New Delhi [India], August 2 (ANI): “Finally” — It was the word on everyone’s lips when they read the news of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan winning his first-ever National Award in his illustrious career that spanned over three decades.
For SRK’s fans, who are fondly called SKIANS, it was a “dream come true” moment that they had been waiting for the past 30 years. A wave of celebration sparked among them right from the moment filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker announced King Khan as the National Award winner of Best Actor for his captivating performance in ‘Jawan’, on August 1.
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His win felt deeply personal to his fans — After all, it took 33 years to get their “Mannat” fulfilled.
While many beamed with joy over SRK’s National Award win for Jawan, there’s a section of social media users who felt that Atlee’s directorial was not SRK’s best work, and he deserved the prestigious honour years ago for his acting in ‘Swades’ and ‘Chak De! India’.
In fact, several years ago, Shah Rukh once reflected on not winning the National Award for ‘Swades’ over Saif Ali Khan’s ‘Hum Tum’ at an event. Interestingly, that moment has now resurfaced online.
An old video of Shah Rukh has gone viral in which he cheekily admitted that he should have won a National Award for his film, ‘Swades’, in which he essayed the role of Mohan Bhargava, a NASA scientist, who returned to India and reconnected with his roots, leading to a journey of self discovery and social responsibility.
“Fanna was very good. I think Hum Tum was very nice. His actor won the National Award for Hum Tum when I think I should have got it, but that’s another story,” quipped Shah Rukh while interacting with ‘Hum Tum’ director Kunal Kohli at the event.
Shah Rukh did not win the National Award for Swades in 2005, but years later, in 2025, it was Ashutosh Gowarikar who announced his name as the winner at a press briefing for the 71st National Film Awards, realising that life has come full circle as Gowariker only directed ‘Swades’.
While presenting the award, Gowariker described Shah Rukh’s performance in Jawan as a “powerhouse” act that balanced “raw intensity and acting depth,” bringing to life a hero who fights not just the enemy but societal boundaries, creating two unforgettable cinema personas.
No doubt, SRK should have won National Award 20 years ago but “better late than never”, his contributions and huge body of work finally got recognised by National Film Awards jury.
King Khan’s first National Award win is a tribute to his years of struggle, hard work and resilience he has shown all the time.
National Awards is just the beginning… why not Oscars someday? “Kyunki Picture abhi baaki hai mere dost”
This year, not only did King Khan achieve this kind of huge milestone in his career, but also the unwavering 18-year loyalty and dedication of ‘King of cricket’, Virat Kohli, to Royal Challengers Bengaluru culminated in his maiden IPL victory.
July 3 would go down as one of the most memorable days in the history of cricket as the empire of the ‘King’ finally felt complete in the true sense. After years of dominating international cricket with a never-ending list of records, several fantastic clutch knockout match knocks and multiple ICC trophies to show, Virat finally got his moment in franchise cricket as well, as RCB ended their 18-year-long wait for an IPL title.
As Virat shed tears and struggled to control his emotions, so did his legion of fans. The unwavering loyalty was finally rewarded. Virat, who was picked by franchise as a teenage sensation, finally lifted the gold as one of the game’s GOATs. The reunion of the OG RCB trio, Virat, AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle, who redefined T20 batting in their own ways, with the gold lifted high above their heads, was a sight that a generation of fans finally got to see, though with Gayle and AB as non-players
For the veteran Indian batter, it was a fitting conclusion to all the hard work in the previous two seasons. RCB missed the 2023 playoffs by inches, despite a 639-run season from the maestro. During the 2024 season, after a horror start to the tournament with just one win in eight matches, the Red and Gold franchise scripted a commendable comeback by winning six games on the trot and earning a playoff spot. Though the trophy still deserted them, the team could walk with their heads high, with Virat getting an Orange Cap to cover it. With a relentless consistency, 741 runs and 38 sixes, the batter silenced all the ‘strike rate talk’ from fans and experts and turned around RCB’s fortunes big time.
During the title-winning season, Virat was the tournament’s third-highest run getter, with 657 runs and eight fifties in 15 innings, all of them coming in different situations and tempos, speaking volumes of his adaptability.
2025 belongs to King Khan and King Kohli. (ANI)