Shah Rukh Khan and Mahendra Singh Dhoni are two of the most popular celebrities in India. While the former is one of the biggest Bollywood superstars, the latter is India’s most successful Indian cricket team captain till date. They have their own set of admirers as well as detractors. Khan is often criticised for doing repetitive roles, whereas Dhoni’s haters point to his disappointing record as the captain of India’s test cricket team. The 51-year-old actor’s recent release Jab Harry Met Sejal tanked at the Box Office whereas Dhoni has somewhat lost his magical touch of finishing the games for his team.
Shah Rukh Khan emerged to the fore at the beginning of the 1990s and established himself as the third member of Khan triumvirate, the other two being Salman Khan and Aamir Khan. With phenomenal performances in films like Baazigar, Darr, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jaayenge and others, he established himself as a leading superstar. On the other hand, Dhoni burst into the scene when India was in dire need of a wicket-keeper who could bat well. In less than two years, he was captaining the men in blue in the T20 format and the rest is history. Both the celebrities have witnessed similar ups and downs in their lives. Here are the five commonalities between King Khan and our Captain Cool.
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Humble beginnings
Shah Rukh Khan was born in Delhi to a middle-class family on November 2, 1965. At the age of 16, he lost his father Mir Taj Mohammad Khan to cancer and his mother Latif Fatima had to take care of the family. She was a social magistrate and worked with juvenile offenders and street children. Khan studied at St Columbus and later pursued a BSc in Economics from Delhi University’s Hans Raj College. He enrolled at Jamia Millia Islamia to study MA in Mass Communication but could not appear for his final exams. Khan dabbled in television with serials like Fauji, Circus and Doosra Keval before making his Bollywood debut with Deewana.
On the other hand, Dhoni was born in a middle-class family in Ranchi on July 7, 1981. His father retired as a work supervisor in Metallurgical and Electrical Consultants Limited (MECON). He pursued his schooling from DAV Jawahar Vidya Mandir. Dhoni played hockey, tennis, football, and badminton before being introduced to cricket.
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Their professions were not their first choice
If you thought Dhoni had an inclination to become a cricketer since childhood, you are only partly correct. The Ranchi lad was a football goalkeeper in his school days until he was spotted by the sports coach KR Banerjee. He told The Guardian four years ago that an urgent need for someone to keep wickets forced him to look for options until an eighth-standard footballer caught his attention.”He was always a confident boy. Not many words – if you asked him his name, he would say his name and nothing else. In the classes he was quiet,” the proud coach was quoted saying.
On the other hand, Shah Rukh Khan wanted to pursue sports as a profession. But a freak accident forced him to switch from sports to arts. He injured his lower back while playing football and the doctor forbade him from taking up sports as a career. While he was overcoming the trauma of not being able to represent India in a sport, Shah Rukh came to know about auditions at Delhi University’s Lady Sri Ram College that needed male artistes for a play. The audition changed his life forever.
Grabbing the opportunity
With Parthiv Patel failing with the gloves during India’s ignominious home series against the marauding Aussies in the autumn of 2004, the selectors began a hunt for someone who could replace him. Dinesh Karthik was roped in for the next series against the Proteas and did a decent job behind the stumps. However, the team management inducted a long-haired wicket-keeper from Jharkhand for the limited overs series tour to Bangladesh. He was none other than MS Dhoni. Luckily, he was given a second chance a few months later in the 6 ODI series against Pakistan. After failing to open his account in the first match at Kochi, Dhoni was brought in at No 3 at Vizag and scored a magnificent 148 off 123 deliveries.
On the other hand, Shah Rukh Khan grabbed those films which had been rejected by other actors. His debut film Deewana was offered to Nagarjuna and then Armaan Kohli. Baazigar was rejected by Salman Khan and Aamir refused Darr. Even Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman was first narrated to Aamir.
Not a fluke. The duo stayed at the top of their games for a long time
According to Forbes’ list, Shah Rukh Khan is the eighth highest paid actor in the world. He has won several accolades including 8 Filmfare Awards. He co-owns IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders that won the title twice. He is also the co-owner of Trinbago Knight Riders in the Caribbean Premier League.
Also read: SRK, Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar in Forbes’ highest paid celebrities list. Where is Aamir Khan?
On the other hand, Dhoni is the only Indian captain to have won all major ICC tournaments. He led India to its inaugural T20 title in 2007, World Cup title in 2011 and ICC Champions Trophy in 2013. Dhoni captained India for 10 years in the ODI format, with 110 wins out of 199 matches at a victory percentage of 59.57.
Hated with as much passion
If Mahendra Singh Dhoni is admired by the countless many, he does have haters as well. Critics often question his leadership due to his poor overseas record as captain in Test format. The 36-year-old cricketer who led Chennai Super Kings to their two titles is also at the crosshairs over the 2013 IPL betting scandal. He is also accused of sidelining senior players during his stint as a captain.
Similarly, Shah Rukh Khan is often criticised by the trolls who question his patriotism. Madhya Pradesh BJP leader Kailash Vijayavargiya even advised him to go to Pakistan after he spoke against rising intolerance in the country. Still, he is going strong at 51 and continues to entertain us with his films.
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