Actor Shah Rukh Khan added another feather to his hat. On Friday he was honoured with the Global Icon of Cinema and Cultural Narrative award as he attended the 41st edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) 2022 at Expo Centre in Sharjah, UAE.
“Hold an honest and a gentle heart… there’s nothing needed to lead this life more successfully than these two qualities in your heart,” said the King Khan addressing the gathering.
“There will be times when we have to cheat with life,” he said. “There will be times when we have to cheat with people around us but in that one moment of weakness , if you can keep an honest and a gentle heart, then you will have the greatest life Allah and God and Bhagwan has given you.”
SRK was accompanied by Oscar-winner Dr Resul Pookutty who was awarded the SIBF award for contribution in the advancement of cinematic arts sound design.
Crowds cheered wildly and stood up on chairs to catch a glimpse of their favorite actor inside the ballroom of the SIBF as he walked in wearing an all-black ensemble and his trademark dimpled smile. He blew kisses and waved at the hundreds of people who thronged the hall as screams of “I love you Shah Rukh” rang through the hall. Some of those in the audience had begun queuing up at early as 10am outside the Sharjah Expo Centre for the event that was scheduled to begin at 6pm.
Indians Greeshma and Mejo arrived at 2pm with their children, 8-year-old Kevin and 4-year-old Joanne. “We stood for some time, then we sat down, then one of us was lying down, it was a long wait but worth it,” said an elated Greeshma who has been a fan of Shah Rukh Khan since she was in school.
“I have never seen him in person, and I wasn’t about to miss this one opportunity I had. When we joined the queue, it was already quite long. We met a lady who had been waiting since 10 in the morning.”
She said her biggest supporter was her 8-year-old son Kevin. “I love Shah Rukh Khan uncle,” he said. “I really like the movie Happy New Year. He dances very well.”
There were several others who had waited for long hours to meet their favorite actor. Ugandan nationals Maya and Zurah were two of them. “I feel like jumping on stage and giving him a hug,” said a very excited Zurah, laughing and clapping her hands. “We have watched all his movies on YouTube, and we love him. When he laughs, we laugh. When he cries, we cry. There is really no other actor like him. We love him so much.”
The audience started being allowed into the hall starting from 5:30pm. Many others who weren’t lucky enough to get into the hall stood outside, hoping to catch a glimpse of him. Others watched his speech on the screens that had been set up throughout Sharjah Expo Center.
SRK will be returning to the big screen after a hiatus this year with three films. In a candid conversation with Indian journalist Faye D’Souza, he said he was rarely nervous before the release of a film.
“I think (my movies) are all going to be superhit films,” he said. “That is the belief I sleep with, that is the belief I wake up with. That is the belief that makes me at the age of 57 to go and do stunts, jump, work 18 hours a day because if I didn’t have that belief, that at the end of it all, I am going to make a great product that a lot of people will like, I would not be able to do it.”
The actor, who is widely regarded as one of the most successful actors in the world, ended the evening by enthralling his audiences with some of his most famous dialogues from movies like 'Baazigar', 'Om Shanti Om', 'Don' and 'Jab Tak Hai Jaan' as crowds cheered him on.
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