Published By: Soham Halder

Shah Rukh Khan's Birthday: Before 'Deewana'; The Superstar's TV Serials That Made Him A Household Name

Happy birthday ‘King’, Shah Rukh Khan!

The superstar turns 59 today! Mostly known for his blockbuster movies, very few people know that Shah Rukh Khan had a successful television career. Many people know him for Fauji and Circus, however, he acted in multiple serial and television films for two years before getting his first movie. We bet you did not know about these serials or telefilms. On his birthday, let's have a look at the works of Badshah of Bollywood on television.

Dil Dariya: 

For those who believe Fauji was SRK’s first break on small screen, let me tell you, it's not. The actor started working on Dil Dariya much before Fauji. However, even after start of the shooting in 1988, the serial faced multiple production delays. Actor Lekh Tandon (seen along with SRK in Swadesh as Dadaji or school teacher) was directing the serial at that time. Arun Bali, Alka Amin and Veerendra Saxena were also part of this romantic drama.

 

(Credit - Insta/@pbarchives)

Doosra Keval:

Shah Rukh Khan played lead named 'Keval' in this 13-episode long serial. Depicted as a flashback, Doosra Keval portrays a sister’s search for the truth behind the disappearance of her brothe (played by SRK). Keval leaves the village to to pursue higher studies, unfortunately dies in an attempt to save his friend from becoming a terrorist. Vineeta Malik and Arun Bali were also part of this serial.

(Credit - X/@nazmaaman)

Fauji:

The 13-episode long Fauji made Shah Rukh Khan a popular face across India. The serial deals with the aspiration of youngsters to serve the nation and the hardships faced during training. Shah Rukh Khan played the role of a young army cadet named Abhimanyu Rai, loosely inspired by the life of Lt Col Sanjoy Bannerji of the Bombay Sappers, Indian Army. This iconic serial is available on Amazon prime video. The cult serial was written and directed by Lieutenant Colonel R.K. Kapoor.

 

(Credit - X/@DDNational)

Ummed:

Umeed is a 1989 TV serial portraying rural life of India. Shah Rukh Khan was seen only in two episodes of the serial as banker. He was sent to a village without much facilities. Deepti Naval and Mustaq Khan were also part of this serial. Ummed is cure Available on YouTube. 

 

(Credit - X/@mimansashekhar)

Circus: 

Directed by Aziz Mirza and Kundan Shah, Circus was another famous serial of late 80’s. Shah Rukh Khan played the character named Shekharan who became a manager of a circus, against his own dreams. Eventually, he started building strong relationships with people to remove his hatred for circus company. It was the immediate show of SRK after the fabulous success of Fauji. Renuka Shahane, Ashutosh Gowariker, Mita Vashisht, Anita Sarin and Neeraj Vora were also part of this iconic show. The 19 episodes are currently available on YouTube.

 

(Credit - X/@Iam_SyedIrfan)

Idiot: 

Initially made as a film, Idiot was released as a four part miniseries on Doordarshan in 1991. Idiot was based on Fyodor Dostoevsky's famous novel ‘The Idiot’. In this Mani Kaul directorial, Shah Rukh Khan was seen along with Ayub Khan-Din, Mita Vashist and Imam Khan. 

(Credit - IMDb)

Wagle Ki Duniya: 

Shah Rukh Khan made guest appearances in this Kundan Shah directorial sitcom, aired on Doordarshan. Anjan Srivastav and Bharati Achrekar played pivotal roles in this serial.

In Which Annie Gives it Those Ones

SRK starred in Novelist Arundhati Roy’s telefilm along with Roshan Seth. The film bagged two National Awards in 1989. 

Shah Rukh Khan proved his acting prowess on the small screen before hitting the jackpot in Mumbai.