It’s interesting to compare what some older stars were up to at this stage and which stage of their careers they were at when they turned 59. ( 5 more explosive entry scenes by Shah Rukh Khan that deserve Oscars Academy mention: From Jawan to Main Hoon Na)
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan, 81 now, had commenced his second innings as a character actor when he was in his late 50s. Interestingly, he was the same age as Shah Rukh is now when he played the latter’s father in Karan Johar’s 2001 blockbuster family drama Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham.
Rajinikanth
Rajinikanth, on the other hand, was at the peak of his career at 59. The 73-year-old actor did a double role in S Shankar’s 2010 sci-fi epic Robot aka Enthiran, in which he played both a robot and a scientist and was seen romancing Aishwarya Rai on the big screen. Enthiran became a blockbuster and earned around ₹300 crore at the global box office. Interestingly, Rajinikanth, as his Robot character Chitti also made a cameo in Shah Rukh’s passion project, Ra.One the next year.
Kamal Haasan
Kamal Haasan, 69, like his Tamil co-star, was also at the peak of his career when he was 59, 10 years ago in 2014. While he didn’t have any releases that year, he was fresh off the massive success of his 2013 spy thriller Vishwaroopam, which he also directed. Shah Rukh sure would’ve taken some notes on how to do action at 59 from his Hey Ram co-star.
Mammootty
Malayalam superstar Mammootty is also 73 years old. Fourteen years ago in 2010, he was on top of his game as well. He had as many as 8 releases that year, from Shaji Khailas’ horror action flick Drona 2010 to Martin Prakkat’s dramedy Best Actor. Mammootty, like he’s doing now, was also straddling diverse genres as a lead actor back when he was 59.
Rekha
There are very few leading women actors who have headlined films of their own beyond the age of 55. Rekha is one of them, however not successfully. The actor had already surrendered to the ageing stereotype and played Hrithik Roshan’s mother and then his grandmother in Rakesh Roshan’s Koi Mil Gaya (2003) and Krrish, respectively. She had even claimed that she was ready to play Hrithik’s grandmother in the next instalment of the superhero franchise. However, she appeared only in a flashback sequence in Krrish 3 (2013).
The very next year, she headlined a film herself, playing the titular role of Super Nani. However, after that film bombed at the box office, she hasn’t attempted another character since then. Rekha celebrated her 70th birthday last month.
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