But before the fame, before SRK became a brand, before he landed dozens of top brand endorsements and top billing in successful films – like Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham , Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and Chak De India – Khan was an ordinary middle class man from Delhi, who, unlike the star kids of Bollywood’s blue-blooded families, had to struggle to make it in Mumbai, the city that launches a million dreams every day.

From his harum-scarum school days in Delhi to starting out on the small screen in 1989, Khan has come a long way indeed. Read on to find out what his life was like before the world of showbiz changed it forever.

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He was a naughty kid who was top of his class in school

Whether in interviews or movie promotional events, Khan frequently talks about his childhood, which he remembers as a halcyon time. He went to St. Columbia’s School in Delhi, where, despite his antics and frequent run-ins with the teachers, he managed to excel, both in academics and sports like hockey.

Few know that the actor is well educated: he holds a degree in economics and a master’s degree in mass communications.

He and wife Gauri were practically penniless in Mumbai

Delhi-born Khan arrived in Mumbai in the late 80s with new bride Gauri in tow, and the couple spent long days in Bollywood studios as he worked, and lived off fresh air, love and omelettes.

In an interview a few years ago with film critic Rajeev Masand, Khan said: “I remember the first night when we actually came to Mumbai, about five-seven days [after the wedding]. [Gauri] spent that evening fully dressed, she wore chooda [traditional wedding bangles] and Indian dress, and came to Film City and was there till 6am.

“We both were very new, yaar [friend], I was 25-26, and she was 21. It was extremely new for her. So, those two years, cooking omelettes for each other, just passed [somehow].”

The couple have been together for more than 30 years, and have three children, Aryan, Suhana and Abram.

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TV debut: Fauji and Circus

Shah Rukh Khan made it big on the small screen with Fauji, which launched on Indian national television in 1989. Originally cast in a small role, he went on to become the lead actor – director Raj Kumar Kapoor said the “camera loved Khan so much”, they had to change the script to prop him up.

Khan also appeared in Circus, another television series, that same year, a colourful drama that followed the lives of big top artists, their careers and relationships.

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His most iconic film: Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge

Shah Rukh Khan finally made his silver screen debut in 1992 with the thriller Deewana, starring alongside the late Rishi Kapoor, but it was the 1995 runaway hit Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge that set him on the course to stardom.

Paired with Kajol – the on-screen couple were to the 90s and 2000s what Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha were to the 1970s and 80s – Khan became India’s heartthrob overnight, a position he has never really relinquished, even after more than 30 years in the industry.

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