Shah Rukh Khan will be honoured at the Locarno Film Festival with its Honorary Leopard Achievement Award. The award will pay tribute to his remarkable career in the Indian cinema consisting of more than 100 films in a breathtaking multitude of genres.
Popularly known in India as ‘King Khan’ – the emperor (‘Baadshah’) of Bollywood – Shah Rukh Khan has become a living symbol portraying the vibrance and vitality of Indian cinema. The actor will receive the award on the evening of Saturday, August 10 at Piazza Grande. In addition, a key film from Khan’s career – Devdas (Sanjay Leela Bhansali, 2002) will be screened during the Festival, and SRK will appear at the Forum @Spazio Cinema for a conversation open to the public on Sunday, August 11.
Talking about SRK being honoured, Giona A. Nazzaro, Artistic Director, said, “To welcome a living legend like Shah Rukh Khan to Locarno is a dream come true! The wealth and breadth of his contribution to Indian cinema is unprecedented. Khan is a king who has never lost touch with the audience that crowned him. This brave and daring artist has always been willing to challenge himself while remaining true to what his fans all over the world eagerly expect from his films. A true ‘people’s hero’, sophisticated and down to earth, Shah Rukh Khan is a legend of our times.”
Many of Shah Rukh Khan’s films are loved globally and have made him a hugely popular name amongst audiences around the world, leading him to represent his country and many of his films across numerous prestigious film festivals across the globe.
Khan has given some of his most acclaimed and breakout films spanning his over 30-year journey in Indian cinema. In the romantic thriller Baazigar (1993), SRK starred as a murderous but sympathetic anti-hero on a quest for vengeance. A few years later he would be propelled to superstar status on the back of a timeless romantic drama, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) and a love story across timelines, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998). At the same time, the enormity of this newfound fame did not deter Khan from taking on roles that were different and much ahead of their times, such as Rahul in Darr (1993) a romantic psychological thriller directed by Yash Chopra, a journalist who falls in love with a terrorist in the epic Dil Se.. (1998) by Mani Ratnam.
Shah Rukh Khan’s recent releases – Pathaan, Jawan and Dunki were also huge commercial successes and garnered immense appreciation from global audiences.
Meanwhile, this is not the first time that Shah Rukh Khan will be honoured at a global level. He was awarded the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2007 and the Légion d’honneur in 2014 by the French government.
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