25 Best Shah Rukh Khan Movies

Summary Shah Rukh Khan's movies have reached global audiences, making him a household name and one of the richest actors in the world.

Main Hoon Na, Don 2, and Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi are considered some of the best Shah Rukh Khan movies, blending genres and showcasing his versatility as an actor.

Khan's performances in movies like Veer-Zaara, Dear Zindagi, and Dil Se.. have been highly praised, earning critical acclaim and recognition for his acting skills.

Shah Rukh Khan, or Shahrukh Khan, is a Bollywood name that is famous not just within the national borders of India, but far and wide, globally, with some of the best SRK movies to watch being known internationally. It is Khan who took commercial Bollywood cinema to audiences worldwide in the early 1990s and became a household name with his boy-next-door image and innate charisma and flamboyance.

Although typecast as the quintessential romantic hero, Khan started his career as an anti-hero, and a few of his earlier movies that gained him acclaim were those where he played a protagonist. It was the movie Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge that kicked off his journey as a romantic hero, earning the Bollywood star tags such as "The King of Romance," making him one of the richest actors in the world, bigger than some of his Hollywood counterparts, and undoubtedly the biggest Indian superstar of his generation. Here are the best SRK movies to watch.

Related The 10 Best Bollywood Movies On Netflix Netflix has a great selection of Bollywood movies and for anyone who is looking for a new one to watch, here are some great picks.

25 Om Shanti Om (2007)

A Bollywood Movie About Movies

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Om Shanti Om is a 2007 movie with Shah Rukh Khan playing two different roles in the film. He plays Om Prakash Makhija, also known as Om, and he plays Om Kapoor, also known as O.K. The movie then follows two parallel timelines, one with Om dying in an on-set fire while working as an obscure 1970s actor. The other is when he is reincarnated in the present day as O.K., a major superstar actor, and he sets out to get revenge against the person responsible for his death in his previous life.

Om Shanti Om was a critical and commercial success, and it remains one of the best SRK movies to watch thanks to its joyful portrayal of the movie-making journey, with some elaborate song-and-dance numbers throughout. It went on to pick up 13 nominations at the 53rd Filmfare Awards and won Best Special Effects and Best Female Debut (Deepika Padukone), both well-deserved awards. It was also nominated for Best Film, Best Director, and Best Actor for Khan.

24 Paheli (2005)

A Ghost Impersonates A Woman's Husband

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The best SRK movies to watch include Paheli, which is a supernatural romantic drama that is itself the reinterpretation of Mani Kaul’s haunting 1973 classic Duvidha. In this story, Khan plays a man named Kishan who marries a woman named Lachchi (Rani Mukerji) but is told that he has to leave for a five-year business trip the next day, leaving his bride home alone. However, a ghost falls in love with Lachchi after seeing her and takes the form of Kishan after he leaves. The ghost and Lachchi live and love for the next four years.

The movie is part supernatural folktale and part feminist fable, all set against the backdrop of Rajasthan. The film goes a long way in giving Lachchi more female agency in this movie, so she isn't just taken advantage of by a ghost when it reveals the truth to her and allows her to make her own decision about how to proceed. The movie earned two nominations at the 51st Filmfare Awards and nine at the 2006 Zee Cine Awards.

23 Asoka (2001)

A Historical Epic About The Emperor Asoka

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In 2001, Shah Rukh Khan took on the role as Emperor Asoka in the historical epic Asoka. The movie was made on a moderate budget, so don't expect to see any massively huge scenes, but expect a great-looking movie from award-winning cinematographer Santosh Sivan (Dil Se..). The movie follows Emperor Asoka, who ruled the Maurya Empire in the 3rd century BC and later embraced Buddhism, renouncing violence. Khan was fantastic in his role, and the film bore a strong similarity to the films by Akira Kurosawa.

Asoka was also a critical success, picking up five nominations at the 47th Filmfare Awards.

Asoka saw success in the United States and the United Kingdom and screened at two of the most prestigious film festivals — the Venice Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival. Asoka was also a critical success, picking up five nominations at the 47th Filmfare Awards. Its only win at the Filmfare Awards was for Sivan's cinematography (he also served as the director and received a nomination for that and for Best Film). Khan won the Best Actor Award at the Sansui Awards for this performance.

22 Pathaan (2023)

A Super Spy Is Called Back Into Action

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Shah Rukh Khan stars in Pathaan as the titular hero of the movie. He is a super spy who was presumed dead but was called back into action to stop an event that would possibly start a major military event between India and Pakistan. The action-packed espionage thriller also stars an incredible cast that includes Deepika Padukone, Dimple Kapadia, and John Abraham. This is the closest SRK has come to starring in a movie with action sequences and scenes similar to a Hollywood blockbuster.

