Shah Rukh Khan honoured with Lifetime Award at Locarno

Last Saturday night, the legendary “King Khan” took over the Piazza Grande, the famous central square in the charming Swiss town of Locarno. Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan graced the 77th Locarno Film Festival with his global influence, where he received the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award, known as the Pardo alla Carriera, or Career Leopard.

Fans packed the 8,000-seat square and surrounding areas, offering a standing ovation and resounding applause for the star of films such as “Pathaan”, “Don 2”, and “Om Shanti Om”. The excitement was palpable when the giant movie screen in the square displayed his arrival on the red carpet around 9:20pm (local time), where he was seen shaking hands with Locarno’s artistic director, Giona A Nazzaro, prompting a wave of cheers from the crowd.

Once he came to the stage to accept his award, Khan humorously described the weight of it to the audience, eliciting laughter. Complaining about the sweltering heat, he told the enthusiastic crowd how deeply honoured he was to be in Locarno, surrounded by a large number of people.

Khan later conveyed his appreciation for his career and his fans, stating, “Ladies and gentlemen, I want to thank you all for welcoming me with such wide arms — wider than the ones I do onscreen.”

“For 35 years, I’ve been working. I’ve been a villain. I’ve been a champ. I’ve been a superhero. I’ve been a zero. I’ve been a detective fan, and I’ve been a very, very resilient lover,” he added.

The actor wrapped up by flashing a smile amidst the applause and saying, “I normally don’t go out for occasions like this. I don’t know how to relate to people, how to talk to them. I just know how to act a little bit — not too much.”

As part of the Locarno tribute, the festival is also showcasing Khan’s 2002 hit “Devdas”, directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, where the star portrays a heartbroken alcoholic.

At 58, he has been a major box office attraction and a representative of Indian cinema since his breakthrough roles in films like “Baazigar” (1993) and “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge” (1995). He also received acclaim for his portrayal of a man with Asperger’s Syndrome in “My Name Is Khan” (2010), among other notable performances.

Last year, he headlined three blockbuster films — “Pathaan”, “Jawan”, and “Dunki”. By some estimates, the action-thriller “Jawan”, directed by Atlee Kumar, became the highest-grossing Hindi film of all time, earning nearly $140 million.

Locarno organisers stated that the Lifetime Achievement Award honours “his outstanding career in Indian cinema, which includes over 100 films spanning a stunning variety of genres.”

The 77th Locarno Film Festival continues until August 17.