Shah Rukh Khan to be honoured with an honorary doctorate by La Trobe at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne

Australian University La Trobe will award Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan with an honorary doctorate at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne, in recognition of his efforts to support underprivileged children, his unwavering dedication to the fight for women’s empowerment through MEER Foundation and his unparalleled achievements in the Indian entertainment industry, a press statement said.

Reacting to the announcement, Shah Rukh said in a statement, “I’m proud to be conferred with a great University like La Trobe which has a long-standing relationship with Indian culture and impressive track record in advocating for women’s equality. I feel truly privileged to receive this Honorary Doctorate and I would like to sincerely thank La Trobe for choosing to recognise my achievements in such a humbling way.”

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Shah Rukh and Karan Johar will be at the India Film Festival of Melbourne to attend a special screening of their 1995 hit Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. SRK is also the chief guest at the festival.

La Trobe is the first Australian University to award Khan with an Honorary Doctor of Letters (honoris causa), and will present the honorary doctorate ‪on August9 at its Melbourne campus in Bundoora.

Named after the actor’s father Meer Taj Mohammed Khan, Meer Foundation is a philanthropic foundation that aims to effect change at ground level and works to build a world that empowers women. It supports the cause of acid attack survivors and helps the victims with medical treatment, legal aid, vocational training and rehabilitation. It has also sponsored treatment and surgeries for women and children at several hospitals across the country.

On the work front, Shah Rukh was last seen in Aanand L Rai’s Zero which was a major disappointment at the box office and is yet to announce a film.

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