It's a special night for superstar Shah Rukh Khan as a while ago he won an award in the 'Best Actor' category at Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards (DPIFF) 2024.
SRK was honoured for his performance in Atlee's directorial Jawan.
In an acceptance speech, he quipped, ‘I thank the jury who considered me worthy of the Best Actor award. I have not received the Best Actor Award in a long time. It seemed as if I would not get it again...So I am extremely happy. I like awards. I am a bit greedy.
SRK also expressed gratitude to the entire team of Jawan and the audience.
"I am genuinely thrilled and touched that people have recognized the work that I have put in. Work of an artist is not important ...all the people around him or her make everything come together...so a lot of people's hard work is involved in making Jawan and helping me win this award. I promise I will keep working hard and entertain India and people who are living abroad… whether it takes me to dance, to fall, to fly, to romance, to be evil, to be a bad guy, to be a good guy...Inshallah, I will keep working hard," SRK said with a big smile on his face.
SRK returned to the silver screen with Siddharth Anand's Pathaan in January 2023. In the film, SRK donned an action avatar and left everyone in awe. The film broke several records at the box office and managed to grab a name in the list of one of the highest-grossing films in the Indian film industry. The film marked SRK's first hit after his sabbatical of four years post delivering a series of duds like Zero and Jab Harry Met Sejal.
After Pathaan, King Khan returned to theatres in September with Jawan. The film once again saw SRK in an action avatar.
In December, he came up with Dunki, which also did decent business at the box office.
The actress defended her claim that acting demands more than desk jobs in a recent interview.
She said office workers can "chill out" during work hours, unlike film stars.
Fans and working professionals called her comments privileged and out of touch.
The backlash started after her appearance on Amazon Prime's Two Much with Kajol & Twinkle.
Critics pointed out the financial gap and support systems actors have compared to regular employees.
Kajol probably didn't expect this reaction when she sat down with Twinkle Khanna on Two Much. But her comments about actors working harder than people with 9-to-5 jobs have blown up, and not in a good way.
Fans slam Kajol after she says actors work harder than regular employees sparking online outrage Getty Images
The comments that started it all
Kajol was speaking out about her earlier comments on Two Much with Kajol & Twinkle on Amazon Prime, where she said actors work harder than most people. This time she was explaining why she thinks that.
She told The Hollywood Reporter India that her days are full of shoots, events, and very early flights. One day involved waking at 5 AM to catch a flight to Jaipur for a 3 PM event.
But it was her take on regular jobs that got people talking. She claimed desk workers don't need to be "100% present" and can take breaks, "chill out," and relax while working. She kept coming back to the unending scrutiny actors face like the feeling of always being watched or something as simple as how you cross your legs or who's snapping a picture in the background becomes a constant calculation. You have to be switched on, she insisted, all the time.
The internet, frankly, was having none of it. YouTube and Reddit exploded with responses. "For the kind of remuneration actors are paid, they shouldn't have a problem working 12 hours a day for 4 days a week," one user wrote. Another pointed out that films typically take 3-4 months to shoot, while regular jobs run year-round.
The responses got more pointed. "Vanity mein naps or massages bhi toh hum lete hain," a Reddit user commented, referencing the comfort of vanity vans. Someone else joked: "If you work poorly, you get fired. If you act poorly, you get a Filmfare award."
The bluntest response yet? "Respectfully, Kajol, shut up."
Nobody denies acting is demanding. Long hours, public pressure, and constant judgement are very real. But comparing it to regular employment ignores some major differences.
Most people work 12 months a year with two weeks' holiday if they're lucky. They don't have spot boys fetching drinks or vanity vans for rest breaks. One netizen nailed it: "A working parent's schedule is continuous, every single day, with no wrap-up party or off-season."
Online erupts as Kajol defends claim that acting demands more than everyday 9-to-5 workGetty Images
There's also the money. While her fee for a single film is probably more than most people earn in a year, she says that doesn’t make the work easy. Still, it does provide a comfort that regular employees don’t have. Kajol has not yet replied to the backlash.
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