Shah Rukh Khan celebrates with an award in the Piazza Grande area during the 77th Locarno International Film Festival in Locarno, Switzerland. Photo Credit: Jean-Christophe Bot
Bollywood’s charismatic ‘King Khan’ graced the 77th Locarno Film Festival on Saturday with his presence. He was honoured with the Career Achievement Award, which further highlights his illustrious career. Shah Rukh gave his acceptance speech in front of an audience of 8,000 at Locarno’s famous Piazza Grande.
He began his speech by pointing to his iconic open-arms pose, and said, “Thank you all for welcoming me with such wide arms — even wider than the ones I show on screen.”
Shah Rukh also commented on the setting of the festival, noting the heat and the crowds. “It’s a very beautiful, very cultural, very artistic and extremely hot city of Locarno,” he said, adding, “So many people crammed into a small square and it’s so hot. It’s just like back home in India.” With temperatures reaching 35 degrees Celsius, the crowd laughed at his comparison.
He then turned to discuss his views on the essence of cinema. “I truly believe that cinema has been the most profound and influential artistic medium of our era,” he said. He highlighted the universal nature of art, emphasizing its power to transcend boundaries. “Art is the act of putting life above all else,” he said. “It doesn’t need to be political. It doesn’t need to be controversial. It doesn’t need to be preachy. It doesn’t need to be intellectual. It doesn’t need to moralize.”
The actor’s thoughts on creativity and emotion were particularly poignant. He said, “There is no creativity without love, which is a language that transcends all languages ​​and is understood by everyone across the world.” His comments highlighted his belief that creativity and joy are intertwined.
Later, Shah Rukh joked about having difficulty pronouncing the name of his award – Pardo alla Carriera Ascona-Locarno Tourism – and mischievously renamed it “The Leopard Award for being the most awesome in the world in the history of politeness, kindness and goodness”.
Festival director Ziona A. Nazzaro highlighted Khan’s impact, saying, “He is a great artist. He is carrying forward the dreams and hopes of so many people through his great work ethic and discipline.” Shah Rukh concluded his speech with a commitment to exploring different roles and emotions, promising to give his best in every performance, and was greeted with thunderous applause. In the end, Shah Rukh asked, “Can you have a shorter name? Like, ‘Arrivederci.'”
