" Acting sirf kam nehi hai, zimmedari hai ":Shah Rukh Khan on his first National award

Shah Rukh Khan’s acceptance speech for his first National Award was a masterclass in balance—equal parts humility, humour, and quiet assertion. While the honour came for Jawan, SRK made it sound like a tribute to three decades of relentless work, calling the award “a moment I will cherish for a lifetime” and “not a finish line but fuel to keep creating.”

He thanked the jury, the I&B ministry, and his directors from 2023—Raju Hirani, Siddharth Anand, and Atlee—with a special nod to Atlee for trusting him with a role that was pure “mass.

” In trademark Khan style, he sprinkled in wit, joking about how his team makes him look “much better than I am” and confessing his family treats him “like the kid in the house,” indulging his cinema obsession.Yet beneath the charm was gravity. He called the award a responsibility to “show truth on screen,” framing acting as more than a job, almost as a moral duty.

And then came the fan moment—a one-armed salute to his iconic pose with the promise, “Keep the popcorn ready, I’ll be back in theatres soon.” At a time when the National Awards face scrutiny over credibility, SRK’s speech—measured, gracious, and resonant—turned him, almost by accident, into the award’s most convincing spokesperson.

In a space often noisy with politics, he reminded everyone why some voices still carry weight.

"Yea award mere liye ek reminder hai, ke acting sirf kam nehi hai, zimmedari hai- screen par sach dikhane ki zimmedari"

- Shah Rukh Khan

"A National Award is not just an achievement, it is a reminder that what I do matters. It tells me to keep going, keep working hard, keep creating, and keep serving cinema. In a world full of noise, to be heard-truly heard-is a blessing, and I promise to use this recognition not as a finish line, but as fuel to continue striving, learning, and giving life."

- Shah Rukh Khan