Dubai's General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs officials present Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan with the Happiness Card. Photo: GDRFA Dubai
Dubai's General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs officials present Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan with the Happiness Card. Photo: GDRFA Dubai
Dubai's General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs officials present Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan with the Happiness Card. Photo: GDRFA Dubai
Dubai's General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs officials present Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan with the Happiness Card. Photo: GDRFA Dubai

Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan honoured with a Happiness Card in Dubai


Farah Andrews
  • English
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Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan has been honoured with a Happiness Card in Dubai.

Khan, the face of several Dubai Tourism campaigns, received the card on Wednesday. The tourism initiative gives cardholders discounts and access to promotions around the emirate for the duration of their stay.

"GDRFA Dubai welcomes Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan and grants him the Happiness Card with the aim of achieving happiness for them through various benefits, discounts and offers," the General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs tweeted.

The Happiness Card initiative, first announced in December 2020, is free and available to visitors upon arrival.

The Pathaan actor's love for Dubai is well documented.

“Dubai is my second home. There is something about the city that keeps calling me back. I am amazed by the warmth, hospitality, love and memories that Dubai and its people have given me over the years. Dubai is much more than its breathtaking locations and extravagance; it's a feeling. The city is full of surprises, and every time I visit, I know that there’s something new that awaits me," he previously said.

Shah Rukh Khan in Dubai Tourism campaigns

In March, Khan was announced as the face of a new Dubai Tourism campaign, continuing the run of celebrity-studded videos.

The actor appears in an advertisement, which shows him dancing at Dubai Creek, visiting the recently opened Museum of the Future and shopping at one of the biggest malls in the world.

The video, called Dubai Presents: Shah Rukh Khan in Dubai, was released by the emirate's Department of Economy and Tourism on Tuesday. It's the fourth collaboration between the Bollywood legend and the tourism authority.

Shot over three days in November 2020, it shows the star singing and dancing to music composed by Indian duo Vishal-Shekhar.

The score is combined with the lyrics of a poem written by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, which reads: “Dubai is the rarest land of wonder, as it charms you, captives you and enlightens you.”

Shah Rukh Khan does his signature pose at Dubai Fountain, as part of the #BeMyGuest video. Photo: Dubai Tourism
Shah Rukh Khan does his signature pose at Dubai Fountain, as part of the #BeMyGuest video. Photo: Dubai Tourism

Aimed at "rekindling the spirit of travel and aspiring travellers to explore Dubai, like never before", the video shows the megastar wrapping up a film shoot in front of Atlantis, The Palm, before heading out to explore the city.

He runs on the beach, scoring a goal in a game of football with Burj Al Arab — Dubai's "seven-star hotel" — serving as an impressive backdrop.

One of the world's richest actors, Khan, 56, is also seen exploring the souqs of old Dubai, where he stops to clean a vendor’s glasses for him.

He also appears to gatecrash a party in Dubai Marina, after his daughter Suhana Khan, 21, calls and tells her father: “You're in Dubai, walk around, have fun”.

Famed for his charm, personality and box-office success over almost three decades, Khan wraps up the video on a balcony overlooking Dubai’s glittering skyline, telling his daughter that he had "the best day of his life".

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1970

October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar. 

December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.

1971

March 1:  Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.

July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.

July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.

August 6:  The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.

August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.

September 3: Qatar becomes independent.

November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.

November 29:  At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.

November 30: Despite  a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa. 

November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties

December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.

December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.

December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.

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Torque: 1075Nm
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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

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Top speed: 250kph

Fuel consumption: 6.8L/100km

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  • Petr Fradkov, head of recently sanctioned Promsvyazbank and son of former head of Russian Foreign Intelligence, the FSB. 
  • Denis Bortnikov, Deputy President of Russia's largest bank VTB. He is the son of Alexander Bortnikov, head of the FSB which was responsible for the poisoning of political activist Alexey Navalny in August 2020 with banned chemical agent novichok.  
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  • Elena Aleksandrovna Georgieva, chair of the board of Novikombank, a state-owned defence conglomerate.
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You may know what you want, but are you sure it’s going to suit you? Haircare professionals can tell you what will work best with your skin tone, hair texture and lifestyle.

2. 'I will tell my hairdresser when I’m not happy'

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10pm City players on stage

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