This movie is also part of a new "Spy Universe," that includes movies with the spies Tiger and Kabir.

This is also the first movie that Khan made after taking four years off from acting. As a highly-anticipated movie for his fans, it didn't disappoint and provided a globe-trotting adventure that not only thrilled fans of big action movies but also impressed critics who praised Khan's performance in his big return. This movie is also part of a new "Spy Universe," that includes movies with the spies Tiger and Kabir, played by Salman Khan and Hrithik Roshan. Khan appeared in Tiger 3 as Pathaan as well.

21 Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012)

Two People From Different Religions Fall In Love

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Released in 2012, the movie Jab Tak Hal Jean is a romantic drama that follows Samar (played by Shah Rukh Khan) as he falls in love with a woman named Meera (played by Katrina Kaif). However, the twist is that their romance ends because they have different religions. This sends Samar into a rage, as he is denied love, and he sets out to challenge his own God by taking a job as a bomb disposal expert, putting his life on the line every day, without caring whether he lives or dies.

As director Yash Chopra's final film before he died in 2012, it was a huge hit. It ended up as the third-highest-grossing Bollywood movie of the year and was popular all over the world thanks to Khan's appearance. The only films, at that time, that made more money overseas were 3 Idiots and My Name is Khan. The movie was also a critical success and went on to earn seven nominations at the 58th Filmfare Awards, including a nomination for Khan. Anushka Sharma won for Best Supporting Actress.

20 Main Hoon Na (2004)

A Military Man Is Sent Undercover As A University Student

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Main Hoon Na is a Masala film starring Shah Rukh Khan as Major Ram Sharma, a man sent on an undercover mission as a university student to protect a general's daughter from a rogue soldier. What makes this movie stand out is that it has a little bit of everything, from a high-octane thriller to a high school comedy of errors, to a Bollywood musical.

Amazingly, despite the intense genre-bending throughout, 2004's Main Hoon Na ended up as another success story for Khan. It was nominated for several awards in 2004, sweeping all six of its nominations at the Global Indian Film Awards. While it's not the most well-known of his films outside of India, it is still considered by many to be one of the best Shah Rukh Khan movies thanks to the awards and critical acclaim.

19 Don 2 (2011)

The Sequel To The Successful Don

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Don 2 is a sequel to the 2006 movie Don, where Shah Rukh Khan played both the ruthless drug lord Don and his lookalike Vijay Pal, a man convinced by the DCP to pretend to be Don after the drug lord died in a battle with the police. However, that movie ended with the twist that Don was pretending to be Vijay the entire time and ended up more powerful than ever by the end.

The second movie in the Don franchise has Priyanka Chopra starring as Roma Bhagat, returning from the first movie by joining Interpol to hunt Don down. The movie was a monster success, making over $2 billion at the box office. The movie was a solid follow-up from Don and the two make a great double-feature of the best SRK movies to watch on any given day.

18 Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008)

A Man Creates An Alternate Personality To Save His Marriage

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Shah Rukh Khan starred in the romantic comedy Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi in 2008. In the movie, he plays Surinder Sahni, an office employee who marries Taani (Anushka Sharma). Taani and Surinder are nothing alike, but he agrees to the marriage after his former professor — Taani's father — makes that his last wish on his deathbed.

The two marry, but never fall in love — her being carefree and quite rude, and him being shy and reserved. However, when Surinder creates an alter-ego named Raj Kapoor and cuts loose, they both start to see a new side of each other, giving SRK a fun chance to play two very different characters in the same movie. The Bollywood comedy Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi was a critical success, with praise going to Khan's ability to transform himself on screen with an amazing performance.

17 Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... (2001)

A Wealthy Man Marries A Woman From A Lower Economic Class

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Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham has a wide ensemble cast, and is one of several Shah Rukh Khan movies that don't solely focus on the Bollywood star. It is a family drama that follows a wealthy family who face troubles when their adopted son marries a woman from a lower economic class. Khan plays Rahul, the adopted son who falls in love with Anjali (Kajol), and the couple has to deal with the fact his family does not accept her thanks to their rigid traditional belief system.

The movie made over $1 billion at the box office and won eight awards at the International Indian Film Academy Awards. Its budget of almost $8.5 million dollars made it the most expensive Bollywood movie at that point. Its success ran outside of India too, and it remains one of the highest-grossing Indian movies today as well as one of the best Shah Rukh Khan movies.

16 Jawan (2023)

Khan Star As Father And Son Doppelgangers

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Shah Rukh Khan starred in the action thriller Jawan in 2023, and like most of the actor's movies, it was a huge success. It grossed over $140 million as the highest-grossing Indian film of 2023 and received positive critical reviews. Khan has two roles in the movie — as father and son doppelgängers. The son, Azad, teams up to tackle corruption by becoming a vigilante and trying to clear his father's name while also bringing justice to the oppressed by targeting corrupt bureaucrats.

