When Shah Rukh Khan said he deserved a National Award for Swades

Shah Rukh Khan delivered a stellar performance in Swades

Shah Rukh Khan has recently received the long-awaited National Award for his blockbuster Jawan. After the honour, an old video has gone viral, reigniting discussions about one of the most debated award moments in Bollywood history.

The resurfaced clip shows SRK reflecting on his performance in Ashutosh Gowariker’s 2004 film Swades. He playfully expressed his belief that he deserved the National Award that year. Instead, the award went to Saif Ali Khan for Hum Tum.

In the throwback video from the late 2000s, Shah Rukh appears at an event alongside Hum Tum director Kunal Kohli.

At that time, SRK said, “See, main dil ka bahut acha hoon. Saari filmein achi lagti hain, saare hero ache lagte hain, saari heroine achi lagti hain, har cheez achi lagti hai. I am a simple-minded person; I like everything, including your films. I have loved them all."

Throwback to the time SRK publicly said that he should have won the National Award in 2005 for Swades than Saif for Hum Tum. byu/GiveMeSomeSunshine3 inBollyBlindsNGossip

He continued, "'Fanaa' was very good. I think 'Hum Tum' was very nice. His actor won the National Award for 'Hum Tum' when I think I should have got it, but that's another story."

SRK's comment left Kohli visibly awkward but smiling. The audience found it funny, turning what could have been a controversial statement into a lighthearted, viral moment that fans are now fondly revisiting.

Also Read: Juhi Chawla congratulates longtime friend Shah Rukh Khan on his first National Award, writes "You always give your ALL to every film you do"

The Swades legacy

Even though Swades didn’t earn Khan a National Award at the time, his portrayal of Mohan Bhargava, a NASA engineer who returns to rural India, remains one of his most critically acclaimed roles. The film is widely seen as a career-defining performance and a cult classic in Indian cinema.

After years of delivering memorable performances, Shah Rukh Khan is awarded the National Award for Best Actor for Jawan at the recently announced 2024 National Film Awards. He shared the honour with Vikrant Massey for 12th Fail, while Rani Mukerji won Best Actress for Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway.