Bollywood icon Shah Rukh Khan added another accolade to his illustrious career at the 77th Locarno Film Festival, where he was presented with a career achievement honor on Saturday. The superstar, known for his wit as much as his on-screen performances, delivered an acceptance speech that blended heartfelt reflections on cinema with his trademark humor.
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Addressing the packed 8,000-strong crowd in Locarno’s Piazza Grande, Khan began by acknowledging the warm reception he received. “Thank you all for welcoming me with such wide arms – wider than the ones I do on screen,” he quipped, referencing his famous open-armed pose.
The actor, affectionately known by his initials SRK or King Khan to his fans, went on to praise the festival’s location. “It’s a very beautiful, very cultural, very artistic, and extremely hot city of Locarno,” he remarked, adding with a grin, “So many people stuffed up in a little square and so hot. It’s just like being home in India.” The temperature touched 95º F (35º C) in Locarno on Saturday and the Piazza Grande was humid as well.
Khan’s speech took a more serious turn as he delved into his thoughts on cinema and creativity. “I truly believe cinema has been the most profound and influential artistic medium of our age,” he said. “I’ve had the privilege of being part of this for many years, and this journey has taught me a few lessons.”
The actor emphasized the universal nature of art and filmmaking, stating, “Art is the act of affirming life above all. It goes beyond every man-made boundary into a space of liberation. It need not be political. It need not be polemical. It need not sermonize. It need not intellectualize. It need not moralize.” He continued, “Art and cinema only need to say what it feels from the heart, to express its own truth. And that, to me, is the biggest creativity, honestly.”
Khan also spoke about the intrinsic connection between creativity and emotion. “There is no creativity without love, which is a language which transcends all languages and is comprehended by everyone around the world,” he said. “So creativity, love, and giving joy to me, is one and the same thing.”
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Reflecting on his 35-year career in the film industry, Khan touched on the diverse roles he has played. “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,” he said, encapsulating the breadth of his filmography.
The actor’s humorous side emerged again when he struggled to pronounce the name of his award – the Pardo alla Carriera Ascona-Locarno Tourism. “This award here, which, for the life of me, I’ve been trying… I can’t pronounce,” he joked, before playfully renaming it “the Leopard award for being the most awesome in the world, in the history of humility and kindness and goodness.”
Khan’s presence at the festival underscored Locarno’s commitment to celebrating popular cinema alongside arthouse fare. Festival director Giona A. Nazzaro explained the decision to honor Khan: “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, discipline. He made all the dreams of many, many, many of us come true.”
As he concluded his speech, Khan promised to continue pushing his boundaries as an actor. “With the promise that awards like this encourage me to keep on trying to embody all the facets of life, to embody all the emotions, and to try to give that one more take, one more shot, one more emotion, and hopefully a little bit of love, so that all of you feel a little joyful,” he said.
As the crowd cheered, Khan made one last attempt at pronouncing the award’s name, before laughing and saying, “Can you keep a shorter name? Just like, ‘arrivederci.'”
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