Celebrities in the Spotlight - Shah Rukh Khan

Fondly dubbed the Badshah of Bollywood  - quite literally, since his name Shahrukh happens to mean 'face of the king' - is one megastar who is adored by critics and fans, colleagues and rivals alike.

With the need to provide for his family and a love for television commercials, Shahrukh joined the cast of hit TV soap Fauji in 1999 before friend Vivek Vaswani and Hema Malini stepped in to launch his career in Bollywood.

It was implemented in the release of the commercially successful Deewana.  But his big screen debut in 1992 was only the tip of the iceberg as Shahrukh's career has been littered with box office hits, coveted awards and adoring fans ever since.

His sizzling on screen chemistry with co-stars such as Kajol, Juhi Chawla and Madhuri Dixit is bested only by the off-screen relationship he shares with wife Gauri Khan, whom he married before his Bollywood break, and has two lovely children with - Aryan and Suhana.

And despite occasional frictions with other Bollywood personalities - most notably members of the Bachchan family, Salman and Aamir - SRK counts among his closest mates many Bollywood biggies such as Saif Ali Khan, Anil Kapoor and Karan Johar.