After his parents died, Khan moved to Mumbai in 1991 and married Gauri Khan. He began acting in 1988 and achieved some success as a TV star on the show Fauji. His big break onto the big screen came when he starred in the film Deewana, which earned him the Filmfare Best Male Debut Award.

After that Khan went on to have a number of hits, which include Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Kal Ho Naa No, Veer-Zaara, and Om Shnati Om.

A police complaint was filed against him for "hurting religious sentiments" in Islam, actor Shah Rukh Khan said on Friday that his comments to a magazine were misinterpreted due to a "writing error".

His comments in Time'N Style-Luxury had listed Prophet Mohammad as one of the most unimpressive personalities in history alongside Adolf Hitler and Winston Churchill.

On 11 July 2009, University of Bedfordshire UK awarded an honorary doctorate for his contribution in arts and culture.

On 14 August 2009, Shahrukh Khan was detained at New York Airport by TSA officers and was questioned for 66 minutes about his nature of visit in a separate room.