Saturday, 02 August 2025
Saturday, 02 August 2025
Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan’s first-ever National Award win for his 2023 film Jawan may feel like a personal milestone for his fans — but it has also prompted a discourse on why the actor was ignored by the jury for three long decades.
When Saif Ali Khan won a National Award for his 2004 film Hum Tum, also in the fray was Shah Rukh for his nuanced acting in Swades. “I think I should have got it,” he said in an interview back then, echoing the sentiments of millions of fans and film critics.
Over the past 33 years, Shah Rukh has played some of the most iconic and layered characters on the big screen, offering a glimpse of his acting prowess that often gets overshadowed by the superstardom he enjoys.
As fans celebrate the 59-year-old Bollywood star’s first National Award, we take a look at eight of his most power-packed performances that should have brought him the glory much earlier.
Rahul Mehra from Darr (1993)
Shah Rukh Khan’s Rahul Mehra from Yash Chopra’s Darr was not the conventional villain Bollywood had seen before. Rahul was obsessive, fragile, and petrifying — but he was also madly in love, emotionally deprived and isolated.
As a Navy officer’s son, who turned a menacing stalker of Kiran (Juhi Chawla), Shah Rukh’s Rahul made viewers both sympathetic and scared. The actor’s performance was a landmark in anti-hero storytelling.
Sunil from Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa (1994)
Kundan Shah’s Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa brings out the best of Shah Rukh’s romantic-hero energy through Sunil. The character was the perfect definition of a hopeless romantic — insecure, clumsy and constantly losing in life. His honesty, rawness and bittersweet journey through rejection and self-discovery make him one of Hindi cinema’s most relatable coming-of-age characters.
Amarkant Varma from Dil Se.. (1998)
Shah Rukh Khan’s Amarkant is a journalist drawn towards Manisha Koirala’s Moina (alias Meghna), a terrorist haunted by trauma and indoctrinated by hardliners. Amarkant’s passionate yet doomed love story plays out against the backdrop of political unrest in Mani Ratnam’s film, making him a symbol of both romantic idealism and emotional helplessness.
Veer Pratap Singh from Veer-Zaara (2004)
Nobody does romance better than Shah Rukh. In Yash Chopra’s classic romance drama Veer-Zaara, his Veer Pratap Singh’s story is built on sacrifice. Shah Rukh’s Veer chooses silence to protect Zaara (Preity Zinta), a Pakistani girl, from the consequences of loving an Indian man. In the process, he becomes a symbol of quiet patriotism and timeless love. His decades of wrongful imprisonment is marked by dignity, endurance and emotional restraint.
Mohan Bhargava from Swades (2004)
Mohan Bhargava is a successful NASA engineer who gradually realises that true progress is measured by how it impacts society. In Ashutosh Gowariker’s drama, Bhargava’s evolution from a detached NRI to a man moved by rural India’s realities is portrayed with deep emotional intelligence and sincerity by Shah Rukh.
Kabir Khan from Chak De! India (2007)
Kabir Khan is a former hockey player who tries to reclaim lost honour — not only for himself but also for an ignored women’s team. Shah Rukh’s character in the sports drama is defined by restraint, resilience and leadership that empowered others. His silence often speaks louder than his rousing speeches.
Rizwan Khan from My Name is Khan (2010)
Rizwan Khan’s journey across a divided America is both personal and political in Karan Johar’s 2010 drama My Name is Khan. As a man with autism, who refused to be boxed by labels, Rizwan raises questions about identity, religion and acceptance — all while holding onto moral clarity.
Gaurav Chandna from Fan (2016)
Gaurav Chandna in Maneesh Sharma’s Fan isn’t just an obsessive fan — he is a distorted reflection of a culture that builds and breaks its idols. His journey from admiration to mania turns him into a vengeful man seeking respect in return for his years of devotion to a superstar, also played by Shah Rukh.
