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Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has won his first acting gong for eight years, taking home the best actor award at the International Indian Film Academy Awards.
Khan won the award for his double role as Captain Vikram Rathore and Azad in the 2023 Hindi-language action-thriller Jawan. Khan starred in three films that were released in 2023 – Pathaan, Jawan, and Dunki – upon his return to cinemas after a four-year hiatus.
“I think I have a little happiness from the audience this year because I worked (again) after a long time,” Khan said, while receiving his award at the ceremony, which took place in Abu Dhabi.
“I love awards, I’m greedy about awards. I just want to tell you it’s good to be back.”
“Somebody reminded me that money needs to be put into a film. So I want to thank Gauri,” he said, referring to his wife Gauri Khan, who is also a film producer in the production company Red Chillies Entertainment which they co-founded in 2002.
“She may be the only wife who’s spending more on the husband than the other way round,” he said.
Khan also revealed that the couple “were going through a tough time while making Jawan”, an apparent reference to the arrest of his son Aryan, 26, on charges of drug possession in October 2021. Aryan spent 25 days in prison, and was finally released on bail at the fifth request after his applications were denied four times.
In May 2022, Aryan was cleared of all charges, and one of the officers leading the investigation was later charged with corruption and extortion in connection with the case. India’s leading investigation agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), alleged that the charges against Aryan were a setup and that the accused officer asked Aryan’s family for a bribe of Rs 250m (£2.2m).
Khan, 58, is one of India’s most popular stars, and his comeback film Pathaan made history by being displayed on more screens across the country than any other Hindi film. Lovingly called King Khan and the Badshah (emperor) of Bollywood by his fans, Khan is also one of India’s best-known cultural exports – in a 2016 interview with Fareed Zakaria, Khan said at least half of his fans are from outside India.
Pathaan opened to $12.7m (£9.4m) worldwide, a feat overtaken by Jawan, which opened to $15.6m (£11.65m), according to Variety.
Khan revealed at the time that 25 single-screen cinemas had been resurrected across India, in states like Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Goa, following his new film’s release.
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“Bachpan mein saare filmein single screens par hi dekhi hain. Uska apna hi maza hai. Duas, prarthna aur prayers karta hoon… aap sabko aur mujhe kaamyaabi mile (Growing up I only watched films in single screens. It is uniquely enjoyable. I pray that you and I both are successful). Congratulations on your re-openings,” Khan had said in a post on X.
“SRK is indeed one of the most iconic and popular Indian film stars ever,” Rajkumar Akella, the managing director of Comscore Movies India, told LA Times after Pathaan and Jawan released to a phenomenal opening. “His appeal and cultural influence on India and Indian diaspora and even global audiences are far larger than the box office data can ever justify.”
The actor recently made it to the Hurun India Rich List, recording an estimated wealth of Rs 73bn (£657m), thanks to his ownership of Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket team Kolkata Knight Riders, his production company, and his numerous brand endorsements.
