French government honours King Khan

Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan has been awarded the Officier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters) by the French government for his prolific career and contribution to the development of Indo-French cooperation in the field of cinema.

"It is a great pleasure for me to announce that the French Government has bestowed the honour of the Officier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres on Shah Rukh Khan, an actor of great talent and unmatched popularity," French ambassador Dominique Girard said in a statement.

"The conferring of this award also stands testimony to our gratitude to Shah Rukh Khan for his cooperation with the French cinema industry at a time when we are determined to further deepen the Indo-French collaboration in this field," added Girard.

The statement said the honour would be conferred on the actor at a later date. Shah Rukh, 41, has acted in over 60 films.

The French government presents the Officier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres award to "persons who have distinguished themselves by their creativity in the field of art, culture and literature or for their contribution to art in France and throughout the world", the press release added.

Previous recipients of this award include veteran Hollywood actors Bruce Willis and Uma Thurman. Renowned artist S.H. Raza and acclaimed author Mahasweta Devi are some of the famous Indian personalities who have also received this honour.