New Delhi:
Shah Rukh Khan carries his charm everywhere he goes. The star once again made his fans proud as he became the first Indian to receive the Pardo alla Carriera Ascona-Locarno Tourism award at the Locarno Film Festival. During his acceptance speech at the 77th edition of the prestigious film festival, King Khan displayed his signature wit while struggling to pronounce the name of the award. In a humorous manner, the megastar said, “This award here, which, for the life of me, I’ve been trying… I can’t pronounce,” as reported by Variety. He then playfully renamed the award – “the Leopard award for being the most awesome in the world, in the history of humility and kindness and goodness.” Too good, SRK, too good.
Even towards the end of his speech, Shah Rukh Khan attempted to pronounce the name of the award once again but still struggled. He laughed and said, “Can you keep a shorter name? Just like, ‘arrivederci.’”
During his time on stage, Shah Rukh Khan also spoke about his roles in a career spanning over three and a half decades. He said, “I’ve been a villain, I’ve been a champ, I’ve been a superhero, I’ve been a zero, I’ve been a rejected fan, and I’ve been a very, very resilient lover.”
Speaking about the connection between creativity and emotion, Shah Rukh Khan added, “There is no creativity without love, which is a language which transcends all languages and is comprehended by everyone around the world. So creativity, love, and giving joy to me, is one and the same thing.”
Locarno Film Festival’s director, Giona A. Nazzaro, explained why Shah Rukh Khan was selected to receive this honour. “The reason why we wanted to award Shah Rukh Khan is because he’s a great artist. He’s been carrying the dreams and the hopes of so many people through his wonderful work ethic, and discipline. He made all the dreams of many, many, many of us come true,” he said.
In terms of work, Shah Rukh Khan was last seen in Dunki. The film marked his first-ever collaboration with director Rajkumar Hirani. Released in December last year, the movie also featured Vicky Kaushal, Taapsee Pannu and Boman Irani in Key roles. Click here to read the NDTV film review of Dunki.
