OPINION: Shah Rukh Khan Doesn't Deserve a National Award. Hear Us Out

There is a delightful chaos of emotions in the air, part joy, part “wait… seriously?” as Shah Rukh Khan finally takes home the National Award for Best Actor. Not for a tender, restrained drama. Not for a real-world, socially charged character study. But for Jawan, a film where SRK punches, dances, lectures, and practically sets the screen on fire while doing triple duty as vigilante, soldier, and action daddy.

Unexpected? Totally. Undeserved? Not so fast.

The Long Wait for Recognition

For over three decades, SRK has served up performances that could make your heart melt, shatter, or suddenly develop a crush on a NASA scientist. Whether it was the sincere loser in Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa, the tragically intoxicated lover in Devdas, the dying but determined charmer in Kal Ho Naa Ho, or the silently suffering patriot in Swades he has delivered time and again.

Yet while trophy shelves across award shows were full, the elusive National Award kept slipping past him like Kiran running across a mustard field. This was the one honour that did not bend to stardom or TRPs. It is the one that has always meant serious business. And for years, it seemed like no matter how nuanced or memorable SRK’s work got, the National Award jury just was not biting.

The Jawan Curveball

So when the announcement dropped that Shah Rukh Khan had finally clinched the big one, and for Jawan, no less, it sent cinephiles into a collective brain spin. Sure, Jawan was explosive. It was stylish, political, theatrical and maximalist. But best performance of the year? That was a hot take waiting to happen.

Because here is the thing. If this is the role that bagged him the honour, then what was Chak De! India? A warm-up act? And what about Swades? Or Fan, where he literally scared us as his own maniacal admirer? The man has done Shakespearean drama, sociopolitical angst, and emotional subtlety… and yet, it is the film with bald SRK doing slow-motion fights that got him the crown?

Welcome to 2025.

Massy Madness Gets a Medal

In all fairness, Jawan was not just fan service with slow-motion swagger. It was pulpy with purpose. Its politics were loud but timely. It addressed injustice, corruption and systemic decay with the energy of a rock concert and the tone of a public service announcement. And through it all, SRK was in full command, delivering monologues like mic drops and jumping between avatars like a cinematic chameleon.

What this win really represents is a mood shift. A kind of long overdue handshake between critical acclaim and massy cinema. For decades, popular entertainers have been patronised in the serious cinema space. This time, the crowd pleaser has crashed the elite party. And it is wearing designer shades.

A Lifetime of Almosts

Make no mistake, this is not a win just for Jawan. This is a cumulative nod. A bouquet of belated appreciation. A silent thank you note to the man who has given us characters that linger long after the credits roll.

He has been the face of romance, the voice of reason, the flagbearer of soft patriotism and a walking TED talk on emotions. From hockey coach to homesick engineer to misunderstood Muslim man, Shah Rukh’s filmography is basically a mood board of Indian identity through the decades. And time and again, he has risen above scripts and clichés to deliver gold.

So yes, giving him the National Award now may raise eyebrows. But it is not a question of merit. It is a matter of timing. And in classic Bollywood style, it is fashionably late.

A Win With Echoes

This is not just a win. It is a full circle moment. A poetic pause in a career that has seen peaks, reinventions, flops, comebacks, and now, state recognition. For those of us who have argued for years that Swades should have done it, or Chak De! India should have done it, maybe this is the universe’s roundabout way of saying, “You were right. And now we agree.”

The applause is a little delayed. But it is louder than ever.

And for Shah Rukh Khan, it is one more epic monologue… this time, written by destiny.

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