New Delhi: Every year, around Shah Rukh Khan’s birthday, fans like me indulge in nostalgia; old interviews, movie behind-the-scenes, rewatching his movies like they’re family heirlooms. But this year feels different. With Cinepolis re-releasing some of his biggest films, I find myself watching them not just as a fan, but as a citizen.

Because the India Khan’s films imagined — and in many ways shaped — feels heartbreakingly distant from the one we inhabit today.

We live in a time when nationalism has been rebranded as aggression. When patriotism is a contest of volume, who can chant louder, hate harder, and accuse faster. A time when love across borders, or compassion across communities, is viewed with suspicion. In this landscape of weaponised identity, Shah Rukh Khan’s cinema — emotion

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