It is befitting that after earning herself the title of Lady Superstar for her work in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films, Nayanthara’s forthcoming Hindi film debut is with none other than Shah Rukh Khan, who famously called himself ‘the last of the superstars’ in an interview with Anupam Kher on his television show. With a career spanning over two decades which has made her one of the highest paid actresses in India, the talented actress’ entry into Bollywood is with director Atlee’s Jawan — coincidentally also Atlee’s first Hindi film — releasing on September 7, which stars SRK in a dual role in the action thriller. However, before Nayanthara, there have been several actresses who have made their Hindi film debuts with King Khan. Here’s a look at some female actors who shared the screen space for their debut Bollywood experience with the superstar:
Deepika Padukone
Former Indian badminton player Prakash Padukone’s daughter was already an established model and had even appeared in the music video of Himesh Reshammiya’s song Naam Hai Tera. The tall and graceful girl made her acting debut with the Kannada film Aishwarya in 2006, which was a commercial success. Post Main Hoon Na (2004), director Farah Khan was looking for a fresh face to be launched opposite Shah Rukh Khan for her second film Om Shanti Om (2007). Apparently, it was designer Wendell Rodricks who recommended Padukone’s name to Malaika Arora, who in turn suggested it to Khan. Shah Rukh’s leading lady got to play a double role in her very first Hindi film and the rest, as the cliché goes, is history. The duo has been a successful pairing in films such as Chennai Express (2013), Happy New Year (2014) and Pathaan (2023). Padukone also plays a pivotal role in SRK’s latest Jawan.
Preity Zinta
The cute dimples and effervescent smile landed Preity Zinta her first stint in front of the camera in a Perk chocolate ad, quickly followed by a popular Liril commercial. Zinta, who was born and brought up in Shimla, had studied criminal psychology but had later decided to pursue modelling. Although her debut film was initially supposed to be with director Shekhar Kapur, it got shelved and he recommended her to director Mani Ratnam for Dil Se.. Zinta had a small role in the 1998 film but her spunk and confidence shone through, especially in the scene in which she asks SRK’s character, ‘Are you a virgin?’
Anushka Sharma
Although Anushka Sharma had no plans of becoming an actor, the Bengaluru girl who shifted to Mumbai to pursue modelling became a household name after what can only be termed a dream debut in Bollywood opposite Shah Rukh Khan in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008). The Aditya Chopra-directorial saw her play the role of a young bride who gets married to a middle-aged man. Although Sharma received mixed reviews for her performance and did not become a star overnight, it did bring her more offers and she went on to be known as one of the best actors of our times. Since then, Sharma and Khan have been paired up in Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012), When Harry Met Sejal (2017) and Zero (2018).
Shilpa Shetty
Shilpa Shetty probably had the most interesting debut of all times, and that too opposite Shah Rukh Khan. The man threw her off the roof of a skyscraper! Abbas-Mustan’s thriller Baazigar (1993) was inspired by the Hollywood film A Kiss Before Dying (1956) and Shetty played the supporting role of Seema Chopra who is killed by a man (SRK) who is pretending to be in love with her, in order to extract revenge from her father. The movie was a blockbuster hit and Shetty, too, received nominations at award shows for her performance. The model-turned actress went on to act in a number of films and continues to be a part of showbiz.
Shriya Pilgaonkar
Actors Sachin and Supriya Pilgaonkar’s daughter was a child actor before she made her Marathi film debut in 2013 with Ekulti Ek. The film was directed by her father and also had her real-life parents play her reel-life parents in the movie. Her Bollywood debut happened in 2016 with none other than the Badshah of Bollywood with director Maneesh Sharma’s Fan. In the film, which had SRK in a double role as filmstar Aryan Khanna and his obsessive fan Gaurav Chandna, she played the role of Gaurav’s friend Neha. It was a small role and the film did not do that well either but she got noticed and later was cast in the popular web series Mirzapur, among other notable projects.
Mahira Khan
The Pakistani actress was already a household name in her country and even beyond for her performances in Pakistani soaps, foremost of which was Humsafar, in which she was paired up with the subcontinental heartthrob Fawad Khan. She made her big screen debut with Atif Aslam in 2011's Bol but her Bollywood debut happened in 2017 with the action-drama Raees where she played SRK's love interest. Although the much-hyped movie failed to create an impact on the audience, they were appreciative of her and SRK's chemistry. Unfortunately, Raees also turned out to be the actress’ last Hindi film as the Indian Motion Picture Producers Association put a ban on Pakistani actors working in Hindi films owing to the Uri attack incident in 2016.
Gayatri Joshi
Even before she made her film debut with Khan in Ashutosh Gowariker’s Swades (2004), Joshi had already shared screen space with SRK in a commercial for Hyundai. The winner of Femina Miss India International in 2000, Joshi had gone on to model for a couple of commercials, including the one with SRK and a few music videos before Gowariker cast her opposite Khan’s character Mohan Bhargava, an NRI who returns to India and decides not to go back to the US. The film went on to attain cult status but when it was released, it was a commercial failure. Swades is credited as the one and only film of Joshi.
Suchitra Krishnamoorthi
The Mumbai-girl was a model and actor and made her big screen debut with the Malayalam film Kilukkampetti in 1991. In 1994, Krishnamoorthi played Anna in Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa with SRK making it her first Hindi film. Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa is considered one of Khan’s most endearing performances of his career and was a success at the Box Office as well. Although the actress did very few films over the years, she established herself as a pop singer in the '90s and even went on to write a couple of books. She was last seen in the 2022 film Odd Couple which was released on Amazon Prime Video to positive reviews.
Mahima Chaudhry
Born Ritu Chaudhry, she changed her name to Mahima at the behest of director Subhash Ghai who considers 'M' his lucky alphabet. Chaudhry was a successful model before she starred in Ghai’s 1997 romance musical drama Pardes with SRK. The film’s soundtrack became a rage and it went on to become the fourth highest grossing film of the year. Her performance as the village girl Kusum Ganga received mixed to negative reviews. Following Pardes, Chaudhry acted in a number of romantic movies and musicals.
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