Shah Rukh Khan had offered a remarkably simple description of the circumstances he came from and the time when his parents didn’t have enough money to feed the family of four.
Sarika Sharma
August 19, 2026 / 21:00 IST
Shah Rukh Khan
- SRK recalled humble beginnings, parents struggled for food.
- Rose from TV to Bollywood, became a romantic hero.
- Made a comeback with Pathaan & Jawan, won National Award.
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There is not even one person in India or abroad who doesn’t knowShah Rukh Khan. The Bollywood superstar made his way up from a middle-class Delhi household to becoming one of the biggest stars in Indian cinema.
In one of the throwback conversation with actor Anupam Kher for ‘The Anupam Kher Show’, SRK had offered a remarkably simple description of the circumstances he came from and the time when his parents didn’t have enough money to feed the family of four.
Speaking about his childhood and his family’s financial condition while growing up in Delhi, Shah Rukh Khan recalled how even a basic meal of dal had to be stretched to feed everyone at home.
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“Hamare ghar mein dal mein paani milakar banaya jata tha taki hum chaar ghar wale khana kha sakein. Kahin par bhi aisa ilm nahi tha, koi soch nahi thi ki main desh bhar ke andar itna naam kama sakunga. Thank you everyone. Agar mere jaisa insaan limited talent ke saath, limited shakal aur akal ke saath iss mukaam par pahunch sakta hai, to kuch bhi ho sakta hai,” (“Dal was prepared at home by adding water so that the four of us could have enough to eat. There was never any thought or even an inkling that I would become so well-known across the country. Thank you, everyone. If someone like me, with limited talent, limited looks and limited intelligence, can reach this position, then anything is possible.)” he told Anupam Kher during his appearance on the show.
SRK has always in the past spoken about his parents and how their loss at a very young affected him deeply. His sister Lala Rukh suffered tremendously and couldn’t cope up with the death of their parents.
Before Shah Rukh Khan became Bollywood’s beloved King Khan, he was an aspiring actor who had already made an impression on television with shows like Fauji and Circus.
He made his Bollywood debut as a second lead in hit film Deewana, which released in 1992. It had Rishi Kapoor and Divya Bharti in the lead.
But SRK did not follow the conventional route to becoming a leading man. He starred in many movies like Baazigar, Darr (1993), Anajaam as an antagonist. But it was his role of Raj in Dilwale Dilhaniya Le Jayenge (19950 that made him into a romantic hero.
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Aditya Chopra’s romantic drama transformed his career completely and the movie created one of the most enduring screen personas in Hindi cinema.
SRK’s Raj became the romantic hero audiences wanted to see, who was charming, emotional, mischievous and vulnerable.
The super success of DDLJ was followed by films such as Dil To Pagal Hai, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, cementing him as the defining romantic superstar of his generation.
Shah Rukh Khan has repeatedly stepped outside his romantic hero image that had made him successful. And films like Devdas, Swades, Chak De! India and My Name Is Khan have allowed him to explore very different characters.
The latter part of the 2010s brought a more uncertain phase for him when films like Fan and Zero failed to impress the audience.
But it was a few years later that SRK made a comeback with Pathaan in 2023. It showed SRK as a full-fledged action star. The film was a superhit and marked the beginning of one of the most extraordinary comeback phases in recent Hindi cinema.
It was followed by Jawan, which pushed the momentum even further. And Jawan also earned him his first National Award.
SRK is now gearing up to launch his daughter Suhana Khan in the industry with King. The actor is also playing a lead along with Suhana. The movie is set to release on Christmas this year.
Sarika Sharma is Editor, Entertainment, MoneyControl.com. She has over 25 years of experience in the field of entertainment journalism.
first published: Aug 19, 2026 09:00 pm
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