Bollywood may be crowded with superstars but, on January 27, as he bid India a fond farewell, it seemed that there was just one Khan on POTUS' mind. So does SRK equal Bollywood? At least when it comes to Uncle Sam.
POTUS addressed a townhall-style meeting in New Delhi's Siri Fort Auditorium on the final day of his three-day visit to India, where he borrowed one of SRK's best-known dialogues from Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge: "Bade bade deshon mein, or something like that. You know what I mean."
Here's why we think the Badshah made such an impact on Barack Obama:
Big Badshah Theory #5
SRK is the only Khan who's given the President of the United States a starring role in one of his films - his lookalike, at any rate - in My Name Is Khan. It is an Obama-lookalike who tells Rizwan Khan that his "name is Khan and he's not a terrorist." My Name Is Khan may have released in 2010 but clearly its message against discrimination of any kind is as relevant today.
Big Badshah Theory #4
SRK knows how to slam dunk, maybe not on the basketball court like Mr Obama, but definitely when it comes to the Indian diaspora in the USA. The recent SLAM! World tour had SRK performing to packed stadiums in Houston, New Jersey, Chicago, Washington DC and San Jose. In New Jersey alone, SRK danced into the hearts of 20,000 fans - a promotion model that turned out to be so successful that, rumour has it, other superstars will be following suit.
Big Badshah Theory #3
Talking about success, let's not forget that SRK is the second richest actor in the world. Not second richest Bollywood actor - just second richest actor, period! SRK was the only Indian actor in a top 10 combined rich list of Bollywood and Hollywood stars - richer than Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, Clint Eastwood and Adam Sandler. SRK is estimated to be worth US$ 600 million. Now that's a net worth that's worth sitting up and noticing.
Big Badshah Theory #2
Perhaps it's because of these big bucks that SRK has never been intimidated by Hollywood in the least. SRK refuses to compete and, in fact, has often said that Hollywood should be more appreciative of what Bollywood does. In the past, SRK has said, "You can't go to a big filmmaking world and say write a role for a 47-year-old actor who is brown, has hair like this, acts this way and dances a bit. The role should be something that Indians should be proud of."
Big Badshah Theory #1
And finally, do we really need another reason? It is Shah Rukh Khan! In a world which desperately needs open arms, open hearts and open minds, King Khan shows that he has all three and maybe that's why he's worth imitating.
