Shah Rukh Khan’s forgotten ads, TV cameos and theatre clips every die-hard fan must revisit

SRK’s journey began on television with Doordarshan’s Fauji (1989).

Long before Shah Rukh Khan became the King of Bollywood, he was a scrappy theatre kid from Delhi with a restless energy and an insatiable hunger for acting. Today, while his films, interviews, and signature pose are forever etched into pop culture, the road that led him there is paved with countless forgotten projects. Let’s revisit.

From Fauji to fame

SRK’s journey began on television with Doordarshan’s Fauji (1989). As Lieutenant Abhimanyu Rai, a young and playful army cadet, SRK’s charisma burst through the screen earning him instant recognition. There was nothing larger-than-life about him here, he had no six-pack, no designer suits or anything. He was just a raw performer whose offhand charm made a generation of viewers lean in.

Next came Umeed, and then Circus (1989), where he played a reluctant circus manager in director Aziz Mirza’s drama. Here, SRK showed flashes of the emotional intensity he would later weaponise in Dil Se and Devdas. These shows weren’t TRP magnets, but they earned viewers who would later form the nucleus of his earliest fandom.

The early brand maneuvers

Long before he became the face of global labels like Tag Heuer, Hyundai, and Dubai Tourism, Shah Rukh featured in TV commercials that now look like charming time capsules. Among these were ads for Hero Puch bikes, Liberty shoes, and Cinthol soap. SRK effortlessly sold everything from deodorants to office stationery. What stands out, looking back, isn’t the product but the presence, that unmistakable spark in his eyes, a glint that already knew the world would be his one day.

Theatre roots

Before TV and movies, there was theatre. Shah Rukh’s work with Barry John at Delhi’s Theatre Action Group built the foundation of his craft. It was a space where SRK didn’t just act, but lived his roles with intensity. While grainy clips of these performances exist only in old VHS tapes and memories, they reveal a young man experimenting with rage, and vulnerability in equal measure.

Also read: Manish Malhotra pens a stylish birthday message for Shah Rukh Khan ahead of his 60th birthday

These “lost years” aren’t mainstream lore, but they are essential reading in the Shah Rukh Khan mythology. They show us how one of the most famous stars on the planet wasn’t always larger-than-life. He was simply alive, throwing himself into every role, every frame, every line.

In an era of viral fame and overnight stardom, SRK’s early clips remind us of an age-old truth, that legends aren’t born. They’re built, quietly, one cameo and one commercial at a time.