Shah Rukh Khan's Phone Incident: Was He Following Protocol?

Actor Shah Rukh Khan recently attended the Joy Awards 2026 in Riyadh. Now, a video has emerged on Threads in which a person standing next to Shah Rukh on stage asks him for a selfie. Shah Rukh Khan takes away phone from person trying to click selfie with him Reacting to it, Shah Rukh is seen smiling, taking the phone and gesturing for the person to look ahead at the cameraperson. He then gives him his phone back. Another person is seen trying to click a selfie with Shah Rukh, and the actor asks him to look into the camera as well. Shah Rukh then hands over a trophy to the person as they smile and pose for the camera. The clip was shared with the caption, "A video from the Joy Awards in Saudi is making rounds online, where a fan tried to take a selfie with Shah Rukh Khan, and SRK gently took the phone away. While some people are calling it arrogance, others feel moments like these are often misunderstood. In crowded, high-security events, even small interactions can look different from what they really are. As always, opinions are divided—what do you think?" Fans defend Shah Rukh's action Reacting to it, a fan said, "Are they stupid? He's telling them someone else will take the picture, that way the prize can be seen too... They're not smart enough to see something so obvious." A person wrote, "He is clearly telling, 'Take a picture from the front' so that the picture will be clearer," a person wrote. "He is following protocol and telling them the same. Why take a selfie on stage with an award when there is a cameraman?" a comment read. "SRK was following the protocol of the event, wherein he is supposed to click an official photo while presenting the award to the awardee. However, people got excited to be in the same stage and frame as SRK and started clicking personal selfies. He just stopped them from doing the same and finished his obligations. No need to troll him for doing his duty," commented a Threads user. "We are so used to not following basic civic sense that now we criticise someone trying to follow that, when you are on stage for an award, you don’t click personal selfies to ruin official photographs.. imagine anyone clicking personal selfies while on stage receiving Oscar, IIFA etc, then you’ll understand," said another fan. "He's receiving an award. There are photos being taken by professional photographers. They will be better than a selfie from any phone in the world. Selfies have their own place, and it's certainly not on a stage while receiving awards," wrote another person. "He’s actually teaching him how to be decent. With the way he’s presenting the award, he’s not really supposed to click a selfie like that on one stage. That’s what I think I saw," commented a social media user. Shah Rukh at event Shah Rukh was among the celebrities who were in attendance at the 2026 Joy Award, including Millie Bobby Brown, Katy Perry, Lee Jung-jae and Lee Byung-hun. Taking to his X account, the actor shared a heartwarming exchange with Turki Alalshikh, chairperson of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority and wrote, "Always fun and happiness to come my friend. And the function was spectacular and very grand. Congratulations on half a decade of #JoyAwards." Shah Rukh's upcoming film Fans will see Shah Rukh next in King, directed by Siddharth Anand. The film also stars his daughter Suhana Khan, Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachchan and Akshay Oberoi, among others. The upcoming film is produced by Red Chillies Entertainment and Marflix Pictures.