The Last Superstars

The year changed into 1989. A young guy from Delhi, driven by ambition and goals, stepped foot into the glitzy international of Mumbai-the metropolis wherein everything seemed feasible, but where only some should ever honestly make a mark. Little did anybody realize then that this man, Shah Rukh Khan, could rise to become not only a megastar but also the megastar of an entire era, earning the name of "King Khan." His journey from a small-metropolis boy to the reigning monarch of Bollywood became not anything short of extraordinary.

Shah Rukh Khan, ever the modest one, once regarded on Anupam Kher's talk display, Kuch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai, where he made a striking statement: "I am the ultimate of the stars." At first look, it sounded like the traditional self-deprecating humor of an actor who had risen to unprecedented heights. But upon deeper reflection, and within the context of the hastily evolving international we find ourselves in nowadays, his phrases deliver a weight some distance past their casual shipping.