Politician Shashi Tharoor, known for his fancy and often perplexing English, was surprisingly outdone by superstar Shah Rukh Khan. Tharoor usually writes complex messages that make many Indians scratch
their heads in confusion. But this time, he kept it short and simple while congratulating Khan on winning his first National Award. However, it was King Khan who surprised everyone with his reply after he used words like “magniloquent and sesquipedalian.” This clever response left fans both laughing and scrambling to look up the meanings.
After Khan’s National Award win was announced, Tharoor, taking to X (Formerly Twitter), wrote, “A National Treasure wins a National Award! Congratulations.”
Soon after Shashi Tharoor’s post went viral, it was Shah Rukh Khan’s witty reply that left everyone in splits. The Bollywood superstar wrote, “Thank you for the simple praise Mr Tharoor, would not have understood something more magniloquent and sesquipedalian.”
Thank u for the simple praise Mr Tharoor…
would not have understood something more magniloquent and sesquipedalian… ha ha https://t.co/GHAhyCYT5S— Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) August 3, 2025
Decoding King Khan’s Clever Clapback
If you’re someone trying to find the word in a dictionary, we’ve got you covered. According to the Oxford Dictionary, ‘Magniloquent’ means using high-flown or bombastic language, while ‘Sesquipedalian’ refers to words that are long or have many syllables.
Shah Rukh Khan’s Speech
After the announcement of his win, Shah Rukh Khan shared a heartfelt video message on Instagram, calling the National Award a defining moment in his life, one he will cherish forever. He expressed gratitude to the award jury, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, and most importantly, his fans for their unwavering support. Khan dedicated the award to everyone who has stood by him throughout his journey. Joking about not feeling well, he said he couldn’t do his famous pose with open arms at the moment, but asked fans to get their popcorn ready, as he’ll return to the big screen soon.
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Shah Rukh Khan And Vikrant Massey Win Best Actor Awards
At the 71st National Film Awards, Shah Rukh Khan and Vikrant Massey were jointly awarded Best Actor. Vikrant was honoured for his powerful role in Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s 12th Fail. For Khan, it was a special moment, as this was his first-ever National Award in 33 years. He won the prestigious honour for his performance in Atlee’s 2023 action film Jawan, where he played two characters, Vikram Rathore, a former Army officer and Azad, his jailor son, on a mission to fight corruption.
