Imtiaz Ali defends Shah Rukh Khan's National Award win for Jawan: 'If the country has honoured him...'

In response to the controversy surrounding Shah Rukh Khan's recent National Award win for the movie "Jawan," filmmaker Imtiaz Ali has publicly defended the actor, telling IANS that it was a proud moment while speaking on the sidelines of an event in Mumbai.

“No, no. If the country has honoured him, it’s obviously a big thing. I would like to congratulate Shah Rukh Khan and all the people who got this big award. Thank you," he stated, sending his best wishes to each and every recipient.Shah Rukh Khan's performance in the movie "Jawan" earned him his first National Award for Best Actor on August 1. Urvashi, a South actress, started the controversy by quietly casting doubt on SRK's National Award victory.

Urvashi pointed to the jury's unfair decisions while accepting the Best Supporting Actress award for "Ullozhukku."She allegedly questioned what made Jawan deserving of Best Actor honors, without specifically mentioning Shah Rukh, while veteran Malayalam actor Vijayaraghavan's stirring performance wasn't even taken into consideration for the lead category. Online discussion was sparked by her comments.

However, some internet users were shocked to understand that Shah Rukh Khan had won the National Award for "Jawan," wondering why it had taken him 33 years to receive this honor. Many noted that he was not given credit for some of his most famous roles in movies like "Devdas," "Swades," "Veer Zaara," and "Chak De! India." The actor's victory generated discussion regarding the jury's selection criteria and timing.Veteran actor Mukesh Khanna defended Shah Rukh Khan in the face of increasing criticism over the actor's National Award victory. "People who are saying that Shah Rukh Khan should not have received the award for this film (Jawan) but for Swades—remember A. R. Rahman received the Oscar for ‘Jai Ho’ and not for the various beautiful songs he created in the past," he informed IANS. "Shah Rukh has been working hard for the past 40 years now—so what is wrong if he has received a National Award?"