MUMBAI: Remember back in 2018 when Zero flopped, and everyone started talking about how Shah Rukh Khan’s career was as gone as the dew on the fresh morning grass? Many predicted that it would be tough to make a comeback from here. 

Also read - Oh No! When Shah Rukh Khan made a shocking revelation of receiving Intense threats from underworld dons; Says ‘Be in my film or I’ll blow your head off’

A few also claimed that Zero would be his last film. Cut to 5 years later, he’s the only Indian actor to collect 2500 crores+ in a single year.

That’s how the King’s comeback should be, and all of this feels like it’s written by a master storyteller. The year 2023 will remain the most important for Shah for all the right reasons. 

Two back-to-back 1000+ grossers and, despite that, releasing a third film, which is slowly moving towards the 400-crore club, is the King move no one in the world could’ve predicted.

But, do you think the order to release these three films (Pathaan, Jawan & Dunki) was masterfully planned? Do you think if Dunki had come after Zero, the box office numbers would have been the same? Did Shah Rukh Khan hit a masterstroke by keeping his weakest film the last in the order? Let’s analyse!

Before we get to a clear answer, we’ll need to understand the blueprint of all three films. Information such as when the news about them started pouring in, when Shah began their shoot, and when he wrapped it. Starting with Pathaan, it was sometime around August 2020 when we first heard about the YRF-Shah Rukh Khan film called Pathaan.

The news of Shah collaborating with Yash Raj Films was out before that, but many were baselessly speculating it to be a ‘Dhoom’ film. However, by January 2021, the film’s shoot started, and by October 2022, the team had finished the shoot. 

In between this, the news of Shah Rukh Khan uniting with a director from the South who was fresh from directing Thalapathy Vijay in Bigil was also making rounds on the Internet.

The surprising thing is that SRK was shooting both Pathaan & Jawan simultaneously because Atlee started to shoot the film in September 2021, which went on till 21st July 2023 (remember this date). That means in the span of 30 months (January 2021 to July 2023), Shah Rukh Khan shot & wrapped both Pathaan & Jawan.

Yes, we know Pathaan released on 25th January 2023; mentioning the duration above is just for reference because this is where the interesting fact lies. 

You might ask, “Where is Rajkumar Hirani’s Dunki in all this?” Now, that story goes back to February 2020 when news broke about Shah Rukh Khan finally doing a Hirani film, which was strongly confirmed in July 2021.

Though the makers made it official by launching a teaser in April 2022, and within a year, by April 2023, the shoot was finished. Shot in a controlled budget, Hirani finished the film in 75 days, out of which Shah Rukh Khan shot for 60 days. 

Did you get the point we’re getting at? Shah Rukh Khan finished shooting for Dunki almost three months before he completed Jawan, but we all know which movie was released first.

Pathaan took around four months in its post-production, promotions, etc. At the same time, Jawan took only 45 days to do all that, from finishing the shoot on 21st July 2023 to releasing the film on 7th September. This shows how swiftly, smartly & simultaneously, the filmmakers from the South work on the film. 

Atlee must’ve done all the significant heavy lifting along with shooting the movie, and that’s why he took such less number of days to present the final product.

What about Dunki? Well, this is the point for which you’ve read the entire chronological order of Shah Rukh Khan’s masterstroke year of 2023. Rajkumar Hirani‘s film took eight months… Yes, eight months from the wrap-up to the release of the film. 

Despite being the fastest to shoot in just 75 days and being the lowest-budgeted film of all three, why did Shah wait eight months to release it? I guess, after seeing the film, we all know why. 

But, we’ll unanimously have to agree the brilliant mind Shah Rukh Khan has and the way he spanned out all three releases with such precision so that everyone should earn at its maximum potential is applaud-worthy.

Also read - Wow! Shah Rukh Khan reviving Ra.One 2 after Jawan's historic success would be a strategic move; Read on to know more

If Dunki had been the first release after Zero, the film would’ve surely flopped, but Pathaan & Jawan‘s blockbuster base helped it to collect in the ballpark of 200 crore in India and 400 crore worldwide. 

There’s a reason why Shah Rukh Khan is called the smartest actor in Bollywood, and today, we’ve seen yet another example of why so.

For more news and updates from the world of television, OTT and movies, stay tuned to TellyChakkar.

Credits - koimoi