Shah Rukh Khan knighted in Malaysia amid controversy

What started as an attempt to promote Malaysian tourism among Indians has turned into a national controversy in Malaysia. The country, home to about 2.6 million people of Indian origin, bestowed one of Malaysia's prestigious titles 'Datuk' on India's most bankable film star Shah Rukh Khan. But the opposition leader has questioned the decision. Malaysian honour 'Datuk' is almost equivalent of the British knight 'Sir'. The news has amused press ranging from The Washington Times to 'The Variety'.

According to Variety Asia: Khan, received the Governor's Award for supporting Melaka (Malacca) state, having made a movie ("One 2 Ka 4") there and promoted the region's film industry. "He is a well-loved, well-liked celebrity in Malaysia and he has helped develop the huge, income-earning Bollywood movie industry here," Mahadzir Lokman, an event management specialist who works closer with Bollywood film crews in Malaysia, said.

Local artists have protested against the decision. The President of the Artistes' Association of Malaysia, Mustapha Maarof, said Khan did not deserve the award. The Association said it would issue a letter to the Ministry of Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage stating that the award by Malacca state was "irrelevant".

"Giving the award to an outsider is as if certain quarters are belittling the credibility and creativity of local talents," he said adding that local film makers and actors had struggled hard to raise the standard of the film industry.

Opposition parliamentarian Lim Kit Siang has expressed concern, questioning whether Khan knows where Malacca is and whether preference should not have been given to local Malaysian talent. "Are there no Malaysian film stars, artists or sports-people who have greater (talent) to be honored and encouraged as compared to Shah Rukh?" Lim said in a statement.

Affectionately known as the 'King of Bollywood,' Khan can now also use the title 'Datuk.'

Malacca chief minister Mohammad Ali Rustam defended the move, saying the Bollywood star had helped promote the state through his movies and song sequences. “It would have cost (the state) millions to promote Malacca through advertisements but instead Shah Rukh has brought it to the attention of the world through his movies,” The Straits Times quoted Ali as saying.

He cited six movies of Shah Rukh, including Farhan Akhtar's 'Don', that featured songs and scenes shot at sites in Malacca. One of his movies, One 2 Ka 4, had been shot at a popular resort in the state in 2001.

According to a Malaysian paper, opposition parliamentarian Lim Kit Siang said he was "astounded" that the governor would choose to honor the Indian actor. "I don't think the reason that has been given for making Shah Rukh Khan a Malacca datuk would impress or convince many that the Bollywood actor-dancer had 'contributed to our tourism industry,' " he said.

“If Shah Rukh Khan deserves the award, then so should Hollywood stars Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta-Jones who shot a movie against the backdrop of the Twin Towers (the Petronas skyscraper in Kuala Lumpur) in 1999,” Siang said.

Malaysia has become a popular location for shooting Indian films, which have a huge following among the ethnic Indians and the majority Muslim-Malays.

Women of all ages -- including the wife of deputy prime minister Najib Razak, Rosmah Mansor -- are huge fans of the charismatic Shah Rukh, dubbed the "King of Bollywood" here.

Fatimah Tahir, a fan of the star, was stunned at the news. "I wonder whether Shah Rukh Khan even knows where Malacca is," she told the newspaper.

So far, there has been no reaction from Khan's camp.