Superstar Shah Rukh Khan says he and his family went through a "tough time" while "Jawan" was under development and he is happy to end his year on a high after he won the best actor trophy for the action blockbuster at the IIFA Awards 2024 ceremony.
Directed by Atlee, "Jawan" followed the emotional journey of a man who is set to rectify the wrongs in the society. It starred Shah Rukh in the dual role of Vikram Rathore and his son Azad.
Shah Rukh -- who also hosted Saturday's IIFA Awards with Vicky Kaushal and Karan Johar -- said while he doesn't like talking about his personal life, "Jawan" was made "under stress".
"We all were going through a little bit of a tough time while making 'Jawan'... It's good to be back. I'm extremely grateful for this award. I love awards, I'm greedy about awards... I'm genuinely back and I'm really happy to end the year like this..." the actor said in his awards acceptance speech.
Shah Rukh had taken a break post the release of 2018's "Zero" after some of his films didn't do well at the box office. Tough times also hit home when his eldest son Aryan Khan was arrested in connection with the Mumbai cruise drugs case in 2021 and spent 22 days in jail.
The family was under intense media scrutiny during this time. In 2022, Aryan was cleared of all charges.
"We are all professionals who are supposed to do our job, but I'd like to thank the team behind me Arun, Raj, Sharina, Anjali, Khushboo, Preety who did the make-up, and of course, Pooja (his manager). They all worked very, very hard for two-three years to make this film ('Jawan') happen. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart," he said.
The actor said he was accepting the trophy for all three of his 2023 releases "Jawan", "Pathaan", and "Dunki".
"I have a little happiness from the audience this year because I have worked after a long time. So, I take this award for all the three films that I happen to do this year -- the wonderful 'Dunki', the magnificent 'Pathaan', and absolutely mad 'Jawan'," said Shah Rukh, who returned to the big screen with "Pathaan", almost five years after "Zero".
The star thanked Atlee, co-stars Nayanthara, Vijay Sethupathi, Deepika Padukone and other crew members for their work on the film.
Shah Rukh then expressed gratitude to wife and "Jawan" producer Gauri Khan.
"Somebody has to put the money in the film, so I'd like to thank Gauri, the producer. She must be the only wife spending more money on the husband than the husband does on the wife. I'm thankful for her but in all seriousness, for her patience, goodwill, kindness..."
He also gave a shout-out to fellow nominees Ranveer Singh ("Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani"), Ranbir Kapoor ("Animal"), Vikrant Massey ("12th Fail"), Kaushal ("Sam Bahadur"), and Sunny Deol "Gadar 2".
"All of them deserve it in one way or the other," he added.
His "Dil Se.." director Mani Ratnam and music composer AR Rahman presented the award to Shah Rukh.
"To receive this award from Mani Ratnam sir and AR Rahman sir... It is one of the greatest moments of my life because these are two of the people I have worked with and (I) respect way beyond what they can ever understand. I joke with them, talk with them, but I have learnt so much filmmaking from both of these legends. Thank you so much, both of you."
The Bollywood star arrived on the IIFA Awards 2024 green carpet at 2.40 am (Abu Dhabi time) on early Sunday morning amid tight security.
No one was allowed to be on the walkway except Shah Rukh, his team and bodyguards. However, a few reporters -- who were sponsors for the awards -- and an in-house IIFA team, comprising photographers and videographers, were permitted to be on the carpet.
A private security guard did a quick check to ensure that the area was clear before the superstar walked in.
The media was allotted three different sections - international, UAE, and Indian media. Shah Rukh walked on all the three green carpets, posed and waved for the cameras.
