Let’s get personal! After all, what is more personal than your Shahrukh fandom? Or even non-fandom, this post is for ALL. Including our few hidden non-SRK fans. Even if you aren’t a fan-fan, you must still have a favorite out of all his movies! Something you hate the least.
My simple sentimental answer is DDLJ. It’s the first movie of his I saw, it’s the movie that made me fall in love with him, and I honestly think it’s one of the most objectively good movies he has ever been in.
But let’s go deeper than that this year. First, there is Jab Harry Met Sejal. Which I think is the most complete character piece he has ever made, the strongest subtlest story that is just about internal growth. This is my favorite movie to watch and watch again and see something new every time.
Second, there is My Name is Khan. I don’t usually talk about that film here, because it is simultaneously so powerful and so flawed. But this is the film that makes me feel the most pure emotion, that is guaranteed to twist in my gut more than any other SRK film.
And third, Chennai Express. The most cheerfully happy and joyful Shahrukh movie, the one guaranteed to put a smile on my lips and a smile on the lips of anyone I show it to.
Now, what is your current favorite? Or favorites? And why? And I am hoping to hear from people who would NOT self-identify as SRK fans!
dontcallitbollywood 
I have two: 1) Swades, because I love stories about NRIs who come back and help others better their lives, and 2) Chak de India! Because he helps a group of women hockey players come together as a team to a major win and thus redeems himself. Granted, they’re easy films but I don’t care, I love ’em.
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They are both worth loving! And both movies are about Shahrukh giving to others and helping them in their journey, more than his own story. And now I am trying to think of other movies he has made like that 🙂 Oh! Dear Zindagi! That’s the other one.
On Mon, Oct 18, 2021 at 7:20 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Okay, I am only commenting because you asked the non-fans to jump in. My favorite SRK movies are the ones where he is less “larger than life”, has less of a god complex, and generally where the other characters can also shine.
So I really enjoy K3G (I am watching for everyone else and the songs), Om Shanti Om (because he makes fun of his image here and everything else is hilarious), and KANK (he is not “SRK” here and I love the women characters). And I also somewhat like Veer-Zaara (I want to hate this movie but I get sucked into the soppy romance) and Dil Se (great story and lovely songs).
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Thank you! And thank you for revealing yourself, I ALMOST said “and I wanted to hear from our non-fan Shreyans”, but then I thought it wasn’t my place to “out” you 🙂
I’m really interested to see you include Dil Se on this list. A superficial view of the film would make him the traditional God-like hero. But I think the point of the film is that such heroes really ARE superficial, you can’t save everyone all the time, often you can’t even see how to save them. His assumption that he can love and understand and “rescue” the woman he loves without bothering to fully understand the situation is a whole metaphor for the blundering in of over-confident “heroes” who just make situations worse. Anyway, I like seeing it included on your “not a hero” list of films, because I think it belongs there.
On Mon, Oct 18, 2021 at 8:30 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Hahahaha we non-fans do have to live in the shadows!
And yes, Dil Se is not a hero role. He keeps trying to “control” Manisha…telling her what to do…trying to “convert” her with his love…but she essentially tells him to F-off and refuses to be controlled…that’s what I like about the movie…finally a heroine who tells SRK there is something more important than your charms…but alas she does succumb somewhat in the end…I would have much preferred if she just shot SRK and continued on with her mission…
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Yes! And I believe Mani Ratnam did all of that on purpose. Introduced the traditional “hero”, showed how he was toxic, and then flipped again to show how inevitable the heroic patriarchy was, Manisha was going to be destroyed over and over again in different ways.
On Mon, Oct 18, 2021 at 8:57 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Jab Harry Met Sejal is my ultimate favorite. I was a tour guide, he nails it… I can watch it over and over and over, though since our computers have started breaking down I haven’t had the opportunities to finish going through the scene by scenes. I should do that.
But Yes Boss is my go to pick-me-up movie. He and Juhi are so cute. It has farce without making me cringe. And I was a kid in the 80s, that whole money money money thing, I saw that. I went to a fancy private school till 8th grade – I was surrounded by rich people. They’re often miserable. I saw my cousin buy into the money for money’s sake ideology, for his whole life, and the movie is a rejection of that. They end up happy poor. Really the film re-enforces my own life choices, and as SRK and Juhi are so cute making the choices I made it is a permanent pick-me-up.
