SRK joins the league of Celine Dion, Leonardo Di Caprio

What would you get when you combine the Brand Ambassador of Romance and the God's very own Kingdom of Love? The answer is 'Rendezvous'! This is exactly what had taken place at the Grand Hyatt, Mumbai, when the French Embassy, in collaboration with Unifrance inaugurated the 1st Rendez-vous with French Cinema.

The USP of the event was undoubtedly the 'Brand Ambassador of Romance' Shah Rukh Khan himself, who was conferred the prestigious 'Insignia of Officer in the Order of Arts & Letters'. With this, the King Khan joins the league of the previous awardees like Arundhati Roy, David Bowie, Celine Dion, Bob Dylan, Leonardo Di Caprio, Robert Redford to name a few. Also, present on the occasion were Verenioque Cayla, Managing Director-CNC, Jerome Seydoux-Chairman of Pathe.

Even though the event was nothing short of a visual treat, but what really took the cake was the Q & A round with the King Khan. Needless to say that SRK was in his elements and was ready with an answer (read 'repartee') to every question, even before the question would have popped up in the person's mind. When asked about his take on the French cinema, SRK said "It's just a beginning. I feel too humble for this huge honour. I feel that I am taking the Indian Cinema much beyond as a career." He also drove home a few examples to explain that cinema is cinema, irrespective of the language. Not only that, SRK also got nostalgic about his first ever visit to France (which was for Devdas) and the second time for Veer Zaara. When asked about his popularity in France and his acceptance, he resembled a personified version of humbleness and modesty, as he said that "It's not me who is popular in France. It's the Indian Cinema which is popular and I am just a part of the Indian Cinema!" He also did not rule out the possibility of a French film, but with a right script and at the right time!

Echoing SRK's sentiments and statements was His Excellency Jerome Bonnfont, the Ambassador of France in India, who said "We want to marry the Indian and the French cinema, which will take some time, but, will happen for sure!" He also added that this kind of 'Rendez-Vous' will happen every year.