Okay, Mr Shah Rukh Khan, for one whole year, you have been teasing us by refraining from announcing your next movie. Since you are in no mood to make it any time soon, here's us discussing some of your former movies while waiting in the anticipation of your next. At the box office, Shah Rukh Khan is certainly going through a lean phase these days, with none of his movies since 2014's Happy New Year hitting the bull's eye. The failure of his last film, Zero, is even more hurtful considering the high costs involved in the production and yet, it failed to make even Rs 100 crore at the domestic box office. Shah Rukh Khan Owning the Dance Floor in This Throwback Picture Shared by Karan Johar From Sanjay Kapoor's Sangeet is Unmissable! 

Now an interesting feature about SRK's flops, mostly the ones we saw in this century, are that they tend to be more intriguing that his bigger hits. Like, take Ra.One for example. As a superhero film, it is a disappointment, but you cannot take away the fact that the premise is different and the visual effects are fantastic, especially the train sequence. Same goes for Zero.

Paheli was a simple fairy tale told in a beautiful way with some lovely songs. Many feel FAN was a misunderstood masterpiece ruined by misguided marketing and some inane writing in the second half. As for Jab Harry Met Sejal, it was an Imtiaz Ali film that demanded us to fill in the gaps left deliberately in the love story, that no viewer was in the mood to fill.

And there are some of his flops that Twitterati are now bringing up and discussing how relevant the films are in the present political climate. As the country is in the stranglehold of Hindu-Muslim politics, where the media is accused of being partisan to the administrators instead of being the voice of reason, these 'flops' of SRK discussed many such themes, though not much of his fans were much in the mood to appreciate then. We are not saying that all of them are good films, but they were bold, they were risque and they felt like they knew what was coming up for this country. Here's looking at five such films.

Oh Darling Yeh Hai India

The Poster of Oh Darling Yeh Hai India

This Ketan Mehta film was a black comical romantic satire that is set across one night. SRK plays a migrant who ends up in the city of dreams, hooks up romantically with a street-walker and antagonizes a don's son. While the movie isn't as good as the others in this list, Oh Darling Yeh Hai India features a blackly comical sequence where a Minister's doppelganger attempts to sell parts of the country. Sure, that may never happen in real-life -  this was a satire after all - but the context behind the scene is quite alarming. Especially when we read about many of the government infrastructure being privatised!

Hey Ram

Kamal Haasan and Shah Rukh Khan in Hey Ram

This Kamal Haasan directorial featured Shah Rukh Khan in a cameo appearance. Set during the time when India achieved independence but was wrought with partition riots, Kamal Haasan plays Saket Ram, a former archeologist, whose vengeance over the brutal rape and murder of his wife by Muslim rioters is used by Hindu extremists in their plot to assassinate Mahatma Gandhi. Shah Rukh Khan plays his Pathan friend, Amjad who chooses India over Pakistan but has to go hiding with his family fearing mob violence. The sequence where Saket shares his ire and Amjad tries to show how his anger is so wrong is very powerful, even though it ends in very tragic consequences. In the times, where the politicians still stoke partition memories to further the Hindu-Muslim divide, Hey Ram shows how easy it is to turn a peaceful man into a hardcore killer, while also showing that it is only love and forgiveness that can bring calm to the society. Gandhi Jayanthi Special: Ben Kingsley in Gandhi, Naseeruddin Shah in Hey Ram! - 10 Actors Who Memorably Portrayed 'Father of Our Nation' in Films.

Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani

Juhi Chawla and Shah Rukh Khan in Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani

Shah Rukh Khan's first foray into production (along with co-star Juhi Chawla) turned out to be a disappointing box office failure. The movie was eclipsed in the blitzkrieg called Hrithik Roshan and his debut film, Kaho Na... Pyar Hai. PBDHH, directed by Aziz Mirza, was a satire on media and how the news channels go pliant in favouring their political masters. The movie also shows how easy it is label someone a terrorist and an anti-national, if the politicians and the media join forces, and it is only the power of the masses that bring this nexus down. Now where have we heard this now? The funny part is that the movie's leading lady, Juhi Chawla, had recently pinned the blame on the public for demanding more responsibility from the government, asking what the citizens have done for the country. Maybe she should watch her own movies! Juhi Chawla Breaks Silence On CAA Protests: Why Do You Ask What Government Is Doing, Ask What Are We Doing?

Asoka

Shah Rukh Khan and Ajith Kumar in Asoka

Asoka is one of SRK's riskiest productions that never paid well. Even before historical dramas became a guaranteed money-spinners at the box office, Shah Rukh Khan attempted to not only produce a film in the genre, but also star as the lead. Asoka excelled in technical values, especially in the cinematography. Considering this was directed by ace cinematographer Santosh Sivan, that shouldn't be a surprise. We can still argue over if SRK was miscast as King Asoka (watch out for Tamil superstar Ajith as Asoka's devious step-brother Susima). But it can say a lot about the secular times that we lived in then when a Muslim superstar played a Hindu king and no one protested about it. What makes Asoka so special is in its depiction of the king drowning into his own cesspool of revenge and hatred that leads into the bloody Kalinga war. Through the loss of an innocent child's life, the movie shows how a fire started over ego and vengeance also ultimately harms those who had no part in it.

Swades

Shah Rukh Khan in Swades

This one was definitely a cert in this list, for Swades' failure was called out mere days after its release. Ashutosh Gowariker's fourth film was hailed then as a film way ahead  of its time, with many still feeling that Khan was robbed of a National Award (that inexplicably went to Saif Ali Khan for Hum Tum!). Now that it is 2020, maybe Swades asks for a re-evaluation. Are we still praising our sanskaar and parampara when we are confronted questions with economics and infrastructure development? Are we still exhumed by caste politics and untouchability? Despite the talent and resources in hand, are we still not utilising 'Make in India' to the best of its potential? If even after 16 years of Swades, the answers to these questions are still in positive then that movie remains to be ahead of its time.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 04, 2020 07:06 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).