From Wankhede Stadium ban to alleged racist remark against Ram Charan at the Ambani bash, 5 Shah Rukh Khan controversies that shook Bollywood

Shah Rukh Khan is one of the most loved Indian actors across generations; however, the Badshah of Bollywood is also the undisputed King of controversies. Despite reigning in the Hindi film industry for over three decades now, the superstar lands in trouble every once in a while, be it on the professional or personal front. As SRK turns a year wittier, bolder, and fiercer today (November 2), we are taking a look at his 5 most controversial moments.

Shah Rukh Khan's top 5 controversies of all time

1. The infamous Salman-Shah Rukh fight

Credit: X|ShittyWriters

In 2008, Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan, two of the biggest stars of Bollywood, got into an ugly spat at Katrina Kaif's birthday party at Oliver Bar in Mumbai. The verbal altercation could have ended violently if Gauri Khan hadn't interrupted.

Following this incident, SRK-Salman went no contact for five years, refraining from acknowledging each other's person. The Karan-Arjun of Bollywood buried the hatchet at Baba Siddiqui's party in 2013.

2. Wankhede Stadium ban

When Shah Rukh Khan Broke Silence Over The Wankhede Stadium ControversyFollowing the controversy surrounding the Wankhede Stadium, which saw the cancellation of a number of events due to safety concerns, Shah Rukh Khan took to Twitter to break his silence. In a series of tweets pic.twitter.com/k7ZQJYABDb

¡ª Sidney Combs (@SidneyCombs12) May 7, 2023

Shah Rukh Khan, an avid sports lover and a proud owner of the IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), was banned from Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium in 2012 for five years after being involved in an altercation with a member of security staff.

During an old appearance on Aap Ki Adalat, the actor opened up about the incident, revealing a religious word used by the official did not go down well with him.

He explained, ¡°Yes I was very angry and upset. My kids were there and I thought someone¡­ Maybe they had a rule, that hatao yaha se. I told him, these are our kids and we are taking them. I just said this. There was a person there who said a word that I, as a Delhi person, felt like it was an abusive word. Even though the same word in Marathi is also rude. Thoda sa religious, galat tha woh (It was religious, it was wrong). I then lost my cool, main pagal hogaya and I went to hit him."

3. The intolerance statement

"Religious intolerance will take us back to the dark ages."

Shahrukh khan to Barkha Dutt, 2015. pic.twitter.com/DmbYM85qP1

¡ª Asim Ali (@AsimAli6) August 22, 2020

In 2015, Shah Rukh Khan made a rare comment about the country's social issues, highlighting growing religious intolerance in the country. The actor said not being secular is the worst crime you can commit as a patriot.

¡°It is stupid¡­ It is stupid to be intolerant and this is our biggest issue, not just an issue¡­ Religious intolerance and not being secular in this country is the worst kind of crime that you can do as a patriot,¡± he said.

The Swades actor's comment was taken out of context by Hindu headliners, and the massive boycott campaign against him ended up hampering his box-office performance.

4. Link up rumours with Priyanka Chopra

Credit: X|SRKUniverse

Priyanka Chopra and Shah Rukh Khan's link-up rumours first emerged in 2006 when the duo starred in Farhan Akhtar's Don. Their promotional tours, award show appearances, and frequent public spotting together had everyone raising eyebrows over their off-the-screen chemistry.

However, following an intense media frenzy, the duo became distant and started ignoring each other. They last starred together in Don 2.

5. SRK's alleged racist remark on Ram Charan At Ambanis' event

Shahrukh Khan is being racist to South Indians by calling "Ram Charan idli" after a South Indian director gave him the biggest hit of his career#ShahRukhKhan #RamCharan pic.twitter.com/Vc5mcg7dLm

¡ª BHAI (@salmanbhaijaann) March 4, 2024

Earlier this year, the Ambanis brought the North and South under one roof to celebrate the pre-wedding festivities of their youngest son Anant Ambani in Jamnagar. The three-day-long event was a starry affair with who's who from the showbiz, political circuit and sports in attendance. However, what set an internet firestorm was SRK's alleged racist comment on Ram Charan.

During a performance of three Khans, Shah Rukh was reportedly looking for Charan in the audience to join him, Salman Khan and Aamir Khan on stage. When he did not get a response from the audience, the actor reportedly started speaking gibberish Telugu, which included the word 'idli'.

His alleged racist remark was found in poor taste by many, including Ram Charan's make-up artist who took to her Instagram account to blast the actor.

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