Shah Rukh Khan’s co-star Divya Dutta has recently expressed her admiration for him receiving his first-ever National Award in his 33 years in the industry.
The Veer-Zaara actress also shared her thoughts on being a National Award winner herself, while speaking at length about her journey and standing in the industry.
Divya Dutta speaks on Shah Rukh Khan’s National Award win
While in an interview with Indian Express, Divya mentioned, “I keep my love for him intact and absolutely adore the man. I’m so, so happy for him. I think he was amazing in Jawan. I’m super happy about the fact that he’s got his first national award.”
How the actress feels being an awardee herself
For the unversed, Divya Dutta has herself received the prestigious honour of Best Supporting Actress for her performance in director Aparnaa Singh’s Irada (2017). To this, she said, “It’s not just a fond memory. Firstly, it’s such a huge honour. Secondly, of course, the public perception of you changes, and even among industry insiders, it does. They take you a tad bit more seriously (after such wins). I’m not saying that they weren’t taking me seriously, but it’s definitely a feather in the cap that you’ll always be proud of.”
Shah Rukh Khan’s National award row
With the announcement of Shah Rukh Khan’s first-ever honour at the 71st National Awards, a debate has sparked over the jury’s decision. While some fans were thrilled by the news, others found it offensive and undeserving, arguing that some of his much better films were ignored and went unnoticed.
71st National Award
The 71st National Film Awards were announced today at a press conference. It was held at the National Media Centre in New Delhi. Before announcing the list of winners at 6 PM on August 1, the jury submitted its report to Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Minister of State L Murugan at 4 pm. The awards distribution ceremony will be held later.