Rajinikanth reacts to his Dadasaheb Phalke win, dedicates award to fans

Actor Rajinikanth has been conferred with the 51st Dadasaheb Phalke Award for “his contribution as actor, producer and screenwriter”, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar announced on Thursday, calling him “one of the greatest actors in the history of Indian cinema.”

Following this, the actor took to Twitter to express his gratitude. He thanked the central government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for conferring him with the award. 

He also thanked his friend and bus driver Raj Bahadur who discovered his acting talent and his brother Sathyanarayana Rao Gaekwad for struggling and working hard to make him an actor.

Rajinikanth went on to thank his guru, K Balachander, and the directors, producers, and all the technicians who have worked on his movies. 

He also thanked Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, Deputy Chief Minister O Pannerselvam, opposition leader MK Stalin, Kamal Hassan and other state and central leaders.

Dedicating this honour to all his fans across the world, the actor said, “Long Live Tamils, May Tamil Nadu prosper, Jai Hind!”  

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the actor. 

“Popular across generations, a body of work few can boast of, diverse roles and an endearing personality…that’s Shri @rajinikanth Ji for you. It is a matter of immense joy that Thalaiva has been conferred with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award,” the PM tweeted.