Living life Khan-size!

At 42, he has all the trappings of commercial success that any 35mm superstar can dream of.

Youth icon, the most searched name on Internet search engines, waxed for posterity in Madame Tussaud’s, he has a perfume, an orchid and a watch named after him. His house in Mumbai is an address flashbulb celebs crave for and if advertisers are to be believed he earns Rs 247 per minute!

For someone who reportedly charges between Rs five to seven crore per endorsement and has sold his latest home production Om Shanti Om for a whopping Rs 70-odd crore, brand SRK seems to be overshadowing SRK, the actor. And today he’s at a stage when he confesses that “Fridays no longer unnerve” him.

What makes him such a successful one-man industry by himself? Director and close friend Sajid Khan feels, “Shah Rukh, by far is not only one of the most intelligent people I’ve encountered, but he’s also one of the nicest guys around. It’s difficult to be so successful and nice. He’s one actor who doesn’t put on any act of pretence.”

As far as Brand SRK goes, Sajid says, “He’s not only marketed himself well, but has also connected with people well. He has this superb way of doing things which makes everyone happy at the end of the day.”

Ad guru Santosh Desai says, “The transition-from someone who started with a TV serial Fauji and has seen tremendous success in cinema, has been like an unbroken journey forward. He has fully developed his potential as a brand and has this charismatic quality about him. And this charisma comes through the person he is as none of his physical attributes account for his popularity unlike Amitabh Bachchan.”

Even a two-minute commercial doesn’t seem predictable, thanks to SRK’s inimitable style and attitude. Trade analyst Komal Nahta says, “Shah Rukh Khan is one of the biggest brands in the country because finally, it is all about money and his movies are fetching money. He is over 40 years and looks much younger than his age. Actors much older than him are working so I feel that a brand like SRK will continue to be strong. The masses have proved it.”

Author Anupama Chopra who has written a book on Shah Rukh Khan says, “Obviously, an actor like SRK is one of the strongest brands and he has proved that with Chak De India!

A brand needs reinventing, which he has continuously done with Swades, Paheli and many other films. Besides, Shah Rukh is too sharp and talented to be caught in the trap of being repeated in his films. So, globally I feel SRK is one of the most important brands the country has.”

What adds to Shah Rukh’s brand equity is his popularity among the Indian diaspora. The overseas rights of his films garner the highest price, placing him among the top of the heap in Bollywood. While Hollywood isn’t an option (he’s been quoted as saying, ‘I’m not talented enough for Hollywood’), there’s plenty of action in India, with Farhan Akhtar’s Don 2 and Karan Johar’s My Name is Khan .

And on a personal level, once the grease paint is off, SRK is looking at a “studio somewhere in Mumbai”, “playing soccer with my son” and “a few more hours to the day”.

A toast to the Khan-tastic actor’s dreamz unlimited.

Tanvi Trivedi, TNN