The movie is based on a real-life event where a pediatrician was imprisoned after 60 children died, despite the government being to blame (via India Times). The 2023 Bollywood action movie was released in September 2023, and it's unknown where and when it will be available for streaming in the US. Shah Rukh Khan's performance has been a notable highlight among many critical reviews for his performances as both Captain Vikram Rathore and his son Azad.

15 Veer-Zaara (2004)

An Air Force Officer Falls In Love With A Pakistani Girl

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Shah Rukh plays Major Veer Pratap Singh, an Indian Air Force officer who falls for a Pakistani girl, Zaara, in this epic romance, and one of the best Shah Rukh Khan movies, that does its bit to bridge the gulf between the two neighboring countries. Veer and Zaara agree to sacrifice their love, but then Veer is falsely detained as an Indian spy by the machinations of Zaara's fianceé, which ends in him spending the next 22 years in a Pakistani jail.

Then along comes a young Pakistani lawyer, Samiya, the Amazon Prime Hindi drama, who is assigned Veer's case and fights tooth and nail for his freedom, in the process uniting him with Zaara who, it turns out, was never married after all. This is probably the only movie that saw Khan playing a young man, as well as an elderly one. The Hindi film was a commercial success, topping the week's highest-grossing films in India upon its release at the box office.

14 Dear Zindagi (2016)

A Cinematographer Meets A Psychiatrist Who Gives Her A New Perspective

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Dear Zindagi is a drama film, and one of the best Shah Rukh Khan movies. It focuses on Kaira (Alia Bhatt), a cinematographer who spirals out after finding that her ex has gotten engaged with another woman. Because of that, she moves back with her parents and lives an unhappy life. Shah Rukh Khan plays Dr. Jehangir "Jug" Khan in the film, a psychologist who tries to help Kaira.

While the actors in the film were received positively by critics, Shah Rukh's performance as the soft-spoken and controlled psychologist stood out. All in all, the movie was nominated for 14 awards, including earning Best Actress for Bhatt and Best Lyricist for Kausar Munir ("Love You Zindagi") at the 62nd Filmfare Awards ceremony. Though it didn't win any awards despite the nominations, it still stands out as one of the best SRK movies to watch in his extensive filmography.

13 Kabhi Haan Kabhi Na (1994)

A Musician Falls In Love With His Bandmate

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One of the earlier best Shah Rukh Khan movies, Kabhi Haan Kabhi Na, sees a good-for-nothing young man, Sunil, in love with Anna (Suchitra Krishnamurthy), who performs with him in a musical band. However, Anna is in love with another friend of theirs, Chris (Deepak Tijori). When Sunil finds out, he leaves no stone unturned to draw Anna away from Chris, which ultimately puts him in Anna's bad books.

A romantic comedy in which Khan plays a boy with slightly questionable morals who wouldn't shy away from lying through his teeth if it suited his purpose. The '90s coming-of-age film Kabhi Haan Kabhi Na isn't as well known as some of Khan's other movies, but it remains a fan favorite nonetheless. In addition, the movie won Best Film and Best Actor at the 39th Filmfare Awards.

12 Darr (1993)

A Man Becomes Obsessed By His Former Lover

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The movie that was Shah Rukh Khan's big break was Darr, and it remains one of the best SRK movies to watch. In the film, he plays an unstable and dangerous young man, Rahul, who becomes obsessed with a young woman, Kiran (Juhi Chawla), going to the extent of stalking her and trying to eliminate her fianceé so that he can have her for himself. Khan earned a lot of praise for his portrayal of the deplorable character, with some of his mannerisms as Rahul becoming as famous as the star himself.

A romantic psychological thriller ended up as one of the highest-grossing movies of 1993 and The Amazon Prime Hindi movie was nominated for nine awards, winning three at the National Film Awards and the Filmfare Awards. The movie won awards for Best Comedian (Anupam Kher) and Best Cinematography at the 39th Annual Filmfare Awards. Khan also earned a Best Villain nomination at the same awards ceremony.

11 Dil Se.. (1998)

A Romantic Thriller Set Against The Insurgency In Assam

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By far one of the best Shah Rukh Khan movies, the romantic thriller film Dil Se.. features the tragic love story of Amar, a news radio producer, and Meghna (Manisha Koirala), a mysterious woman he meets at a train station. After being left and rejected by Meghna, Amar meets and considers marrying another girl named Preeti (Preity Zinta). Dil Se.. has received international acclaim for touching on political events and featuring a sad ending.

