News: Shah Rukh Khan to be honored by Yale University

Shah Rukh Khan, King of Bollywood, is a Chubb Fellow at Yale

Shah Rukh Khan fans – the King of Bollywood is coming to Yale University! This is a brand new real life role for SRK, who is being recognized as Chubb Fellow at the prestigious university on April 12 in New Haven, Connecticut.

“The Chubb Fellowship is among Yale’s highest honors and Khan would join a roster of fellows dating back to 1949 who have included heads of states, Nobel Prize winners, and leaders from every area of human endeavor who have inspired Yale students to see service to the public good as the highest calling to which a global citizen can aspire,” says an announcement from Yale. “Through his films and his philanthropy, the Chubb Fellowship noted that Khan has been among his generation’s most important examples of the power of art to promote higher human ideals and aspirations.”

SRK in Good Company: US Presidents, Octavio Paz, Sofia Coppola, and More…

Shah Rukh Khan is in extremely good company. The Chubb Fellowship, which was established in 1936, recognizes three to four distinguished people as visiting Chubb Fellows. Former fellows include President George W. Bush, Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter, authors Octavio Paz, Carlos Fuentes and Toni Morrison; filmmaker Sofia Coppola; architect Frank Gehry; choreographer Mikhail Baryshnikov and journalist Walter Cronkite. This seems an honor as impressive as being immortalized in wax at Madame Tussauds!

So Why Shah Rukh Khan? Here’s more from the announcement about the Chubb Fellowship:

Often referred to as “The King of Bollywood,” Khan has acted in over seventy Hindi films.  He has won fourteen Filmfare Awards from thirty nominations for his work in Indian films.  In 2005, the Government of India honored him with the Padma Shri for his contributions towards Indian Cinema.

After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Delhi , Khan started his career appearing in theater and several television serials in the late 1980s.  Early in his career he was recognized for his unconventional choice of negative roles in films such as Darr (1993), Baazigar (1993) and Anjaam (1994). Since then, he has played leading roles in a wide variety of film genres, including romantic films, comedies, thrillers, action sports, and historical dramas.

Eleven of the films he has acted in have accumulated worldwide gross earnings of over US$1 billion dollars.  Khan’s films such as Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (1995), Kuch Kuch Hata Hai (1998), Devdas (2002), Chak De! India (2007), Om Shanti Om (2007) and Ra.One (2011) remain some of Bollywood’s biggest hits, while films like My Name is Khan (2010) and Don 2 (2011) have been top-grossing Indian productions in the overseas markets, thus making him one of the most successful leading actors of India.
In addition to movie acting, Khan is a television presenter, a regular stage performer, and a social activist. He is the founder/owner of two production companies:  Dreamz Unlimited and Red Chillies Entertainment, and, along with actress Juhi Chawla and her husband Jay Mehta, the owner of the Indian Premier League cricket team Kolkata Knight Riders. Globally, Khan is considered to be one of the biggest movie stars, with a fan following that numbers in the billions.  In 2008, Newsweek named him one of the “Fifty Most Powerful People in the World.”

A Chance to Meet Shah Rukh Khan

And now the good news! Fans can actually be part of their superhero’s life and hear him speak.  As part of his visit, Shah Rukh Khan will speak to the Yale community and the general public in an event at 4:00 pm at the Shubert Theater, 247 College Street. The event is free, but tickets are required and may be obtained at the Shubert Theater Box Office or by phone at (203) 562-5666 or toll free (888) 736-2663 or by email to sjacobson@capa.com or jwhitney@capa.com.

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