The 71st National Film Awards were announced yesterday, August 1. The announcement of every edition becomes newsworthy, but this time, it broke the internet as superstar Shah Rukh Khan won the National Award for Jawan (2023). This was his first ever National Award in 33 years of his film career and hence, there was celebration among his fans and a huge section of the netizens.
OPINION: Jawan was a National Award WORTHY performance; what matters most is that Shah Rukh Khan is FINALLY a National Award-winning superstar
As expected, there has been some negativity as well. Some tried to spread the perception that the jury set a wrong precedent by awarding a performance in a massy action film. The argument doesn’t hold water at all for two reasons. Firstly, conventional hero performances have always been awarded by the National Award jury and it happened as early as 2 editions ago when Allu Arjun won for Pushpa (2021). In the past, Ajay Devgn won for Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior (2020), Vicky Kaushal for Uri: The Surgical Strike (2019), Akshay Kumar for Rustom (2016), Anil Kapoor won for Pukar (2000), Nana Patekar won for Krantiveer (1994) etc…and rightfully so!
Secondly, it’s not easy to pull off a performance in a mass-appealing movie. Here, actors need to have a fine balance – the performance needs to be realistic and yet, there has to be some amount of playing to the gallery as well. This requires a lot of hard work, understanding of the craft and inborn talent. In this regard, Shah Rukh Khan got his act right in Jawan.
Go back to the time when the film was released, on September 7, 2023. Scroll through the reviews and audience feedback and one would realize that everyone was floored by Shah Rukh’s performance in the Atlee-directorial. He played dual roles and the performance had so many aspects, each brought about flawlessly by the star. As jury head Ashutosh Gowariker rightfully said, “Shah Rukh Khan delivered a powerhouse performance, balancing raw intensity and emotional depth, and bringing to life a hero who fights not just the enemy, but societal boundaries, creating two unforgettable cinema personas”.
In short, was Shah Rukh Khan’s performance in Jawan lacklustre or merely average? Absolutely not. Did it captivate audiences and elevate the film’s overall impact? Without a doubt. And if that’s the case, then his National Award win isn’t just justified; it’s well deserved.
Of course, the argument that remains valid is that he should have won the National Award earlier and that probably his performance in Swades (2004) and Chak De India (2007) was more worthy of a National Award. However, SRK is not the first to have faced this and he won’t be the last either. From National Awards to the Academy Awards, film personalities have got their due late, at times not for more deserving ones.
Martin Scorsese won the Oscar for The Departed (2006) and not for films that have a bigger fan base, like Taxi Driver (1976), Raging Bull (1980), Goodfellas (1990) etc. Do you know that Al Pacino’s legendary act in The Godfather II (1974) didn’t earn him an Oscar; he was awarded much later for Scent Of A Woman (1992). There was a wave of disappointment when Leonardo DiCaprio failed to win the Oscar for The Wolf of Wall Street (2013); he would later win for The Revenant (2015). In fact, ‘Leonardo finally won’ sentiment was the same as fans have for Shah Rukh Khan.
Christopher Nolan won the Oscar only recently for Oppenheimer (2023). Quentin Tarantino has yet to win an Academy Award for Best Director.
Coming to Hindi cinema, Akshay Kumar was honoured for Rustom but not for Pad Man (2018), Baby (2015) or Airlift (2016). Hrithik Roshan won the National Award for Jodhaa Akbar (2008), though many feel he was far better in Lakshya (2004).
Ultimately, what matters is that Akshay Kumar and Hrithik Roshan earned the honour of being National Award-winning actors, not necessarily for the most definitive performances of their careers, but for roles that still stood tall. Shah Rukh Khan now rightfully joins that elite league. His win is not just a personal milestone, but a moment of celebration for Indian cinema itself. Here’s hoping this recognition opens the door to many more powerful performances across genres, and that we, as audiences, continue to celebrate our artists with the same passion they bring to their craft.
Also Read: Shah Rukh Khan wins first National Award for Jawan, 33 years after his film debut
More Pages: Jawan Box Office Collection , Jawan Movie Review
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