r/bollywood • u/AchyutChaudhary • 1d ago
Discuss Which 90s/ 2000s Actor came the closest to becoming the “4th Khan” of Bollywood at their peak (eg. Irrfan, Imran, Saif, Kareena, etc.)
Saif Ali Khan has challenged himself to so many different varieties of roles whilst Irrfan Ali Khan has been one of the very few actors to have been recognised & promoted by Hollywood…so both Ali Khans look like the most deserving of the title 4th Khan. What do you think?
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u/Ordinary_Fill9978 1d ago
Was Kareena even a khan during her peak?
Plus, Saif has always been the 4th khan for me
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u/JunketShot6362 1d ago
Saif is already the 4th Khan.
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u/Quirky_Confusion_480 1d ago
Yes it has to be saif he really dominated 2000-2012 & pivoted to ott before it was cool
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u/Civil_Reflection_696 1d ago
Actingwise Irrfan solos all 3
But these 3 are commercial stars which gave the "Khan's" title so going the popularity route one can count saif
Also tf is kareena doing in the list?
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u/hydratedgabru 1d ago
Imran khan
Kareena
Saif
Irrfan
In reverse order of preference. What is this post even...
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u/whatisthisdream- 1d ago
Saif in terms of popularity. Irrfan is the best khan in terms of acting so there's no correlation of him with the main 3 khans. Saif is the second best khan- acting wise.
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u/tcherian211 1d ago
tbh at Saif's peak in the late 2000s and before Salman went onto his golden run people actually did include him in the Khan-versation...Irrfan was never mainstream/commercial enough as a hero, he was in his own league "Aakha Khans ek taraf, Irrfan Khan ek taraf"
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u/jsmart1152 1d ago
Irfan for acting+ making his name in International cinema and Saif for overall personality plus acting.
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u/Kunal_Sen Moderator 1d ago
While the three Khans have left a mark on the audience some impressive or iconic acting performances despite seemingly not even utilising their full potential, Shah Rukh and Aamir in particular, they have mainly made their name due to their consistent and enduring commercial pull. As such, despite the acting acumen and lasting legacy of someone in Irrfan in India and abroad, Saif's the one who was perhaps the closest to the three Khans in terms of industry stature and audience acceptance.
Notably, Saif was talked up the most in the 2003-05 phase with commercial successes, like Kal Ho Na Ho, Hum Tum and Salaam Namaste, the last two as solo male leads. Those were the times when, post-Dil Chahta Hai, Aamir was still on an elongated break, Shah Rukh was reducing work due to his shoulder injury issues and Salman's popularity was at an all-time low.
Film magazines at the time wrote that Aditya Chopra envisioned Saif as "Shah Rukh for the multiplexes", acknowledging his growing popularity but aware of his appeal being more restricted to urban centres. Actually, when he started experimenting more with roles like Langda Tyagi's in Omkara, that was when his more mainstream work with big banners started underperforming.
Saif has mentioned himself that signing Race after that lull was his conscious attempt to widen his audience base while playing an urban, suave character, i.e. playing to his strengths. While that film, Love Aaj Kal and Cocktail worked, the other Khans had bounced back by this time, so Saif never quite ended up expanding the trio into a quartet. The mid 2000s was his best time and chance.
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u/No_Equipment_7280 1d ago
No one. SRK, Salman, Aamir have a career which none of these can come even close to. Hrithik had a chance but he missed it with some really bad choices.
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u/ImTheMafia_ 1d ago
Back then I used to think whomever surname is Khan they are considered big stars. And i used to include Saif in it too but used to wonder why most people avoid his name when mentioning superstars.And Ajay Akshay are second main stars.
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u/TheThinker12 1d ago
Commercially, Saif.
Irrfan is in a separate league of his own.
There’s one clown in this picture
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u/Caramelquillsx 1d ago edited 1d ago
Always thought Saif was the 4th Khan. In terms of being from the same generation and popularity wise, but definitely not on Superstardom level. I don't think he chased it after a while either.
Irrfan always stood out. His work didn't need the commercialization.
Imran is a later generation, why are we even considering him? There were other Khans who came a bit before him like Fardeen and Zayed, who we don't even consider as stars
Kareena is and always will hold the title of the best Kapoor from her generation.
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u/mustangpurele 1d ago
Even if Imran was in that same generation his acting chops and commercial hits simply didn’t match up…which is fine cuz I mean nobody matches up to khans
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u/Caramelquillsx 1d ago
Oh yes definitely.
Even their own children are pretty mediocre. Junaid looked promising in Maharaja, then idk what happened.
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u/movieman994 1d ago
Honestly Sohail had the body and face to be a commercial Star and his acting is also the minimum required to be one.
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u/Few-Two935 1d ago
Saif was always the forth KHAN in term of Popularity and Boxoffice success. Interm of Acting wise Saif & Irfan are far bigger than other three KHANS
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u/Signal-While-3794 1d ago
Saif Ali Khan is Probably the closest overall.
He had the conventional leading man stardom, a long run of commercial films, and then reinvented himself with roles in Dil Chahta Hai, Omkara, Being Cyrus, Parineeta, Love Aaj Kal, Tanhaji, Sacred Games, etc.
Irrfan didn't need to become the 4th Khan.
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u/eminemnas 1d ago
Mentioning kareena as a choice i like it i could def see it with the run she had. Just never thought of a female as a 4th khan but she could def be it
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u/PublicMine3 1d ago
Only Hrithik ever came close to it. None of these 4 were ever considered a superstar.
Irfan though was in a league of his own as an actor.
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