New Delhi: The 77th edition of the Locarno Film Festival will honour Indian superstar and global icon Shah Rukh Khan with the festival’s Career Achievement Award, the prestigious Pardo alla Carriera Ascona-Locarno Tourism. The award will pay tribute to his remarkable career in Indian cinema, which spans over 100 films across genres.
The actor will be presented with the award at Piazza Grande on the evening of Saturday, August 10. In addition, an important film in Khan’s career – Devdas (Sanjay Leela Bhansali, 2002) – will be screened during the festival, and Shah Rukh will appear for a talk open to the public at Forum @ Spazio Cinema on Sunday, August 11.
Many of Shah Rukh Khan’s films are loved globally and this has made him an extremely popular name among audiences across the world, which has given him the opportunity to represent his country and many of his films at several prestigious film festivals around the world.
Ziona A. Nazzaro, Artistic Director: “Welcoming a living legend like Shah Rukh Khan to Locarno is a dream come true! The richness and breadth of his contribution to Indian cinema is unprecedented. Khan is a king who has never lost touch with the audience who crowned him. This bold and daring artist has always been willing to challenge himself, while staying true to what his fans around the world expect from his films. A true ‘people’s hero’, sophisticated and grounded, Shah Rukh Khan is a legend of our times.”
Some of his most acclaimed and breakout films in his 30-year run in Indian cinema have been the romantic thriller Baazigar (1993), where Khan played a murderous but sympathetic anti-hero on a quest for revenge. A few years later, he was elevated to superstar status with the timeless romantic drama Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) and the timeless romance Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998). At the same time, the enormity of this newfound fame did not stop Khan from taking on roles that were different and way ahead of their time, such as Rahul in Darr (1993), a romantic psychological thriller directed by Yash Chopra
Mani Ratnam.
Over the next two decades, Khan’s career would include high-profile collaborations with some of India’s most prominent directors and stars, earning him tremendous recognition internationally as well. Khan was awarded the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2007 and the Legion d’Honneur by the French government in 2014. Shah Rukh Khan’s recent releases include three films releasing in 2023, Pathan (2023), Jawaan (2023) and Dunki (2023), all of which were huge commercial successes and received immense appreciation from global audiences. Jawaan (2023), produced by Khan’s own production house Red Chillies Entertainment, has entered the history books as the highest-grossing Hindi film of all time
The 77th Locarno Film Festival will be held from 7 to 17 August 2024.
