The dominance of the three Khans at the Indian box office has been compared to that of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Hollywood. The Khan trio- Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Aamir Khan have been ruling Bollywood for decades with their talent, performance and enormous fan following. However, the popularity of Khans seems to be fading away in the last few years. The Khans have also stopped being recognised by the cinemagoers.
Khans and their last hits
Such was the fan base of the trio Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, and Aamir Khan that it took only their names to attract the cinemagoers to theatres. The cinema halls used to be packed with the audience and the sound of whistles would overcome the volume of dialogues and songs. On the Forbes 2015 Indian Celebrity 100 list, Shah Rukh and Salman ranked #1 and #2 respectively, and Aamir ranked #5, as the top earners of the prior year.
However, the face value of the Khans is fading away. It is the curtain down on the era of Khans. The kingdom of the Khans appears to be facing an unprecedented threat. The rise of new actors, the advent of over-the-top (OTT) platforms along with the prolonged shutdown of theatres and most importantly, the evolving audience have thrown a big challenge to the indisputable kings of the box office.
Let’s talk about Shah Rukh Khan first. Ever since Zero crashed at the ticket windows in December 2018, the speculations that SRK has lost his charisma have set the entertainment industry abuzz. After Rohit Shetty’s Chennai Express (2013), none of Shahrukh’s movies has turned out to be a blockbuster.
Read more: After the failure of “Zero” at the box office, Shah Rukh Khan doesn’t want to do films anymore
Thus, he had been making plans to stage a grand comeback with a film that could silence his critique and prolong his three-decade reign in the film industry. Shah Rukh Khan had once said that “He is feeling left out now that all of his contemporaries are on streaming platforms but him.”
Coming to Aamir Khan, Mr. Perfectionist’s career too has witnessed a downfall in the last few years. His last release Yash Raj Films’ big-budget ‘Thugs of Hindostan’ (2018) was a huge blow to his career and disappointed the audience and the critics alike. Aamir is now busy promoting his next, Lal Singh Chaddha as it will decide the fate of his career.
Salman Khan, the third superstar of the Khan trio, is the ‘Bhaijaan’ of the nation. Although his movies have witnessed a better box office record than both Aamir and Shah Rukh in the last decade, but he too seems to have lost the Midas touch. Atleast, this is what his last few movies suggest. His film Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai, came as a shocker as it was a super-flop. Salman has also failed terribly to offer versatility in the last few years. Salman’s Race 3 (2018), Bharat (2019) and Dabangg 3 (2019) too couldn’t perform well. However, his character in the Mahesh Manjrekar-directed Antim, received applause but it was his brother-in-law Aayush Sharma who stole the show.
Read more: 2018 marked the decline of ‘Khan’, 2019 set to be the year of ‘Kumar’
The last recognised ‘Khan’
Often called the fourth Khan of Bollywood, Saif Ali Khan is not really the star but definitely a great actor. He never had the career trajectory or the superstardom that the top three Khans enjoyed. But his performances in the films like ‘Tanhaji’ and ‘Laal Kaptaan’ are the proof that he probably is the best actor or the second-best actor on the list of Khan actors. He is also associated with some very interesting cult films like Dil Chahta Hai (2001), Ek Hasina Thi (2004), Being Cyrus (2005), Omkara (2006), Love Aaj Kal (2009), Aarakshan (2011), Go Goa Gone (2013), and the deliciously dark Kaalakaandi.
Moreover, his character of the pot-bellied Mumbai police inspector Sartaj Singh in Sacred Games has helped him stay in the league of extraordinary actors. He is the first A-list Bollywood actor to do a full-blown web series. When asked how does it feel to be Bollywood’s fourth Khan, he stated, “Human nature has a tendency to box. We are all individuals. It is tempting to compare us since we have a similar surname but the similarity really ends there!”
“You can be a star, and maybe you should be a star, but it’s important that you are able to drop that image and become the character when the camera starts to roll. Also, I think I am learning about my profession pretty late in the day,” he further added.
Indians have seemingly stopped recognising Khans
Saif Ali Khan is the recognised Khan in the Hindi film industry. There came many Khans in the Bollywood, but none of them could emerge as semi-star, leave alone being the superstar. Moreover, many of them couldn’t even make a career in the industry.
But, one of these Khans who managed to make his mark in the industry is Irfaan Khan. Bollywood prefers star value over quality actors, or quality scripts. Thus, many actors couldn’t put a mark in the Bollywood. However, Irfaan Khan entered in the picture and turned the tables.
One of the exceptional actors who did what he was supposed to do – acting. He didn’t emerge as a showman. While people loved his art and talent, he too wasn’t recognised the way the other three Khans were.
The other Khans like Zayed Khan, Imran Khan and Fardeen Khan failed to gain some popularity. While Zayed Khan is only known for his supporting role in ‘Mai Hoon Na’, Fardeen Khan too couldn’t grab the eyeballs. Imran Khan tried his best in the movies like ‘Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na’ and ‘Delhi Belly’ but soon bid adieu to the films in 2018.
It seems like the audience has stopped recognising the Muslim superstars the way they recognised them earlier. Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s career too is witnessing a gradual downfall and this can be attributed to his statements that reflect his arrogance. The Khans, too, are no different and are losing the battle to stay in the industry.