A state award to Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan [Images] has stirred up a hornet's nest here with local artists protesting the decision saying the star did not deserve the title.

The President of the Artistes Association of Malaysia Mustapha Maarof said Khan did not deserve the award. The Association said it would hand 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.

Khan was awarded the Darjah Mulia Seri Melaka (DMSM), which carries the title 'Datuk' was conferred to him by the Malacca state, one of the 13 states of Malaysia for promoting Malacca in his songs and films. Khan's film One Two Ka Four was shot in Malacca.

The actor was among several others who to get the award on the occasion of 70th birth anniversary of Malacca's head of state Mohd Khalil Yaakob. He, however, did not attend the award ceremony as he was in Singapore to attend a show.

Shah Rukh Khan is hugely popular here especially among the Muslim Malays, who see all his Hindi films in Malay subtitles. Khan is also popular among the Pakistani community here.      

The award has inadvertently stirred up a controversy in this Indian films crazy southeast Asian country as several people including the opposition parties have already raise questions over the state's decision to award Shah Rukh Khan ignoring the contribution of locals.