And finally, my thrid fav would be KKHH – it has Kajol, and I love Kajol. I do get sick of the movie sometimes. I can’t watch it non-stop. But college student Kajol is just about the cutest thing ever, definitely surpassing college SRK. And the six year old likes the kids in it.
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Right! You promised to keep going through the Scene By Scenes as part of my Shahrukh Month celebration! And then you FAILED ME. Anyway, I find it fascinating that out of all his movies, it is the Tour Guide SRK that perfectly captures the career. Although I suspect Suri’s life was also pretty accurate, without really knowing. Something about being a tour guide being the same as being an entertainer in some ways? That transitory connection? Or just that for this film, the starting point was a very particular travel experience and everything else came after? Maybe it’s just that Indian films are so rarely profession based versus relationship based? Unlike America where it’s all “what do you do?”
My Dad went to the Suicide Capital of Illinois high school. And the crazy thing is, I know folks who are just DESPERATE to get their kids into it. Because it is the Best School. But, like, PEOPLE DIE. Money as a measurement for status/life success is not a healthy thing. And Yes Boss is such a happy look at both the difficulty of searching for it, and the happiness of freeing yourself.
KKHH is such a perfeclty balanced family film! Sexy Rani, cute Kajol, little Anjali for the kids, and Shahrukh giving it his all to entertain us.
On Mon, Oct 18, 2021 at 9:18 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Wasn’t Rani like 17 years old when she made it? Sexy Rani just makes me uncomfortable.
Very true that American’s define themselves by what they do. How do Indians define themselves? Is it all family? Also thinking of JHMS the whole servant / class issue comes into play, and it is a clash of Indian vs. West, Harry has lived in the West, they are travelling through the West, but he is the servant and her family is Indian. And you know I’m obsessed with servant relationships. So often I find them unbelievable in films. Bhoot Police had a comic, stupid, overly dedicated servant, I was okay with the comic & stupidity, but when the over dedication showed up I felt icky. NO ickyness in JHMS!
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20! She was a whole 20 years old. It’s totally fine 🙂
Indian’s 100% define themselves by caste/family. First thing you ask a desi person, or ask about a desi person, is “what is their last name?” And then you know caste, ethnicity, religion, everything. And if it’s unclear, you might say “last name is such-and-such, but their mother was a so-and-so”. I think that’s part of what makes Harry such a fascinating character, he’s Sikh/Punjabi heritage is SO important to him, still, it is his down deep identity. But he feels ashamed and distanced from it, and has layered the superficial identity of “tour guide” on top of it.
On Mon, Oct 18, 2021 at 10:28 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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It terms of best all-out acting and construction, I consider Fan to be at or near the top. But it’s sooooo creepy! I never want to see it again! Does that make it a bad movie?
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Om Shanti Om. Without a doubt. I love the pure, unapologetic entertainment. And I love how much thought they put into making sure the movie has no point whatsoever.
I guess the film is also pretty fitting for my stance on SRK. Seeing as I’m immune to his charms, I guess I also tend to be a bit more lukewarm towards the performances where he heavily relies on them. OSO is very much a SRK film, but to me it feels more like it relies on his megastar status for the OK craziness.
Just saying, there are options beyond “fan-fan” and “hate the least”. 😉
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Yes! OSO is about Shahrukh playing “A Shahrukh Khan Character” rather than actually acting. Sort of. It’s like breaking the 4th wall a bit, you aren’t supposed to fall for his charms so much as accept him as a character who other people find irresistible.
On Tue, Oct 19, 2021 at 1:50 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I wrote a comment but it isn’t here. Maybe it’s in the spam?
Anyway, I wrote that I asked myself which movie I would like to rewatch the most and the answer is Koyla and RNBDJ so I guess those are my favourites now.
Koyla because it’s crazy, fun, engaging, great to watch. They don’t make the movies like that anymore.
RNBDJ because it’s so cute and romantic. I found Tujh Mein Rab Dikhta Hai song with spanish subtitles recently on youtube and it made me cry. I love the story in this movie, especially the fact that Anushka chooses to stay with Suri because it’s the right thing to do. I really feel like rewatching the movie now.
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Nope, not in Spam either. How mysterious!
I am so glad someone said Koyla! I almost included it myself, because I think it is the funnest SRK 90s movie. It’s just so over the top and crazy and giddy.
On Tue, Oct 19, 2021 at 8:39 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I remember I also liked Karan Arjun a lot, but I have seen it like 15 years ago and never rewatched it later so I don’t know if it’s really that nice and interesting.
