‘Haven’t washed my hands since..’: National Award jury member on handshake with Shah Rukh Khan; fans call her ‘lucky’

Shah Rukh Khan and Vikrant Massey shared the Best Actor honour for their performances in Jawan (2023) and 12th Fail (2023), while Rani Mukerji bagged Best Actress for Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway (2023), marking a nostalgic on-stage reunion with SRK. But beyond the big wins, one of the most delightful highlights came from the jury panel itself – actor Prakruti Mishra, who had a fan-girl moment she’ll never forget with King Khan.

On Wednesday (September 25), Prakruti, who was part of this year’s central jury, shared a heartfelt Instagram post featuring pictures from the ceremony. One photo showed her posing with Shah Rukh alongside filmmaker and jury chairperson Ashutosh Gowariker. Reflecting on the honour of being on the jury, Prakruti wrote: “When I was selected to be a part of the central jury panel for National Film Awards, I didn’t know that I would be a part of the team of 11 who would be responsible for @iamsrk Sir to get his much-deserved and long-awaited first-ever national award.”

Borrowing Shah Rukh’s famous line from Om Shanti Om (2007), she added: “Being a part of this iconic moment makes me realise that ‘Agar kisi cheez ko dil se chaho toh puri kainaat usse tumse milane ki koshish mein lag jaati hai’. This victory feels personal because it gives every Indian artist the dream to hope, to strive and to win! Thank you @iamsrk saab for inspiring us with your humility, hard work and grace.”

But it was her light-hearted confession that won everyone over. Sharing the excitement of meeting her idol, Prakruti wrote: “PS: I haven’t washed my hands since the most special ‘handshake’ of my life .” She ended her note with a warm congratulatory message: “Congratulations @iamsrk Sir on your first and most awaited National award It was an honour to have been in the panel and fight for what you deserved many years ago.”