Shah Rukh Khan has added another achievement to his illustrious career. On August 10, he became the first Indian personality to be honoured with a lifetime achievement award, the Pardo alla Carriera, or Career Leopard at the 77th edition of the 2024 Locarno International Film Festival.

The main highlight of the fest was SRK’s speech, which drew constant cheers from the crowd. As per Variety, SRK began by acknowledging the warm reception he received. “Thank you all for welcoming me with such wide arms wider than the ones I do on screen,” he quipped, referencing his famous open-armed pose.

SRK then shared his thoughts on cinema. “I truly believe cinema has been the most profound and influential artistic medium of our age. I’ve had the privilege of being part of this for many years, and this journey has taught me a few lessons,” he said.

On his 35-year career in cinema, he mused, “I’ve been a villain, I’ve been a champ, I’ve been a superhero, I’ve been a zero, I’ve been a rejected fan and I’ve been a very, very resilient lover.”

The actor emphasized the universal nature of art and filmmaking, stating, “Art is the act of affirming life above all. It goes beyond every man-made boundary into a space of liberation. It need not be political. It need not be polemical. It need not sermonize. It need not intellectualize. It need not moralize. Art and cinema only need to say what it feels from the heart, to express its own truth. And that, to me, is the biggest creativity, honestly.”

As the crowd cheered, SRK made one last attempt at pronouncing the award’s name, before laughing and saying, “Can you keep a shorter name? Just like, ‘arrivederci.’”

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Exuding charm and being his witty self at the 2024 Locarno International Film Festival in Switzerland, actor Shah Rukh Khan was awarded the prestigious Pardo alla Carriera Ascona-Locarno Tourism aka the Career Leopard. He has been honoured with this award in recognition of his significant contributions to Indian cinema. The 58-year-old is the first Indian celebrity to receive this award.

During his acceptance speech, which took place at a packed Piazza Grande square in Locarno, on Saturday evening, Khan said, “I want to thank you all for welcoming me with such wide arms, wider than the ones I do on screen, to this really pretty, very beautiful, cultural, artistic, and extremely hot city of Locarno. So many people stuffed up in a little square and so hot, it’s just like being at home in India.”

As he lifted the trophy, he admitted he can’t pronounce its name, but added: “The food has been nice, my Italian is improving and so has been my cooking. I can cook pasta and pizza.”

When the host told him the proper pronunciation, Khan joked, “Which in English means the Leopard Award for being the most awesome in the world and the history of mankind.” He wrapped his speech with “Namaskar. Dhanyawaad. God bless you all”.

The festival screened his 2002 film Devdas, directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali.