Born on the 2nd of Nov 1965 in Delhi to Lateef Fatima and Taj Mohammed Khan, Shahrukh Khan has more than lived up to the literal meaning of his name – “face of a king.”

He is Hindi cinema’s reigning royalty.

Exclusive and elusive, yet charming and charismatic are just some of the ways to describe Shahrukh Khan. The name itself invokes power, passion and panache – the stuff superstars are made of. Behind the façade of the dream machine and the very intimidating oft daunting personality (even Aamir Khan called him charming), is a middle class Delhi boy who grew underneath the charade of the capital’s chaos. Never failing to charm and please, the truly brash and self-effacing SRK will whizz by you with a smile on his face and a nifty oneliner. And you forgive him for his sarcasm, even his vanity, because you truly adore and worship him.

It is surprising just how much of a walking dichotomy India’s biggest movie star is. He has more than cemented his place in the Bollywood pantheon and there would appear to be very few frontiers left to conquer. And yet the man remains as hungry and enthusiastic as if he were a rank rookie just about make his first bid in tinsel town. He is, in short, a fascinating case study...

Is it hard being SRK?
Of course not sweetheart. It’s never hard being Shahrukh. But it is a great responsibility being SRK. But honestly I don’t  understand this psychological babble about being bigger and better than one’s self and raising a bar for the self. I am me and I have always been this way. I just feel I will burn out sooner than most people. In this case, I do believe its better to burn out than to fade away. I realise, without sounding too patronizing or vain, that once you’re a star you have to shine. You can’t stop, till there is a supernova. Frankly, I don’t have a problem with that.

As a star do you always struggle with the need to always please?
There is a fear. Actually there is a mind gap. My whole struggle is to always balance out the real in my mind with all that isn’t. It is very easy to get carried awayand to rise above what one is. I don’t have that luxury because I am a hardcore family man. I still have the middle-class values instilled in me by my parents in Delhi and I carry that with me even today. My wife, my sister and my kids look at me as a part of them. We are one big organism and no matter what I maybe for the world outside the gates of Mannat, inside I am just another member of the family, equally important and equally less important.

So many of your contemporaries are moving into directing. Is that an area we’ll see you going in?
I don’t know yet. I think it’s a very lonely job. It’s very nice, but am I ready to be so lonely so early? Not quite. I like the sound, the noise and the people. I want to do television, endorsements, Knight Riders and movies. I want to do so much and when there is nothing left to do, then I will direct.

To delve deeper into the mysterious, enigma that is the mind of Shahrukh Khan, get the latest copy of Blender...