Shah Rukh Khan Wins Best Actor National Award for ‘Jawan’: Five Past Performances of King Khan That Deserved To See Him Win!

In a career spanning 33 years, there was one milestone that had eluded Shah Rukh Khan - a National Award for Best Actor. He came close on a couple of occasions, but it was at the 71st National Film Awards that SRK finally took one home, albeit for a rather contentious choice: Jawan. The Atlee‑directed masala action entertainer saw him in a dual role - father and son - both seeking revenge. The film also became the biggest Bollywood box office hit of 2023. 71st National Film Awards Winners: Shah Rukh Khan, Vikrant Massey and Rani Mukerji Win Best Actor Honours, Sanya Malhotra’s ‘Kathal’ Wins Best Hindi Film – Full List Inside!

Shah Rukh Khan shares the Best Actor award with Vikrant Massey, who was recognised for his performance in Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s 12th Fail.

Whether SRK truly deserved the win is open to debate, but it’s also true that he has been overlooked in the past despite delivering some truly stellar performances, as in the three examples below.

Swades

Who Won: Saif Ali Khan for Hum Tum

One of the most controversial National Award wins saw Saif Ali Khan take Best Actor for a light‑hearted romcom that not even Filmfare might have honoured - and in a year when his mother happened to be the Censor Board chief. Many expected SRK to claim his first National Award for his heartfelt turn as NASA scientist Mohan Bhargav, a performance that won widespread acclaim. There’s a touch of poetic justice in the fact that Ashutosh Gowariker, who directed Swades, chaired the National Awards jury the year SRK finally won.

National Film Award Wins for Swades: Best Male Playback Singer – Udit Narayan ("Yeh Taara Woh Taara"); Best Cinematography – Mahesh Aney

Veer Zara

Who Won: Saif Ali Khan for Hum Tum

In the same year when Shah Rukh Khan gave an incredible performance in Swades, he also gave an excellent dual performance (not double role) as the prisoner of love in Yash Chopra's epic romantic drama. Which makes SRK's loss that year even more hurting.

National Film Award Wins for Veer-Zara: Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment

Devdas

Who Won: Ajay Devgn for The Legend of Bhagat Singh

One of Shah Rukh Khan's most memorable and iconic performances came as the doomed protagonist in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's tragic love story. Too bad for him that he lost to a very hard-hitting performance from Ajay Devgn as freedom fighter Bhagat Singh in Rajkumar Santosh's brilliant biopic. While SRK may have lost the trophy, Devdas courted several that year.

National Film Award Wins for Devdas: Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design; Best Female Playback Singer - Shreya Ghoshal ("Bairi Piya"); Best Choreography - Saroj Khan ("Dola Re")

Chak De! India

Who Won: Prakash Raj for Kanchivaram

SRK’s portrayal of Kabir Khan, the disgraced hockey player turned coach of the Indian women’s team, ranks among his very best - easily on par with, if not surpassing, Swades. Unfortunately for him, Prakash Raj delivered an exceptional performance in Priyadarshan’s Kanchivaram, a role that rightfully earned the award that year. Perhaps a shared win could have been considered. National Film Awards 2025: Shah Rukh Khan Wins First Ever Best Actor Award for ‘Jawan’, Vikrant Massey for ‘12th Fail' (Watch Video).

National Film Awards Wins for Chak De! India: Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment

My Name Is Khan

Who Won: Dhanush for Aadukalam; Salim Kumar for Adaminte Makan Abu

Another year where the competition proved formidable. Still, SRK’s nuanced performance as a man with Asperger’s syndrome  -  journeying across the USA to meet the President and declare, "My name is Khan, and I am not a terrorist" - remains one of his most moving and understated works.

National Film Awards Wins for My Name is Khan: None

These are the roles where Shah Rukh Khan unquestionably delivered National Award‑worthy performances, but missed out, either because of bad luck or because of other contentious winners. Which makes his eventual win for Jawan both ironic and, perhaps, long overdue.

(The opinions expressed in the above article are of the author and do not reflect the stand or position of LatestLY.)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 01, 2025 08:29 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).