On King Khan's 42nd birthday, we share with you some lesser known facts about the Badshah.

He was born, 42 years ago, at Talwar Nursing Home, New Delhi.

His parents met under strange circumstances. His mother had had an accident, and needed blood. The donor was his father. They fell in love while he was helping her recuperate.

SRK and his father, Mir Taj Mohammad, shared a great relationship. They called each other 'yaar'. His parents were never restrictive, and he had a lot of liberties as a child.

Father and son used to sit and discuss life and philosophy for hours.

Mir Taj Mohammad could never make money at somebody else's expense. He tried his hand at various businesses, like the chola-bhatura stall, where he distributed all his profit amongst the workers. He had a transport business, but his partners cheated him. SRK has inherited that integrity, although he is a smarter businessman than his father.

Shah Rukh Khan dislikes dabbling in shares, speculation, lotteries and gambling. He counts it a blessing that he does not have to feel the lack of money. He ran a restaurant for a short while in Delhi.

The superstar believes in being greedy for knowledge and love. His philosophy is – "Even if you are not hungry, be greedy. Greed is the core of mankind's existence. He always hungers for more than he has or does.

He loved sports when he was a child, and still does. He was the captain of football and hockey teams, and played cricket at zonal and national levels.

He believes that sports should be an integral part of childhood, because that is where you learn how to lose gracefully, and how to win. He accompanies his children to major sports events, like the T-20 tournament. Incidentally, he is considered a lucky mascot for the Indian Cricket Team.

Young Shah Rukh was awarded the 'Sword of Honour' in school, for being the most outstanding student.

His teachers always said that he was an angel with a devil's smile.

His least favourite subject was Hindi. His mother struck a deal with him – if he scored the highest in Hindi, she would take him for a Hindi movie. SRK did, and his mother took him for Dev Anand's 'Joshila'.

The loss of both his parents comprised the most painful moments in his life. His father passed away when SRK was 15, and his mother died in his arms when he was 25. Inconsolable though he was, he believes that nothing is permanent, everything is transient.

He was one of the first actors to endorse in consumer goods, thereby bringing in respectability to the world of celebrity advertisements, and opening the doors for other stars. He has endorsed in products like Pepsi, Hyundai Santro, Smoodles, Mayur Suitings, Cinthol, Bagpiper, Clinic All-Clear, Omega, Sunfeast, Dish TV, and so on.

In fact, he is mostly unapologetic about his endorsements or his social function performances, where he makes an appearance for money. He says, "In the world of entertainment, not getting the recognition you deserve is worse that dying of over-exposure. It is better to burn out than to rust out."

The basic principle behind the working of Dreamz Unlimited, which he started with Aziz Mirza and Juhi Chawla, was that everybody was well-fed, received their money, and were self-reliant. Arclightz is his equipment unit, which was set up as a part of his vision as a businessman.

Shah Rukh may be a superstar, but he has also worked as a stunt director for films like 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hain', 'Main Hoon Na', 'Kabhie Alvida Na Kehna', and 'Chak De India'.

His favourite role was the one in 'Kabhi Haan Kabhi Na', and his all-time favourite Hindi movies include 'Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron', 'Masoom', 'Sholay', and 'Dil Hain Ki Manta Nahin'.

He identifies very strongly with Genghis Khan, Hitler and Napoleon Bonaparte.

His favourite phrase is 'Let's do it'.

French perfumers Jeannes Arthes launched a range of perfumes in his name – it is called 'SK'.

With his unconventional looks, cynical mannerisms, and wicked sense of humour, Shah Rukh Khan has proved that it takes tenacity and perseverance to get anywhere. We wish him a great year ahead!