Revisiting Shah Rukh Khan’s forgotten ‘debut’ film in which he played a gay college student alongside Arundhati Roy

Any follower of Bollywood trivia would know that Shah Rukh Khan made his Bollywood debut in 1992 with Deewana. Fans of the actor would also remember that the first film he signed was actually Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman but it was released later. However, neither was the first film he was seen in. Long before these two films were even written, when Shah Rukh was still a struggling actor in the Delhi theatre circuit, he made his film debut with an English-language film produced by Doordarshan. On Shah Rukh’s 57th birthday, a look at his actual debut–the forgotten film by the name of In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones. (Also read: Old 2001 ad featuring Shah Rukh Khan and fresher Priyanka Chopra resurfaces, fans love their chemistry: ‘It’s too hot’)

The film centred on Anand ‘Annie’ Grover (Arjun Raina), an architecture student at Delhi’s School of Planning and Architecture, who is at loggerheads with his principal YD Bilimoria (Roshan Seth). The Pradip Krishen directorial was written by future Booker Prize-winner Arundhati Roy, who also starred as the film’s female lead Radha. Shah Rukh made a two-scene appearance in the beginning of the film, playing a gay, effeminate senior. The film also had another struggling actor of the time–Manoj Bajpayee–in a blink-and-miss cameo. Apart from these two, established actors like Raghuvir Yadav, Divya Seth, and Himani Shivpuri also appeared in the film.

Shah Rukh’s appearance was brief and his character very un-SRK-like. The senior he played was an intellectual, speaking in long-winded statements very much unlike the Rahuls and Rajs he would play later on. Even his voice sounds so different that many fans are convinced it was dubbed by someone else. In an interview in the 90s, the actor had stated he was uncomfortable and nervous during the shoot particularly because he was directed to be flirtatious with his eyes. The 90s’ SRK had that sorted but the 23-year-old rookie Shah Rukh was overwhelmed by it.

The film was made for TV and never released theatrically. It was shown on Doordarshan, the national broadcaster in 1989. By then, Shah Rukh had already gained some fame through his popular TV show Fauji apart from appearances in a number of other TV shows. The film did win acclaim and took home two National Awards–Best Feature Film in English and Best Screenplay (earning Arundhati Roy her only National Film Award).

Sadly, the original print of the film is lost and the only copies in circulation are those recorded on VCRs in the 90s. A digitally remastered version was uploaded on YouTube in 2015, which is arguably the best print of Shah Rukh’s debut film.