On May 21, 2022, at 11:30 AM, I publicly stated that June, July and August 2022 would be “magical” for Shah Rukh Khan and would mark the beginning of a new phase. At the time, this was far from the dominant narrative.
Following the commercial failure of Zero in 2018, sections of the media had begun questioning his box office dominance. The conversation around him was cautious, even skeptical.
Yet my tweet stated clearly:
“Creative collaborations, joint ventures, investments and lots of money are likely. A huge investment can happen in July. This is the start of a new phase.”
What followed validated that forecast with remarkable precision.
During that June–August 2022 window, the groundwork for his resurgence was laid. The high-octane action film Jawan was officially announced. In July 2022, he entered the premium lifestyle sector with D’YAVOL, a luxury venture launched with his son Aryan Khan – aligning with the prediction of a “huge investment” and joint ventures.
The momentum carried forward into 2023 and exploded.
In January 2023, Pathaan became a historic blockbuster.
In August 2023, I tweeted that ‘Jawan’ would be a gigantic success.
On September 7, 2023, Jawan released and went on to become one of the highest-grossing Indian films of all time, shattering multiple records. On August 17, 2023 – weeks before release – I had publicly stated that Jawan would be a gigantic success.
That year, Shah Rukh Khan achieved something unprecedented in Indian cinema. He became the only Indian actor to deliver two films crossing the 1000-crore mark in a single calendar year with Pathaan and Jawan. Combined with Dunki, his 2023 releases grossed over 2500 crore worldwide.
What was described in May 2022 as the “start of a new phase” became one of the most spectacular comebacks in the history of Indian cinema – firmly re-establishing him as the industry’s most dominant and bankable superstar.
The timeline, the investments, the collaborations- and the box office surge aligned with the window identified more than a year earlier.
