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The second half of last decade saw Shah Rukh Khan experiment with his choices, playing a disgruntled fan, a bootlegger, a psychologist, and a vertically challenged man, which also resulted in his lowest professional phase, with almost all the films underperforming at the box office. But by the end of this phase, which culminated with his 2018 disaster Zero, filmmaker Aanand L Rai says Shah Rukh knew he was ready for a triumphant return to glory.
Rai’s Zero, where he played a vertically challenged man, was Khan’s last film pre-pandemic. The film’s disastrous run led to the superstar taking a break from the screen, returning five years later with a historic 2023 with all time blockbusters like Pathaan and Jawan.
In an interview with Faridoon Shahryar, Aanand L Rai was asked about Khan’s “reinvention” as an action star during the break, in which many had written him off.
“The best part is, he knew,” Rai said about Khan being assured that he is going to make a smashing comeback. “Exactly a month after the release of Zero, he knew what he was going to do. He was very clear. Nobody knew but he knew that he is coming back. In fact, in that moment I was sitting in front of him, jab unhe pata tha woh kya karne waale hai aur kaise (when he knew what he is going to do next and how).
“He was never lost. He knew that he isn’t going anywhere, that, ‘I am there.’ It is not even about survival, you don’t call him Baadshah for no reason, but he knew and did exactly that.”
Shah Rukh Khan in a still from Aanand L Rai’s Zero.
After Zero, Khan was in talks to star in the biopic of Indian astronaut Rakesh Sharma titled Saare Jahan Se Achha. But the actor took a break and decided to return with a bang in the spy actioner Pathaan in January 2023, which broke all box office records.
Apart from Pathaan and Jawan, Shah Rukh Khan also had Rajkumar Hirani’s Dunki last year. The three films in total grossed more than Rs 2,500 cr worldwide. The actor is now gearing up for his next film titled King. The actioner will star him alongside daughter Suhana Khan and actor Abhishek Bachchan.
Anand L Rai’s latest production is the Taapsee Pannu-Vikrant Massey starrer Phir Aayi Hasseen Dilruba, currently streaming on Netflix.
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