Los Angeles: Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan, who will be next seen in ‘King’, was honoured with the Career Achievement Honour at the 77th Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland. Known for his wit as much as his on-screen performances, the superstar gave an acceptance speech that was full of heartfelt discussions on cinema as well as his trademark humour, reports Variety.
Addressing a crowd of 8,000 at Locarno’s Piazza Grande, Khan first praised the warm welcome he received.
Referring to his famous open-arms pose, he said, “Thank you all for welcoming me with such wide arms – even wider than the ones I show on screen.”
According to Variety, the actor praised the festival’s location. He said: “It’s a very beautiful, very cultural, very artistic and extremely warm city of Locarno. So many people gather in a small square and it’s very warm. It’s just like being home in India.”
The temperature had reached 35 degrees Celsius, and Locarno and Piazza Grande were also damp. His speech became even more serious as he expressed his views on cinema and creativity.
He added: “I truly believe that cinema has been the most profound and influential artistic medium of our times. I have been fortunate to be a part of it for many years, and the journey has taught me a few lessons.”
The actor emphasised the universal nature of art and filmmaking: “Art is the act of accepting life as paramount. It goes beyond every man-made boundary into the realm of liberation. It doesn’t need to be political. It doesn’t need to be controversial. It doesn’t need to preach. It doesn’t need to be intellectual. It doesn’t need to moralise.” “Art and cinema only need to say what one feels from the heart, express one’s truth. And honestly, for me, that is the greatest creativity,” he said.
