Shah Rukh Khan turned a year older on Monday, and one of his most successful recent collaborators marked the day by looking back at the film that changed the star’s action-era conversation. Filmmaker Atlee shared a monochrome picture with SRK on Instagram Stories, calling him his mentor, guide, well-wisher and biggest inspiration.
Thank you for being my mentor, my guide, my well-wisher and my biggest inspiration in this incredible journey.
A birthday note with a blockbuster behind it
That note carries weight because the collaboration delivered a rare combination of scale and recognition. Jawan, the 2023 action entertainer in which SRK played a dual role alongside Nayanthara and Vijay Sethupathi, grossed over ₹1,100 crore worldwide. It was Atlee’s Bollywood directorial debut — and it landed among the biggest blockbusters of the year.
- ₹1,100 crore-plus: worldwide gross for Jawan.
- Dual role: SRK’s central performance in the action thriller.
- Debut: Atlee’s first Hindi film as director.
The National Award that made it historic
Box office is only part of the Jawan story. At the 71st National Film Awards in 2025, Shah Rukh Khan won his first National Film Award for Best Actor for the film, sharing the honour with Vikrant Massey for 12th Fail. For fans, that milestone made Jawan the project that gave SRK a blockbuster and long-awaited institutional recognition in one go.
Looking ahead to King
Atlee closed the birthday note by turning to SRK’s next big-screen title. “Can’t wait to see you on a big screen sir, looking forward for ‘KING’,” he wrote, signing off with “Grateful, always.” It is a small but telling signal: the director is publicly cheering on the next chapter of a star whose Jawan run remains a reference point for how big a well-mounted action film can go.
Source: Filmibeat