Shah Rukh Khan's gradual ascent from industry outsider to one of the world's most influential film stars has unfolded against the changing social and political landscape of contemporary India.

Through close readings of key films including Darr (1993), Swades (2004), Om Shanti Om (2007), My Name Is Khan (2010) and Dunki (2023), Sunera Thobani explores the distinctive “desirable masculinity” Khan brings to the screen and how it departs from earlier models of Hindi film stardom, particularly Amitabh Bachchan's “angry young man”.

Placing Khan's Indian-Muslim identity at the centre of the discussion, she examines his daring role choices and his ability to move between dominant and dissenting ideas of gender, religion, and nationhood. She also considers his remarkable popularity across the globe, particularly in South East Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America, showing how the tensions between majority and minority, nation and diaspora, and tradition and modernity have shaped his enduring global appeal.