Bollywood icon Shah Rukh Khan added another accolade to his illustrious career when he received the Career Achievement Award at the 77th Locarno Film Festival on Saturday. Known as much for his wit as for his on-screen performances, the superstar delivered an acceptance speech that was a mix of cinematic heartfelt sentiment and his trademark humour.
Addressing a crowd of 8,000 in Locarno’s Piazza Grande, Kahn began by thanking the warm welcome he had received: “I want to thank you for welcoming me with even wider arms than you show on screen,” he joked, referring to his famous open-arm pose.
The actor, known to his fans as SRK or King Khan, praised the festival’s host city. “Locarno is a very beautiful, cultural, artistic and very hot city,” he said, adding with a smile, “It’s a small square with so many people and it’s so hot. It’s like being in India.” Temperatures in Locarno on Saturday reached 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 degrees Celsius), and it was muggy in the Piazza Grande.
Khan’s speech took a more serious turn as he delved into his thoughts on film and creativity. “I truly believe that film is the most profound and influential artistic medium of our time,” he said. “I’ve had the privilege of working in film for many years, and I’ve learned several lessons along the way.”
The actor emphasized the universality of art and filmmaking, saying, “Art is above all a life-affirming act. Art goes beyond all man-made boundaries and into a space of liberation. Art doesn’t have to be political. It doesn’t have to be polemical. It doesn’t have to be preachy. It doesn’t have to intellectualize. It doesn’t have to moralize.” He continued, “Art and cinema just have to say what you feel from your heart and express the truth. And honestly, for me, that’s the greatest creativity.”
Khan also spoke about the intrinsic connection between creativity and emotion: “Without love there is no creativity. Love transcends all languages ​​and is a language that everyone in the world can understand,” he said. “So to me, creativity, love and giving joy are the same thing.”
Reflecting on his 35-year career in the film industry, Khan spoke about the variety of roles he has played: “I’ve been the villain, the champion, the superhero, Zero, the rejected fan and a very, very persistent lover,” he said, summing up the breadth of his filmography.
The actor’s humorous side was on full display once again when he struggled to pronounce the name of the award he received: “Pardo alla Carriera Ascona Locarno Tourism Award.” “I’ve been trying to pronounce this award for ages… but I can’t,” he joked, before playfully renaming it “Leopard Award for the greatest person in the world in the history of humility, kindness and goodness.”
Khan’s attendance at the festival underscored Locarno’s commitment to celebrating popular cinema alongside arthouse films. Festival director Giona A. Nazzaro explained the decision to honour Khan: “We wanted to give the award to Shah Rukh Khan because he is a great artist. He has carried the dreams and hopes of so many people through his incredible work ethic and discipline. He has made all the dreams of so many of us come true.”
Concluding his speech, Khan promised to continue to push his boundaries as an actor: “Receiving an award like this inspires me to keep trying to embody every aspect of life, every emotion, to give you one more take, one more shot, one more feeling and hopefully a little bit of love to bring you a little joy,” he said.
As the crowd cheered, Khan tried to pronounce the award’s name again, then laughed: “Can we have a shorter name? Like ‘arrivederci.'”
