Welcome back Shah Rukh Khan, the women have missed you

For an entire generation of women, Shah Rukh Khan was the perfect man. No, I don't mean when he was tipping them over ledges or stalking them on the phone, but when he was being good to them - waiting patiently for the father to give in so he could marry his sweetheart or leaving his family behind (Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge) and starting a new life in England because his love wasn't accepted (Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham).

He was everything the post-liberalised woman could want. At home with Indian tradition, yet at ease in the West. He'd do anything for his woman - live a solitary existence as a single father cherishing his late wife's memory (Kuch Kuch Hota Hai) and even rot in jail for years in enemy country (Veer Zaara).

After years of being wiped off the screen in Amitabh Bachchan movies, where women were either tarts (Rekha in Muqaddar ka Sikandar, Parveen Babi in Deedar) or trophies (Hema Malani in Trishul, Rekha in Silsila), he gave women an agency, a sort-of-equality.

This was an India coming to terms with the idea of women choosing for themselves, if not to be alone and happy, as evident in later movies such as Queen, then at least with a partner who promised to understand them.

This was an India coming to terms with crisscrossing continents for work or pleasure. This was an India where the men were not afraid to shed tears, and the women were not afraid to dry them.

Shah Rukh Khan was the New Man to the New Woman. It was a matter of time that the New Woman would grow up - she did. She became Geet of Jab We Met, Tanu of Tanu Weds Manu, Rani of Queen, Piku of Piku, and now Kaira of Dear Zindagi.

And she waited and waited for her man to grow up. He didn't. He regressed, becoming the man child of Tamasha and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. So thank God for Shah Rukh Khan, who flattered us all with Kabir Khan in Chak De! India, showing us how to win in sport, only to deceive in a string of films that made mockery of himself and us.

In Dear Zindagi, it takes a woman (who else?) to tap into the innate charm of the actor, his goofiness and his genius. As Dr Jehangir Khan, Shah Rukh plays a friend, philosopher, guide to Kaira, a woman in search of herself.

If Amitabh Bachchan was the lodestone for a generation of men who took their cues on masculinity from his movies, then Shah Rukh Khan is the Khan most ideally placed to be the guiding star for a generation of women looking for love and life.

His respect for women is not just a marketing gimmick - even though it seemed one when he decided to put Deepika Padukone's name ahead of his in the credits of Chennai Express - but it is also intrinsic to his persona.

In Fan, it was no coincidence that that the act that offended his Aryan Khanna's fans the most was when his doppelganger fondled a young bride-to-be at a wedding. As more women turn storytellers in film, it is only natural that they will write scripts that feature the star they grew up with.

It promises a career as long and as fulfilling as that of Amitabh Bachchan. In Dear Zindagi, he plays precisely this role for a brilliant Alia Bhatt, helping her unravel her emotions with lines that he may as well have written himself - we are all our own teachers in the school of life; it's very important for parents to leave good memories for their children; don't let the past blackmail your present; genius is not knowing your addiction, it is knowing when to stop.

In Kaira, a bright young cinematographer who has conflicted emotions about her love life and even more conflicted emotions about her parents, he finds a patient who is initially resistant but then gradually opens up.

As Kaira learns to trust her therapist, she begins to understand her own past, her mixed emotions about her parents, and her reasons for being fickle in love. It's all about forgiving one's parents and also oneself.

It's also about coming to terms with the narrow way relationships are defined - as Dr Jehangir Khan tells Kaira, you can have a special rishta for various things, one for coffee, one for gossip, one for friendship, one for romance.

The growing friendship between Kaira and her therapist is handled delicately, with humour and patience. As Alia exhibits her considerable talent, Shah Rukh steps back, giving her the freedom to explore and expand. He does it with a quiet dignity that is appealing and enthralling.

The film is beautifully lit, and shoots Shah Rukh in a more natural light than films of late. Their scenes together are fascinating - he the watchful Master Shifu and she the excitable Po.

Welcome back Shah Rukh Khan, the women of the world have missed you.

Also read - An old SRK, and Alia Bhatt: Why Bollywood male leads must retire