Watching the popular music shows on television, one can easily recognize that the essential film music is very often provided by Muslim composers and lyricists, the most famous of whom is A.R. Rahman. One also notices that many Bollywood stars are Muslims, which is what inspired the examination of their biographies. As there are no published studies on this matter, one begins with surfing the Internet, which is nowadays an ideal medium for the Bollywood star cult. The most popular among them are Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Saif Ali Khan. The social origin of Muslim actors Having stated that the percentage of Muslims in Bollywood's film and show business is above average, one may ask about the stars' social origin.
Actors often state that their father was a doctor, lawyer, or restaurant owner.
Some come from a family of actors, directors, scriptwriters or producers. Often, the mothers were practising professionals as well. Shah Rukh Khan's mother, for example, was a well-educated Muslim woman who had studied in Oxford and later worked in social service. Before her marriage, Sharmila Tagore converted to Islam and took on the Muslim name Aisha Sultan. When asked about his nawabi origin, Saif Ali Khan stated that nawabi should stand for dignity, grace and good living, but had in recent years become a synonym for debauchery.