Shah Rukh Khan to receive Locarno Film Festival Career Award on August 10

“To welcome a living legend like Shah Rukh Kahn in Locarno is a dream come true!” Locarno artistic director Giona A. Nazzaro said.

Bollywood icon Shah Rukh Khan is set to be celebrated by the Locarno Film Festival with the prestigious Honorary Leopard award, acknowledging his extraordinary career in Indian cinema, which encompasses over 100 films across a vast array of genres, the festival announced on Tuesday.

Known affectionately as 'King Khan,' Shah Rukh Khan will attend the award ceremony on August 10 at the festival's 8,000-seat Piazza Grande open-air venue. His acclaimed 2022 film 'Devdas,' where he portrays the tragic, romantic alcoholic lead character, will be screened. This film, which earned a BAFTA nomination and numerous Indian awards, introduced many Western audiences to mainstream Bollywood. Following the screening, Khan will participate in an onstage discussion on August 11.

“To welcome a living legend like Shah Rukh Kahn in Locarno is a dream come true!” Locarno artistic director Giona A. Nazzaro said.

Nazzaro went on to praise Shah Rukh Khan as as “a king who has never lost touch with the audience that crowned him. This brave and daring artist has always been willing to challenge himself while remaining true to what his fans all over the world eagerly expect from his films.”

Shah Rukh Khan, born in 1965 in New Delhi, rose to prominence with the romantic thriller 'Baazigar' (1993), where he played a complex anti-hero driven by revenge. His stardom skyrocketed with subsequent hits like the romantic drama 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge' (1995) and the love story 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai' (1998). Despite his immense popularity, Khan did not shy away from unconventional roles that were ahead of their time. In 'Darr' (1993), directed by Yash Chopra, he portrayed a lovestruck and obsessive character, and in Mani Ratnam's 'Dil Se..' (1998), he played a journalist who falls in love with a terrorist.

In 2023, Khan was featured in the Variety500 list of top global entertainment leaders. This recognition came after his remarkable comeback from a five-year break, during which he appeared only in cameo roles. He returned to the spotlight with two of the year's biggest blockbusters, 'Pathaan' and 'Jawan,' the latter produced by his own company, Red Chillies Entertainment.

The Locarno Film Festival has previously honoured notable figures such as Tsai Ming-liang, Francesco Rosi, Claudia Cardinale, Johnnie To, Harry Belafonte, Mario Adorf, Jane Birkin, and Costa-Gavras with the Honorary Leopard award.