Khan plays the park's owner in Jurassic World, a character who could have been a simple corporate antagonist. He plays enthusiasm and decency instead, and the performance gives the film a moral centre that its plot does not otherwise provide, which is characteristic of what he brought to every part he took.
He was an Indian actor trained at the national drama school in Delhi, and he worked extensively in Indian cinema and television across three decades before international recognition. He moved between Hindi language cinema and English language productions without treating either as more serious than the other.
Recurring subjects: solitude, ordinary men carrying unspoken longing, and enormous emotional weight conveyed through the eyes alone. He worked with extraordinary economy, and he was widely described by directors as an actor who could hold a scene without dialogue for as long as they were willing to let the camera run.
His lead performance in a film about mistaken lunchbox deliveries in Mumbai is among the most admired of its decade, and his international work spans several major films. His death in 2020 was mourned across both industries, and he is routinely named among the finest screen actors India has produced.
For viewers who want restraint that carries enormous feeling. Suited to anyone approaching the creature franchise, and to those who should immediately follow it with his Indian films.
