Hyderabad:Shah Rukh Khan's rise from a Delhi guy to the undisputed king of Bollywood is an extraordinary story of resilience. While he has earned name and fame in the field of cinema, King Khan's journey has been shaped by significant personal loss. The passing of his parents at a young age left a deep impact on SRK. The actor, however, turned his grief into strength, which drove his success in the film industry.
In a recent video shared by Walt Disney Studios India, Shah Rukh spoke about his connection to the character of Mufasa in Mufasa: The Lion King, a role he voices in the Hindi version of the film. Drawing parallels between Mufasa and his own life, Shah Rukh said, "If I were to not be humble and say, 'Hann meri hi kahaani aisi hai' (My story is also like this), then it could fit in. Technically speaking, anyone who doesn't have parents is an orphan. I did lose my parents nearly in youth, so I'm a semi-orphan."
He further connected his personal experience with the story of Mufasa, noting, "It's the story of an outsider. No one in my family was in the film business. I came from Delhi to Mumbai, so main outsider bhi hoon (I'm an outsider too). It's the story of the King. So, yeah, I'm a king."
Shah Rukh’s emotional connection to Mufasa goes beyond just the role. The 59-year-old superstar has spoken about how the character's journey resonates with him as a father. "Mufasa has an incredible legacy and stands as the ultimate king of the jungle, imparting his wisdom to his son, Simba. I deeply relate to him as a father and also resonate with Mufasa's journey in the film," Shah Rukh said in a previous statement.
Shah Rukh's struggles to overcome the loss of parents have been well documented. His journey through personal loss and hardship has inspired many in the industry. Actor Manoj Bajpayee, who worked with SRK during his days at Barry John's theatre group in Delhi, once recalled seeing SRK overcome his challenges and rise to the top. "Shah Rukh carved a niche for himself and rebuilt his personal life," Manoj said. SRK’s resilience and determination to rise above his grief were as crucial in his personal life as they were to his career.
For Shah Rukh, films became a way to cope with the pain of losing his parents. In a past interview, he had said that making films was the only way he knew to deal with sadness. In the 2004 BBC documentary The Inner World of Shah Rukh Khan, he shared how his sister was deeply affected by their parents' death. "My sister lives with me. She is five years elder to me. She was a brilliant student, a very educated girl. Strangely, a trained psychologist. Unfortunately, she's not very well. She got very disturbed with my parents' death," Shah Rukh had said.
Meanwhile, Mufasa: The Lion King is set to release on December 20 in English, Hindi, and Tamil. Shah Rukh's son Aryan Khan voices Simba, while his youngest, AbRam, voices young Mufasa, making it a family project. The rest of the cast includes Sanjay Mishra as Pumbaa, Shreyas Talpade as Timon, and Meiyang Chang as Taka.
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