Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan will be honored by the Locarno Film Festival with its Honorary Leopard Achievement Award in recognition of his outstanding career in Indian cinema spanning more than 100 films “in a breathtaking multitude of genres,” it announced on Tuesday.
Khan, who is known in India as “King Khan,” will be making the trek to receive the award on 10 August on the Swiss fest’s 8,000-seat Piazza Grande open-air venue where his 2022 love triangle drama Devdas – in which he plays the titular character, a tragic romantic alcoholic – will screen, followed by an onstage conversation on 11 August. Devdas, which scored a BAFTA nomination and won numerous Indian awards, marked the first time many Western audience members were exposed to mainstream Bollywood.
“To welcome a living legend like Shah Rukh Khan to Locarno is a dream come true! The wealth and breadth of his contribution to Indian cinema is unprecedented. 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 while remaining true to what his fans all over the world eagerly expect from his films. A true ‘people’s hero,’ sophisticated and down to earth, Shah Rukh Khan is a legend of our times,” said Locarno artistic director Giona A. Nazzaro in a statement.
In 2023, Khan was in the Variety500 list of Top 500 global entertainment business leaders when, after a five-year hiatus following a spate of box-office underperformers, during which he only appeared in cameos, he made a comeback with the two biggest hits of the year – Pathaan and Jawan. He also co-owns the Indian Premier League team Kolkata Knight Riders, and the Caribbean Premier League team Trinbago Knight Riders.
Previous recipients of Locarno’s Honorary Leopard include Tsai Ming-liang, Francesco Rosi, Claudia Cardinale, Johnnie To, Harry Belafonte, Mario Adorf, Jane Birkin, and Costa-Gavras. The 77th edition of the Locarno Film Festival will be held from 7 to 17 August.
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