Why India Worships Shahrukh Khan

If you've never been to India, it's hard to explain just how important Shahrukh Khan is. He is a V, V, V, VIP.

Imagine someone who has the film star status of George Clooney, Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt rolled into one, who has the common touch and business acumen of Jamie Oliver, who hosts the most popular game show on TV, who owns the equivalent of, say, the Red Sox or Chelsea Football Club, as well as umpteen other businesses including a lot of alternative energy generation.

In India, Shahrukh Khan's face is everywhere on billboards, on TV, on the back of rickshaws, in every magazine and newspaper, with Google; selling mobile phones, soft drinks, Formula 1, cars, watches, soap. If SRK is not endorsing your product – well, poor you. (Maybe I should get him on OA.)

His net worth is well in excess of half a billion dollars. And his reign in Bollywood has gone pretty much unchecked from the early 90s, when he exploded onto the big screen and stole India's heart.

No wonder they call him King Khan.

So I wondered what the synastry was between India and it's most famous face.

Look, SRK's Moon is exactly conjunct India's midheaven – just a few minutes apart; it's remarkable really. This is a classic placement for a country's "sweetheart". His Moon is in cool, popular Aquarius too, which gives him mass appeal. The thing about SRK is that he seems as if he could be the boy next door (Aquarius). Just a sort of superman version. In his natal chart, that Moon is in 5th House of acting, so it is natural for him to always be playing a part.

SRK, 2 Nov 1965, 2.30AM New Delhi

With the Moon on India's MC like this, it's like his soul represents the very best of the country to itself. SRK is a Muslim; his wife is a Hindu. He is bringing his children up to be both Muslim and Hindu - what an excellent example of how India herself could be.

India, 15 Aug 1947 midnight

Now, one of the other things about SRK is his incredible, screen-sizzling charisma. He has the ultimate movie star gift by the truckload– super-powered sex appeal. The simple truth is, when SRK is on the screen, you don't want to look anywhere else. No matter how daft the storyline, silly the dancing, clunking the dialogue, SRK is mesmerisingly watchable. There is a bit of a cultural gap for westerners to overcome watching Bollywood fare. The idea of what a movie is, is different. But the essence of stardom is exactly the same.  Leonardo DiCaprio has the same snakelike fascination; so does Angelina Jolie.

Super-powered sex appeal? Pluto (in this case the planet of penetration) rising and conjunct electrifying Uranus, Sun in sexy Scorpio, the lovers Mars and Venus conjoined in fiery Sagittarius. Plus the Sun is applying to Neptune (glamour, the movies) in Scorpio. He truly has it all. And how does this fit in with Mother India?

For a start, SRK's Mars-Venus is exactly opposite India's Uranus. It's as if his sex appeal gets plugged right into to a high-voltage electric socket. Mars-Venus also sends a beautiful ray to India's Sun-Venus, enhancing her sense of her own identity.

SRK's Pluto Uranus is in India's 5th House of children. And in his own chart, there is some wounding to do with motherhood (Ceres-Chiron pop Pluto-Uranus), which gives SRK dynamic tension, necessary for charisma. But Mother India mothers him. And she too has a Chiron (wounding) -Ceres (motherhood) aspect –  an opposition in which Chiron is conjunct SRK's Sun.

India and Pakistan may be sworn enemies,
but SRK is beloved in both countries.

Part of the root of SRK's popularity must be that he helps heal India's wounds - one of the deepest of which is the sectarian divide, which SRK bridges so elegantly, both in his private life and in his films.

SRKs Gemini North Node is conjunct India's Ascendant and India's own Taurus NN. His destiny is tied to India's.

He also explains India to herself.  This fits in with India's Cancer Moon (her mothering soul) trining SRK's Mercury (communications). He talks to the soul of the country on an emotional direct line. Both planets are in water signs.

His Jupiter is on India's weak Mars in Cancer. He is Indian masculinity and virility writ large.  He is the ideal Indian man. His Neptune brushes India's Jupiter in Scorpio with stardust: together they create huge dreams.

SRK's own MC, the way he is seen by the masses, is in India's first house. He is a representation of India to herself. And that is the key to SRK's incredible appeal. He is both a beautiful son and an idealised reflection back to the country of how India could be.

With Kajol in the 1998 movie Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. A bit of an homage to Fred and Ginger.