Late in the 1980s, he burst upon the scene as a gawking teenager in the serial Fauji. Most girls and women loved him, as did some men too. Then he arrived in Bollywood as the character Raju who becomes a gentleman – losing his soul for money and greed before redeeming himself.

Then he was the successful tycoon in Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gam. Reel life often mirrors real life, and fantasies often come true. And so you have media don Shah Rukh Khan in a new role – a can do and aggressive entrepreneur who has global ambitions.

Who would have known that behind the carelessly crafted facade of an entertainer who takes dancing at weddings in his stride, lies the limitless energy and entrepreneurial fire that perhaps only a very few in a million possess.

A multi-million dollar deal with the Indian Premier League (IPL), hosting of Kya Aap Panchvi Pass Se Tez Hain, a stake in BAG Films and Media entertainment foray, a place on the board of Jet Airways, besides his billion dollar ambitions with Red Chillies Entertainment and VFX, SRK has certainly hedged his bets in the cyclical Hindi film industry.

Even as contemporaries like Aamir Khan (who prefers to call his dog as Shah Rukh), Saif Ali Khan and Sunil Shetty are content with floating production houses or launching restaurant chains, as potential retirement plans, SRK has readied himself with a battery of business interests, to launch himself in style alongside the who’s who of India Inc.

And his timing is just perfect. King Khan will continue to proudly flaunt the Bollywood crown for maximum two to four years and Shah Rukh is leaving no stone unturned to make the most of his precious place under the vacillating Bollywood Sun.

Lalit Modi, Chairman and commissioner, IPL, is a sure-shot convert to the growing fan-list of SRK’s business prowess. “In my view, Shah Rukh is the world’s biggest and best marketer,” he exclaims, recounting a recent incident that re-affirmed his faith in SRK’s business acumen

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