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It is nice, but goes nutty in the last third! Which isn’t a bad thing, it’s kind of the same as Koyla. Everything is set up like clockwork and then it just turns into MASSIVE ACTION SCENE for a resolution.
On Tue, Oct 19, 2021 at 9:20 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I like Shah Rukh but I don’t think I rise to the level of a fan. As I thought about this question, I realized that my personal favorite movies of Shah Rukh are ones where I just find his antics charming. So my picks are pretty basic: KKHH and K3G. I enjoy his character in both movies. He goes from being typical childish hero to more grown up in both. In KKHH, I love his relationship with his daughter and mother. Same with K3G, I enjoy his relationship with Kareena.
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I don’t think I would consider myself a fan but DDLJ is my favorite and KANK is a close second. Tbh there’s so many SRK movies that I would consider putting in my top ten hindi movies like RNBDJ, KKHH, K3G, etc.
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Even for non-fans, Shahrukh just picks such fun happy movies!!!! It’s hard to resist them.
On Thu, Oct 21, 2021 at 10:20 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Yup! 🙂
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Kabhi Haa Kabhi Naa is a personal favourite, not just because it appeals to the aftermath of my heartbreak, but there is some honesty in the way it is written and directed. Feels very personal and intimate. Yes Boss comes a very close second – he is very endearing in that film.
PS. If you ask about the recent times, it has to be Raees.
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Raees is such a frustrating movie. Something goes wrong in the end, but so much that is there is SO GOOD. If I can ever bring myself to re-watch it (because it is so personal and painful of a watch), I will have to see if I can figure out what goes wrong.
On Sat, Oct 23, 2021 at 1:20 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I like your breakdown, so I’m going to try to do the same.
Sentimental: Chennai Express. Like you and DDLJ, Chennai Express was the first SRK film I saw. I guess lots of people have a soft spot for their first. I watched it with my friend in her basement at 1am and we had a fantastic time and quote the English translations to this day (we watched it in 2014). I show it to nearly everyone I know who will watch it.
Best Character/Best Performance/Most Emotional: I’m changing this one a bit because I have to somehow mention My Name is Khan. I’m trying to get more people to watch it because it’s a fantastic American story in addition to being a fantastic Indian story. But it’s hard because I don’t think it’s as accessible as others, and also because it’s so heavy. But none of SRK’s other performances compare to Rizwan. He is almost unrecognizable. I was swept up immediately, and this movie hasn’t let me go. It’s not a rewatch kind of movie, but I do want to see it again someday.
Happiest: In addition to Chennai Express, I’m picking Dilwale. When Rohit Shetty is good, he is good. When SRK doesn’t want to take himself to seriously, he can really let loose. I think this, in addition to Chennai Express, works because you can find humor in it without getting all the references to other Hindi film. Plus, as a huge Varun fan, this is his best comedic performance, imo.
Honorable Mentions:
– DDLJ
– RNBDJ
– KHNH
– KKHH
– Chak De
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The MNIK and Fan performances are the two where I absolutely totally forget I am watching Shahrukh Khan. Not that he ever gives a really bad performance, but even in something phenomenal like JHMS there are glimpses of familiar SRK kind of expressions. But in Fan and MNIK, it is a totally different person, no similarity to the SRK I know at all.
On Sun, Oct 31, 2021 at 9:57 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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This is really such a tough question as I am a huge Shah Rukh fan as well but the question does become significantly easier to answer if I just focus on the films of him that are bringing me happiness at the moment:
1.) Kal Ho Naa Ho (will ALWAYS be my favorite! Maybe because it was my very first indian film and therefore has a lot of memories connected to it? It has everything that I look for in a movie: friendship, family, love, drama, a cool setting, an amazing soundtrack and a well written story and characters)
2.) Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam (this is such an unbeloved movie lol but it’s the film that me and my mother probably quote the most on a regular basis. We basically know the entire film dialog by heart now and are always making references to it. There’s just something incredibly hilarious about this movie but also touching. Plus, the cast for this one was absolutely INSANE)
3.) Jab Tak Hai Jaan / Jab Harry Met Sejal (I always watch these two films back to back. I kind of consider them almost as a continuation of a similar story in a different universe. Plus we get the Anushka/Shah happy end)
4.) Raees (one of the last movies that had a somewhat dignified/ likeable representation of a muslim character. I think that’s why I have to keep it close to my heart. But it’s also just such a great film in general!)
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