The ceremony of the 71st National Film Awards took place on September 23 in New Delhi, which was an historic day for Indian cinema. The major event featured some of the highest-profile film personalities at the ceremony, including Shah Rukh Khan, Rani Mukerji, Mohanlal, Vikrant Massey, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Ektaa Kapoor, Guneet Monga, Prasoon Joshi, and Apoorva Mehta.
In a career-defining moment, Shah Rukh Khan was awarded the Best Actor National Award for his moving performance in Atlee’s blockbuster film Jawan. This is SRK’s first-ever National Award in his almost 33-year-long career. He shared the honour with Vikrant Massey, who won Best Actor for his heart-wrenching portrayal in 12th Fail, directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra.
SRK was present at the event in a dashing black coat, seated next to Rani Mukerji, who won the Best Actress award for Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway. The honor was handed out by President Droupadi Murmu. Sanjay Jaju, Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, welcomed Khan with a warm tribute during the event:
“The man whose smile transcends borders and whose conversations have entered our shared lexicon. he is not only a National Award laureate but the King of Hearts.”
SRK smiled, returning with a friendly flying kiss and thanking the applauding crowd.
Gauri Khan, doting wife and producer, posted on social media to celebrate the moment. Tweeting SRK’s picture, she captioned:“What a journey it’s been. Congratulations on winning the National Award!!! So deserving… it’s a result of your years of hard work and dedication. Now I’m designing a special mantle for this award.”
At work, SRK is in the process of producing and acting in King, an action thriller by Siddharth Anand, releasing in 2026. In between, he is also enjoying the success of son Aryan Khan’s directorial venture, The Ba*ds of Bollywood, now available on Netflix.
