Shah Rukh regrets not getting a national film award

Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan said yesterday he regrets not yet getting a national film award.

The hugely popular actor, speaking at the opening ceremony of the Kolkata International Film Festival at the Netaji Indoor Stadium, said he gets invited to film festivals either to dance or say some nice words welcoming people, and not for any intellectual deliberations.

“I have done 70 films so far, but the only reason film festivals call me is either to dance or come and just speak about welcoming the delegates, and being nice to people, and not do anything intellectual,” said Khan.

“The reason for that is I am not very intelligent. And I am not very smart,” he said.

The trailer of the actor’s upcoming movie Zero was showcased at the opening ceremony of the film festival attended by a crowd of over 10,000.

It is the country’s second oldest film festival.

However, SRK, as the actor is known, said he has become “smarter” and more “intellectual” after getting to know Kolkata while spearheading the Indian Premier League side Kolkata Knight Riders for 12 years.

“And the 12 years that I have been in Kolkata with a cricket team, Kolkata Knight Riders, I am becoming smarter. And I am becoming much more intellectual, spending time in Bengal, with all the wonderful stalwarts of cinema, and all the people I keep meeting.

“So, maybe, in the next ten years, there will come a time, when one of my films will get selected for an international festival of this kind of rating. It’s really unfortunate and sad, I have never got a national award,” he said, soon after receiving a crystal trophy from the organisers of the KIFF.

“The only award is what I got today, that Mamatadi (West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee) so sweetly gave me. It’s a special crystal award,” he said, to a tumultuous applause, as Banerjee seemed visibly pleased.