kind of enthusiasm and vigour that very few others can.
Kapoor’s lasting appeal as he nears 70 rests on his ability to bring a special something to every role, with the man, now a granddad, often emerging as the best thing about a film. This was seen as recently as August where spy biggie War 2, boasting names like Hrithik Roshan and NTR Jr, was perhaps rescued to a certain extent by Kapoor’s presence, especially in the pre-climax scene where he comes in all guns blazing (quite literally). With a diverse range of films in his kitty in the years ahead, something tells us that AK will be the youngest 70-year-old in Bollywood... on screen and off it.
SANJAY DUTT: the swag-star
At 66, Sanjay Dutt’s appeal on screen may not be what it once was, but when it comes to style and swagger, none of his contemporaries can hold a candle to the man known as the ‘Deadly Dutt’. Through his four-decade-plus career, Dutt has seen many a chequered history (more off screen than on it), but the instant likability that he brought to his Munna in the Munna Bhai films remains uniquely his, with the franchise being an everlasting jadoo ki jhappi. Even in an ensemble film, Dutt’s name brings in crowds.
The man who made fitness a way of life for the Bollywood leading man (and woman) much before anyone else did. His redemption arc, marked by a life of resilience and a history of bouncing back after plumbing to the lowest of depths, has won Dutt fans for life. Even now, like it has for so many decades, Dutt’s larger-than-life persona remains intact and his no-holds-barred honesty is his consistent and dependable superpower.
TOM CRUISE: the invincible star
Tom Cruise is Shah Rukh Khan’s Hollywood counterpart (or maybe it is the other way round). Both are global names. Both come in with an X-factor. Both have legions of loyal fans. Both ensure you walk in for a film on the basis of the pull of their names. When it comes to commitment to their craft, both are right up there. Cruise, of course, takes it several notches higher, ensuring that there is no one like him. As of 2025, his films have grossed over $13.3 billion worldwide, placing him among the highest-grossing actors of all time. One of Hollywood’s most bankable stars, he is consistently one of the world’s highest-paid actors. While his life off screen remains dodgy — Scientology or not — his time on it is all about creating cinema that endures.
The 63-year-old is the epitome of perfection and tenacity on screen. He walks the talk. If you tell him he can’t do something, he will do it once, he will do it twice and then take pictures (in this case, make a movie) of it. That is most evident in the kind of life-threatening stunts that he consistently pulls off in his films (most of them with the title Mission: Impossible), many of which bona fide stuntmen struggle with.
In the last decade or so, Cruise has hung off the back of a jet during takeoff, scaled the world’s highest skyscraper, and driven a motorcycle off a cliff in the name of entertaining audiences, making him cinema’s ultimate daredevil superstar. Beyond his antics on screen, Cruise has licenses to fly commercial jets, fighter planes, light aircraft, private aircraft, private helicopters, commercial helicopters, and motorcycles, a recreational boating license, a navigational boating license, and a parachuting license. A routine driving license would hardly make the cut for Cruise, who at 63, always remains the man to beat. And yes, he is supposedly taking off to space soon to make a movie. Well, earth has too many boundaries.
BRAD PITT: ultimate coolth
Thanks to a potent mix of genetics, charisma and anti-aging lifts, Brad Pitt doesn’t look 61. He is also a star who has consistently maintained both his good looks and his inherent magnetism, even when the box-office tide has been against him and his personal life hasn’t been up to standard.
But for a generation — and more — growing up in the ’90s and beyond, Pitt has been the representative of ultimate Hollywood royalty. He is a rare star who can spell both hot and cool with equal effortlessness. Consistent with his ability to balance commercial biggies with prestige projects in his long career, Pitt has often reinvented himself. Beyond being a star on screen, through his company, Plan B Entertainment, Pitt has produced off-centre Oscar-winning films like Moonlight and 12 Years a Slave. The ultimate proof of his superstar cred as he vrooms through his 60s? F1, his adrenaline-pumping film about the resurgence of a Formula One star, is his biggest-ever earner ($700 million, give or take a few) at the box office.
GEORGE CLOONEY: Hey, good lookin’
George Clooney’s superstar status may not have always rested on big box office, but one of cinema’s most good-looking faces (and the hottest-ever salt-n-pepper mop) has always spelt quality, be it as an actor, a director or a producer. As an actor-star, he commands attention and respect. Who could have pulled off the coolness of Danny Ocean in the Ocean’s franchise better than him? Who could have played the veteran CIA chief with the kind of depth that he brought to it in his Oscar-winning turn in Syriana?
His humanitarian work, fuelled by his star status, adds more to his persona. At 64, Clooney still has the ability to make women go weak in the knees, and his clean, family image somehow adds to his AQI (‘attraction quotient infinite’. Yes, I made that up). Even well into his 60s, his charm — always a sureshot winner — remains solid as ever.
ROBERT DOWNEY JR: the redemption story
Like Sanjay Dutt, part of Robert Downey Jr’s ageless appeal lies in his redemption story. Hitting 60 in April this year, RDJ has had his fair share of off-screen controversies and innumerable run-ins with the law, but the fact that he now stands as one of Hollywood’s most dependable superstars points to the massive turnaround that the man has scripted both in life and career. After all, who doesn’t love a good comeback story, especially if it happens to belong to the man who now makes us “love him 3000” as the redoubtable Iron Man. Charisma and talent is, of course, par for the course for Downey, who over the years, has worked his way up to feature in some of the best prestige projects — Avengers to Sherlock Holmes to his Oscar-winning act in Oppenheimer.
GEORGE CLOONEY, JOHNNY DEPP, ROBERT DOWNEY JR
JOHNNY DEPP: the bad boy superstar
Johnny Depp’s trajectory is similar to that of Robert Downey Jr’s — with steroids (pun intended) thrown in. Hollywood’s resident bad boy doesn’t have the inspiring qualities of what is expected from an icon, but when it comes to sheer charisma and star power, Depp — even at 62 — is right up there.
One of cinema’s grunge heartthrobs, Depp has never fitted within the framework of a conventional leading man, with many of his films, especially in the Noughties, being described as “anti-macho” and “gender-bending”. His power at the box office stands at a remarkable $11 billion strong, with The Pirates of the Caribbean films, led by his Jack Sparrow, being one of Hollywood’s top-earning franchises ever. Depp made it to the top of the list of “Favourite Male Star” by PEOPLE all through between 2005 and 2012. Even now, we have no doubt that he has what it takes to give the Jonathan Baileys of the world a run for their “Sexiest Man Alive” titles.