Watch: Shah Rukh Khan strikes famous pose as he receives award at SIBF 2022

Crowds cheered wildly and stood up on chairs to catch a glimpse of their favorite actor inside the ballroom of the SIBF as he walked in wearing an all-black ensemble and his trademark dimpled smile. He blew kisses and waved at the hundreds of people who thronged the hall as screams of “I love you Shah Rukh” rang through the hall. Some of those in the audience had begun queuing up at early as 10am outside the Sharjah Expo Centre for the event that was scheduled to begin at 6pm.

Indians Greeshma and Mejo arrived at 2pm with their children, 8-year-old Kevin and 4-year-old Joanne. “We stood for some time, then we sat down, then one of us was lying down, it was a long wait but worth it,” said an elated Greeshma who has been a fan of Shah Rukh Khan since she was in school.

“I have never seen him in person, and I wasn’t about to miss this one opportunity I had. When we joined the queue, it was already quite long. We met a lady who had been waiting since 10 in the morning.”

She said her biggest supporter was her 8-year-old son Kevin. “I love Shah Rukh Khan uncle,” he said. “I really like the movie Happy New Year. He dances very well.”

There were several others who had waited for long hours to meet their favorite actor. Ugandan nationals Maya and Zurah were two of them. “I feel like jumping on stage and giving him a hug,” said a very excited Zurah, laughing and clapping her hands. “We have watched all his movies on YouTube, and we love him. When he laughs, we laugh. When he cries, we cry. There is really no other actor like him. We love him so much.”

The audience started being allowed into the hall starting from 5:30pm. Many others who weren’t lucky enough to get into the hall stood outside, hoping to catch a glimpse of him. Others watched his speech on the screens that had been set up throughout Sharjah Expo Center.

Upcoming releases

SRK will be returning to the big screen after a hiatus this year with three films. In a candid conversation with Indian journalist Faye D’Souza, he said he was rarely nervous before the release of a film.

“I think (my movies) are all going to be superhit films,” he said. “That is the belief I sleep with, that is the belief I wake up with. That is the belief that makes me at the age of 57 to go and do stunts, jump, work 18 hours a day because if I didn’t have that belief, that at the end of it all, I am going to make a great product that a lot of people will like, I would not be able to do it.”

The actor, who is widely regarded as one of the most successful actors in the world, ended the evening by enthralling his audiences with some of his most famous dialogues from movies like 'Baazigar', 'Om Shanti Om', 'Don' and 'Jab Tak Hai Jaan' as crowds cheered him on.

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