Some 8,000 visitors frantically celebrated Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan (“My name is Khan”) on Saturday evening in Locarno’s Piazza Grande. The 58-year-old Indian actor and producer received the honorary “Pardo alla Carriera” award at a star-studded ceremony. The 77th edition of the international film festival on the Swiss shore of Lake Maggiore in the canton of Ticino runs until next Saturday (August 17).
The man who is revered by millions at home and abroad for his intense social engagement as “King Khan,” accepted the award. In a short acceptance speech, he initially joked: “The heat here makes me feel at home in India.” He added, almost flirtatiously: “I’m just a guy who can act, a little bit of acting.”
He was repeatedly interrupted by cheers, and said that for him, “cinema is the most influential medium in the world.” It is important “because it can reflect all aspects of life, all emotions.” For many people, cinema makes the world a little better.
Khan continued that films do not necessarily have to be moralistic. It is more about expressing emotions. But a human life is not enough to express the emotional shades of all stages of life.
During his performance in Ticino, Khan learned a few words of Italian: “Buonasera Signore e Signori,” he shouted to the crowd. Fans at the edge of the arena partially drowned out the announcer and the words of artistic director Giona A. Nazzaro, and shouts of “I love you” could be heard.
“He has been in the business for 35 years,” said a beaming Shah Rukh Khan. In those three decades, he has played heroes and “superheroes,” but also “zeros.” The actor has appeared in more than a hundred films, including musicals, crime films and historical dramas. He is said to have 3.5 billion fans worldwide.
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