Shah Rukh Khan, acknowledged as the Indian of the Year 2023, expressed gratitude for the award and candidly addressed the formidable challenges faced by his family in recent times, notably touching upon the distressing episode surrounding his son Aryan Khan’s arrest, which he characterized as “bothersome and unpleasant.”
During his acceptance speech, Shah Rukh Khan opened up about the tumultuous four to five years, discussing the setbacks in his film career, including failures and negative speculations from analysts about his professional life. Despite facing such challenges, Shah Rukh Khan underlined that external opinions did not significantly impact him.
“The last four, five years have been a bit of a ride for me and my family. I am sure some of you also because of Covid and stuff. Most of my films flopped, a lot of specialists and analysts started writing my death-knell, some idiots did the same, which actually is the same thing, analysts and idiots. Not something that I really bother about.”
In the same discourse, he subtly referenced Aryan Khan’s arrest, intertwining the personal struggles with his career challenges.
Describing these experiences as bothersome and unpleasant, the actor shared a valuable lesson — to maintain silence, work diligently, and uphold dignity. He emphasized the unpredictable nature of life, pointing out that challenges may emerge unexpectedly even in seemingly stable periods.
“And then, at a personal level, a little bit of bothersome and unpleasant things also happened to say the least which made me learn a lesson that be quiet, be very quiet and work hard with dignity. When you think everything is good, and still know it in your heart when everything is good, suddenly out of nowhere, whoom, life may come and hit you.”
Post-receiving the award, Shah Rukh Khan emotionally dedicated it to his wife and children, recognizing the hardships they endured during the challenging years. He explained that he had previously decided to view every award as a gift for one of his children to bring joy to their lives. Given the tough times his family has endured, he expressed that no one deserves a bigger cheer than them at present.
“Some years back, when I used to get awards, I decided that every award I get, I take it as a gift for one of my kids. It will bring cheer to their lives. I truly believe in the last four-five years that my family has seen, my children have seen, my wife has seen, I think nobody deserves a bigger cheer right now than them. So I am taking this award back home for them.”
SRK concluded his speech saying,
‘Picturo ki tarah real life me bhi happy ending hota hai, aur esa na ho to samajh lena picture abhi baaki hai mere dost”
To provide context, in 2021, Aryan Khan, Shah Rukh Khan’s son, faced arrest by the Narcotics Control Bureau during a raid on a Goa-bound cruise ship, with allegations of drug consumption. Despite multiple bail rejections, Aryan was eventually granted bail by the Bombay High Court after 26 days due to insufficient evidence. In 2022, Aryan Khan was cleared of charges due to a lack of substantial evidence.
