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Shah Rukh Khan to be bestowed with Locarno Film Festival Career Award

Shah Rukh Khan returned to the big screen in 2023 with 'Pathaan'. He followed this blockbuster with 'Jawan', and 'Dunki'.

BySouth First Desk

Published Jul 03, 2024 | 7:15 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 03, 2024 | 8:16 PM

A Padma Shri awardee, Shah Rukh Khan has starred in more than 100 feature films. (Instagram)

Shah Rukh Khan will receive the esteemed lifetime achievement award, the Pardo alla Carriera (career leopard), at the 2024 Locarno Film Festival. The Bollywood actor is the first Indian to receive the ‘Pardo alla Carriere Ascona-Locarno Tourism’.

After a five-year hiatus, Shah Rukh Khan returned to the big screen in 2023 with Pathaan. He followed this blockbuster with two more releases; the action hit, Jawan (2023), and the social drama, Dunki (2023).

The festival will screen Shah Rukh’s 2002 hit Devdas, directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. On 11 August, Shah Rukh will join a public Q&A session at the Spazio Cinema (Forum) offering fans and festival-goers a chance to engage with him.

Devdas, which received a BAFTA nomination and multiple Indian awards, introduced mainstream Bollywood to many Western audiences for the first time.

SRK stays true to fans’ expectations

Locarno Film Festival’s artistic director, Giona A Nazzaro, described welcoming Shah Rukh Khan as “a dream come true”. He praised Khan for the “wealth and breadth of his contribution” to Indian cinema.

“Khan is a king who has always remained connected with his audience. This brilliant artist continually challenges himself while staying true to his fans’ expectations worldwide. A true people’s hero, sophisticated and down to earth, Shah Rukh Khan is a legend of our times,” Nazzaro noted.

To welcome a living legend like #ShahRukhKhan in Locarno is a dream come true.

The actor and film producer – a true Indian superstar, a symbol of the vitality of Hindi-language cinema – will receive our career achievement award, the Pardo alla Carriera, at #Locarno77. pic.twitter.com/NGxbLbgxTS

— Locarno Film Festival (@FilmFestLocarno) July 2, 2024

The festival’s website states that the Pardo alla Carriera Ascona-Locarno Tourism honours individuals whose artistic contributions have redefined cinema and the collective imagination.

Alongside the awards ceremony at Piazza Grande, the tribute includes an audience discussion and a brief retrospective.

The festival’s statement highlighted that Khan collaborated with India’s top directors and stars, gaining significant international acclaim.

SRK, the hitmaker

Shah Rukh Khan rose to fame with the romantic thriller Baazigar (1993). His career soared with the romantic drama, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) and the love story, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998).

Additionally, Khan co-owns the Indian Premier League cricket team Kolkata Knight Riders and the Caribbean Premier League team Trinbago Knight Riders.

A Padma Shri awardee, Shah Rukh Khan has starred in more than 100 feature films and received the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and Légion d’honneur from the French government.

The Locarno Film Festival takes place from 7 to 17 August. The 58-year-old actor will accept the award on 10 August at Piazza Grande in Locarno, Switzerland. Previous recipients include Italian filmmaker-screenwriter, Francesco Rosi, American singer-actor Harry Belafonte, and Malaysian director Ming-liang Tsai.

(Edited by S Subhakeerthana)

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