New Delhi: Shah Rukh Khan has two major releases in 2023. ‘Jawan’ alongside Nayanthara and Deepika Padukone and ‘Pathaan’ alongside Deepika Padukone and John Abraham. Both films have created quite a stir among SRK fans who are anticipating his upcoming films to be big hits. And, why not? Considering Shah Rukh has been experimenting with diverse roles and films in the recent past, hopefully ‘Jawan’ and ‘Pathaan’ will work out for him.
Shah Rukh Khan’s last releases included films like ‘Zero’ in 2019 with Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma, ‘Jab Harry Met Sejal’ with Anushka Sharma in 2017. The two films form varied genres and completely different characters did not work for Shah Rukh, even though his performance was appreciated by a section of the audience and the critics.
Interstingly, Shah Rukh’s filmography includes four films ending with the letter ‘N’, all of which did supremely well at the box office in India or abroad or were major critical successes. Now, with ‘Jawan’ and ‘Pathaan’ releasing in 2023, can we make a connection?
Let’s take a look at these four films ending with the letter ‘N’ which proved lucky for Shah Rukh Khan.
Karan Arjun (1995)
This fantasy action drama in which Salman Khan starred opposite Shah Rukh Khan was directed by Rakesh Roshan. ‘Karan Arjun’ was about two brothers who seek revenge from their greedy uncle for murdering their father. The film earned $ 20 million at the box office and became the second-highest grossing film of 1995 behind SRK’s another film ‘Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge’ with Kajol and Amrish Puri.
My Name Is Khan (2010)
This family drama directed by Karan Johar in which Shah Rukh Khan starred opposite Kajol was another critical and commercial success. The film was about an autistic Muslim man whose stepson gets killed in an assault for which Kajol( who plays’ SRK’s wife) blames him. The character then take sit upon himself to meet the US president and absolve himself of the charge. ‘My Name Is Khan’ earned US$48.86 million, making it the first Indian film to gross over ₹1 billion (US$21.87 million) in overseas markets.
Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012)
Directed by Yash Chopra, ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’ was a romantic drama in which SRK starred alongside Anushka Sharma and Katrina Kaif. In the film, SRK played a bomb disposal expert whose diary falls in the hands of an aspiring journalist ( Anuskha). Produced under the Yash Raj banner, the film went on to become one of the top-earning films of 2012 and earned US$28 million globally.
Fan (2016)
This action-thriller directed by Maneesh Sharma was a highly-anticpated and promoted project that had SRK in dual roles of the star himself and an obsessive fan. ‘Fan’ opened to positive reviews from critics across the country and interestingly did well in the international markets as compared to its poor performance on the domestic front.
With such commercially viable films ending with the letter ‘N’, SRK is returing with two more titles- ‘Jawan’ and ‘Pathaan’ both ending with the same letter.
While ‘Jawan’ is being directed by ‘Bigil’ director Atlee known for making mass-entertainers and ‘Pathaan’ being helmed by Siddharth Anand whose ‘War’ starring Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff was a blockbuster, expectation is naturally high.
Can ‘Jawan’ and ‘Pathan’ re-open SRK’s staggering box office record? Perhaps so. Since SRK is also returning to the silver screen after 2019, fans excitement to see him on screen is another level.
( All box office data has been collated from old reports from trade analysis sites such as Box Office India)