Shah Rukh Khan honoured in Locarno

His performance was full of energy, charm, and humour: on Saturday evening, Indian superstar Shah Rukh Khan accepted a lifetime achievement award on the Piazza Grande in Locarno.

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Shah Rukh Khan, who has been in the industry for 35 years, addressed the crowd of 8,000 spectators with a beaming smile on the Piazza Grande stage. Dressed in all black, he reflected on his three-decade career, during which he has portrayed champions, superheroes, and even failures.

“Films don’t necessarily have to be moral,” Khan said. “It’s more about expressing feelings.” He added that a single lifetime is hardly enough to capture the emotional nuances of all stages of life.

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To the delight of the audience, Khan even learned a few words of Italian for his appearance in what is perhaps the most beautiful open-air cinema in the world. “Buonasera Signore e Signori,” he called out, prompting excited cheers. Some female fans on the edge of the piazza even drowned out the presenter and artistic director Giona A. Nazzaro with shouts of “I love you.”

‘Extremely hot city’

Khan described Locarno as an “extremely hot city,” almost like his home in India. He praised the excellent food and expressed a desire to improve his Italian. With a playful wink, he translated his career award, sponsored by Ascona-Locarno Turismo, as “Award for the most awesome actor,” a remark that was met with thunderous applause.

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Over more than thirty years, Shah Rukh Khan has starred in over a hundred films, including musicals, crime dramas, and historical epics. He is said to have 3.5 billion fans worldwide.

Adapted from German by DeepL/amva

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