Shah Rukh’s breakthrough in television came with Fauji, helmed by the jovial Colonel Raj Kapoor, who appeared on Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai to talk about the actor. Speaking about Colonel Kapoor, Shah Rukh said, “I never thought I could act on screen. Let me share a story: After my father passed away, my mother and I were searching for a house to rent. When we found one, my mother insisted that I see it first before confirming. When asked where I was, she replied, “He’s off acting.” Kapoor’s son-in-law Kamal Dewan suggested I go to him, who was directing a serial. That’s how Fauji, which was aired in 1989 and had thirteen episodes, came to be.”

Fauji served as Kapoor’s homage to the Indian Army, presenting a realistic portrayal of cadet life as young men trained to become commandos. Shah Rukh was already acting in another serial titled Dil Dariya at that time and shot for Fauji during lunch breaks—such shooting schedules were common for actors then who worked on multiple projects at the same time. The audition for Fauji involved a rigorous physical test, including a 1.5-mile run at dawn, followed by an impromptu boxing match. Shah Rukh impressed with his discipline, by not giving up on the race even when many co-auditioners dropped out. He was initially designated to land a smaller role while Kapoor’s son Bobby was to play one of the leads, Abhimanyu. But Bobby, who was already the cameraman, had to bow out. It’s the way of this industry, as Karan Johar points out in Zoya Akhtar’s debut movie Luck By Chance: “Industry mein outsiders aise hi toh aatey hai. Koi alag tarah ka role likhta hai, koi badaa star nahi karta hai and finally ek naye ladke ko break mil jata hai [This is how outsiders get into the film industry. Someone writes a different sort of a role, big stars refuse to do it and then finally a newbie gets his break]. Zanjeer was turned down by seven actors before a struggling star, Amitabh Bachchan, picked it up.”