3 minutes of readingNew DelhiUpdated: February 7, 2026 11:17 am IST
For more than three decades, actors have come and gone, but the Khans (Shah Rukh, Salman and Aamir) have remained a constant in Hindi cinema. There was a time when audiences watched his films almost without question, driven solely by association with the stars. That equation, however, has changed. Nowadays, viewers are much more forceful in their rejection if a film fails to resonate, regardless of the star power attributed to it.. Actor Imran Khan, nephew of Aamir Khan, believes it’s time for actors of that generation to recognize their age and transition into roles that align with their situation in life. “You can’t be a protagonist after a certain age,” he said.
Speaking to SHOWSHA, when asked about the Khans, Imran shared, “As a lead, actors also start to age. There are certain years when you can work as a lead, and then there comes an age when you are not capable of playing those roles. All three Khans are already in their 60s. They have had 30 years of stardom, something that is difficult to conceive or compare. I think some of it is just organic, an inevitable part of any actor’s journey is that as “You get older, you start to change the type of roles you play.”
He further explained how stardom evolves over time. “Your stardom also begins to transition because there is an audience that knows you and grows with you, and then there is a whole new younger generation that begins to attach itself to people closer to them in age and experience. When we watch movies or shows, first and foremost, we try to see ourselves in those stories and characters. That’s what resonates with you. Instinctively, you connect with someone who is closer to your age and life experience. The younger generation may not want to see the story of a 70-year-old man. years old.”
The discussion gains context in light of recent box office trends. After Zero, Shah Rukh Khan took a four-year break before returning with two big blockbusters: Pathaan and Jawan. However, his third release of the same year, Dunki, did not live up to box office expectations.
Similarly, Aamir Khan’s Laal Singh Chaddha was a commercial failure, while Sitaare Zameen Par gained recognition largely due to the focus on the film’s supporting cast rather than projecting Aamir as a conventional star-driven hero.
Meanwhile, Salman Khan’s post-2018 career has largely struggled, with most of his releases underperforming at the box office, with Tiger 3 being a rare exception.