Shah Rukh Khan’s being honored at the prestigious Locarno Film Festival is a testament to his immense contribution to cinema. His ability to captivate global audiences and his versatile acting range has made him a true icon. Nearly 150,000 people attended last year’s prestigious festival.
Switzerland’s Locarno Film Festival is opening on Wednesday. This festival is famous for its focus on unique films and is one of the oldest in the world, starting in 1946. It takes place on Lake Maggiore in southern Switzerland.
Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, 58, will receive a special award called the Pardo alla Carriera on Saturday for his significant contributions to cinema. The festival’s artistic director, Giona A. Nazzaro, praised Khan for his connection with the audience and his willingness to take on challenges.
“The wealth and breadth of his contribution to Indian cinema is unprecedented,” said the festival’s artistic director Giona A. Nazzaro. “Khan is 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.”
Legacy Of King Khan
The Pathaan, Don 2, and Om Shanti Om star, known to his fans as “King Khan,” will receive the prize at Locarno’s iconic Piazza Grande on Aug. 10.
As part of the tribute, the festival will screen Khan’s 2002 hit Devdas from director Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Khan will also take part in a public Q&A at the Forum @Spazio Cinema on Aug. 11.
The 58-year-old actor has been a box office draw and global ambassador for Indian cinema since his breakthrough performances in Baazigar (1993) and the romantic classic Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995). He won critical praise for such films as Devadas, where he plays an alcoholic, and for his portrayal of a man with Asperger syndrome in My Name Is Khan (2010).
The festival will feature 225 films, including 104 world premieres. The top prize, the Golden Leopard, has been won in the past by famous directors like Stanley Kubrick and John Ford. This year, 17 films from countries like France, Italy, and South Korea are competing for this prize.
Other honorees include New Zealand director Jane Campion, Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron, and French-Swiss actress Irene Jacob. The festival will run until August 17 and expects to attract around 150,000 people.