2005 Padma Shri awardee, superstar, Shah Rukh Khan, is on a roll, riding the hunger to repeatedly prove himself.

He is no stranger to awards…the film statuettes he gathers with predictable regularity almost every year, at glossy, over-the-top ceremonies, are ample testimony to his versatile histrionics and enduring box-office appeal. And this year, King Khan, as he is popularly hailed, netted yet another prize – the Indian government’s prestigious civilian honour for his contribution to Hindi cinema, in particular and society, at large. Earlier, with the 2004-release, Swades, critics, in fact, had commented that Shah Rukh Khan had finally come of age. Less star, more actor.

The ‘Dilliwallah’ turned ‘Badshah of Bollwood’ has always worn all the titles with practised ease, just as he has taken his hits and flops in his stride and is today, riding a crest of professional popularity and personal fulfilment. Residing near Mumbai’s seafront, in his well-appointed bungalow, Mannat, Khan – who had a fairy tale wedding with his childhood sweetheart, Gauri – relishes his role as doting dad to son, Aryaan and daughter, Suhana, while minding his businesses – production houses, Dreamz Unlimited and Red Chillies Entertainment.

“I would just like to move on from one thing to another, just go on and on and on,” he says, with typical SRK introspection. “When you stop to think, there is silence and there is loneliness, so you don’t stop. You just go ahead, with the next job.”