Shah Rukh's performance in the film has also been praised, as he was able to excellently portray a torn, but heroic, character. The movie was celebrated among critics, winning accolades at the 49th Berlinale, 46th National Film Awards, 44th Filmfare Awards, and Screen Awards. It is the final installment in Mani Ratnam's trilogy of movies, that also includes Roja (1992) and Bombay (1995). It also had a massively popular soundtrack by A.R. Rahman that sold six million units (via CNN).

10 Baazigar (1993)

A Man Seeks Revenge Against Someone Who Destroyed His Family

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A powerful revenge drama movie and one of the best Shah Rukh Khan movies, Baazigar tells the story of Ajay Sharma, whose father (Anant Mahadevan) had been betrayed by Madan Chopra (Dalip Tahil), a lowly employee who ousted Sharma's dad and took possession of his burgeoning empire, eventually becoming a wealthy business tycoon. Ajay's dad passed away from the shock, and he and his widowed mother were forced into poverty thereafter. Ajay grows close to Chopra's older daughter, Seema (Shilpa Shetty), who he ends up killing to set the ball rolling for his elaborate charade.

He then changes his name and seduces Chopra's younger daughter, Priya (Kajol), who immediately falls for him and he with her. However, he continues to win over Madan Chopra, who remains blissfully unaware of his real identity, his endgame being to take back everything his father had lost all those years ago. Khan plays a cold-blooded killer in the horror movie, in another anti-hero role after the film, Darr. All in all, Baazigar ended up garnering critical acclaim and won four awards, including Best Actor for Khan, at the 39th Filmfare awards.

9 Fan (2016)

Khan Plays Two Roles As An Obsessed Fan & A Famous Actor

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The 2016 Hindi action/thriller Fan is definitively one of the best SRK movies to watch. Khan himself actually plays two parts in the film, that of the Bollywood star Aryan Khanna and an overly obsessed fan, Gaurav Chandna, who ironically looks exactly like him. Gaurav wins a lookalike contest and wants to bring his award to impress Aryan, but gets sidetracked when a rival actor makes disparaging comments about Aryan to the press. Gaurav ends up beating the actor and making him apologize on camera to Aryan.

Understandably horrified, Aryan has Guarav arrested and even visits him in jail to tell him he was behind the arrest in a scene where his double casting (Mia Goth-style) works insanely well. From that point on, Guarav seeks revenge against Aryan, using his uncanny appearance to ruin the Bollywood star's life. To say that Khan carries the movie is an understatement, and his performance has been lauded by critics and audiences alike. The harrowing tale was nominated for a staggering 20 awards.

8 Hey Ram (2000)

A Man Sets Out To Kill A Religious Figure After His Wife's Death

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Hey Ram is one of the best Shah Rukh Khan movies and his first foray into Tamil cinema. While he didn't snag the main role, Shah Rukh still stole the scenes he was in. The movie is about Ram, an archaeologist who loses his wife after being trapped in the riots in Calcutta. Driven by revenge, Ram decides that Mahatma Gandhi is responsible for the crises faced by his country and makes it his mission to kill the religious figure.

The movie received rave reviews from critics thanks to its magnificent costumes, stellar performances, and highly choreographed scenes, and won six awards. It also marks one of the most serious roles of Shah Rukh Khan's earlier career, and is definitely a world away from the romantic Bollywood comedies he eventually became mostly known for.

7 Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995)

A Love Story Between Second-Generation Indians

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Phenomenally popular and possibly the most beloved of Shah Rukh's movies is this simple love story of two second-generation Indians born and brought up in England. One of the best Shah Rukh Khan movies, the '90s romance film was released globally and became one of the first to sweep worldwide audiences off their feet. The movie won a whopping 14 awards, including two Best Actor awards for Khan.

The story of Raj and Simran (Kajol) continues to enthrall viewers even today, and it has the added distinction of being the longest-running movie in India, having run for over 25 years with a single show in a specific theatre in Mumbai. The '90s romance film DDLJ (as it is known by fans all over the world) came as a breath of fresh air, for the first time focusing on non-resident Indians as the central protagonists.

6 Swades (2004)

A NASA Scientist Returns Home & Sees His Talents Are Needed There

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One of the best SRK movies to watch, Swades tells the story of a young NASA scientist named Mohan Bhargav, who pays his elderly nanny a visit in a tiny village in India, and whose life changes when he realizes that his talents are needed much more in his homeland than abroad. Mohan is deeply moved by the way of life in the rural community and comes up with the idea of building a hydroelectric power plant, so the village can have its own supply of electricity.

A Bollywood film that deserves a Hollywood adaptation, the movie earned tremendous critical acclaim and remains the crowning glory of Shah Rukh's career, even today. Khan got three Best Actor awards out of Swades, and the film itself won 14 awards in total. This includes Best Actor for Khan and Best Background Score by A.R. Rahman.