Told from the rascal's point of view, these films represented the boldest strokes of revisionism seen in Hindi films for a long time. Laced with satisfying Freudisms (Baazigar's Psycho-like character has a distinct mother fixation while Darrshowed Shah Rukh confabulating with a mother later revealed to be dead), they marked the transformation of a murderer into a popular hero and redefined the motivations and the morality behind violence. 

As the revenge-obsessed man who does not mind seducing and then killing an innocent young girl to achieve his ends (Baazigar) and as the obsessive youth, compulsively craving another man's wife (Darr), Shah Rukh gave visceral performances that provoked the viewers to simultaneous fascination and revulsion. Played on the dangerous edge of fanaticism and characterised by his vigour edge of fanaticism and characterised by his vigour and elastic gestures, these roles made Shah Rukh the biggest male star of the 90s.

To segue from these disturbed and disturbing characters to the button-cute, purely romantic Raj of Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge ('95), was a stretch for any actor but Shah Rukh showed an extraordinary talent for expressing extreme sensitivity without making it seem like an indulgence.

Shah Rukh has done himself proud since the day, when on principle, he walked out of college to protest his Principal's dismissal of his effort as "everything has come easily to you, Shah Rukh". And this, when he was a rank holder both at college and university levels in his BA exams.

Shah Rukh sought to fill the void left by his parents' death by carving out an acting career for himself. From doing theatre in his hometown, Delhi, he became a successful TV celebrity with the popular serial, 'Circus'. But there were hard days of struggle in Bombay when he had nowhere to live and when he performed his morning ablutions in 5-star hotel bathrooms before Deewana('92) made him a star....

......... Characteristically, Shah Rukh is extremely demonstrative in his love for his Gauri Maa (yes, that is what he calls his wife). Theirs is a rare industry marriage that is alive and Shah Rukh makes such nobody forgets that. The self-amplifications comes with Shah Rukh's personality. But instead of seeming abrasive, it usually evokes an indulgent response. Shah Rukh remains our brightest hope for extending the end-of-the-century cinematic vocabulary into the next millennium.

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