Bollywood icon Shah Rukh Khan added another accolade to his prestigious career at the 77th Locarno Film Festival, where he was honoured with the Career Achievement Award on Saturday. The superstar, known as much for his wit as his on-screen performances, delivered an acceptance speech that blended honest reflections on cinema with his trademark sense of humour.
Addressing a packed crowd of 8,000 people in Locarno's Piazza Grande, Khan began his speech by praising the warm welcome he had received. “Thank you all for welcoming me with open arms – wider than the ones I show on screen,” he joked, referring to his famous open-armed pose.
The actor, known to fans by his initials SRK or King Khan, praised the festival location. “It’s a very beautiful, very cultural, very artistic, very hot city of Locarno,” he said, smiling. “There are a lot of people in a small square and it’s very hot. It’s like coming home to India.” Temperatures reached 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 degrees Celsius) in Locarno on Saturday and the Piazza Grande was also humid.
Khan's speech took a more serious turn when he addressed his thoughts on cinema and creativity. “I truly believe that cinema has been the most profound and influential artistic medium of our time,” he said. “I have been privileged to be a part of this for many years, and this journey has taught me some lessons.”
The actor emphasized the universal nature of art and filmmaking, saying, “Art is an act of affirming life above all else. It transcends all man-made boundaries into a space of liberation. It should not be political. It should not be polemical. It should not be moralistic. It should not be intellectual. It should not be moralistic.” He continued, “Art and cinema just need to say what you feel from the heart, to express your own truth. And that, for me, is the greatest creativity, honestly.”
Khan also spoke about the intrinsic relationship between creativity and passion, saying, “There is no creativity without love, which is a language that transcends all languages and is understood by everyone around the world. So for me, creativity, love and making others happy is the same thing.”
Speaking about his 35-year career in the film industry, Khan touched on the diverse roles he has played. “I’ve been a villain, I’ve been a hero, I’ve been a superhero, I’ve been a zero, I’ve been a rejected fan, I’ve been a die-hard lover,” he said, referring to the breadth of his film career.
The actor's humorous side came out again when he had difficulty pronouncing the name of his award – the Pardo alla Carriera Ascona-Locarno Tourism Award. “This award here, which I'm trying so hard to pronounce… I can't pronounce it,” he joked, before jokingly calling it “the Leopard Award for being the most wonderful in the world, in the history of humility, kindness and goodness.”
Khan's presence at the festival underscored the Locarno Festival's commitment to celebrating popular cinema alongside arthouse films. Festival director Giona A. Nazzaro explained the decision to honor Khan: “The reason we wanted to honor Shah Rukh Khan is because he is a great artist. He has carried the dreams and hopes of so many people through his incredible work ethic and discipline. He has made all the dreams of so many of us come true.”
In closing his speech, Khan promised to continue pushing his boundaries as an actor. He said, “With the promise that awards like this encourage me to keep trying to embody all aspects of life, embody all emotions, try to give more shots, more feelings, and hopefully a little bit of love, so that everyone can feel a little bit of joy.”
As the crowd cheered, Khan tried to pronounce the name of the award one last time, before laughing and saying: “Can you use a shorter name? Like 'arrivederci'.”
