Superstar actor Rajinikanth has been conferred with the 51st Dadasaheb Phalke Award, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar announced on Thursday. “Happy to announce #Dadasaheb Phalke award for 2019 to one of the greatest actors in the history of Indian cinema Rajnikant ji,” the Minister tweeted.
“His contribution as actor, producer & screenwriter has been iconic,” he added.
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Javadekar thanked the jury that consisted of singer Asha Bhosle, filmmaker Subhash Ghai, actor Mohanlal, music composer-singer Shankar Mahadevan and actor Biswajit Chatterjee.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the “Thalaiva” for getting the honour.
“Popular across generations, a body of work few can boast of, diverse roles and an endearing personality…that’s Shri @rajinikanth Ji for you,” he tweeted.
“It is a matter of immense joy that Thalaiva has been conferred with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award,” the PM added.
Dadasaheb Phalke Award given for an ‘outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian cinema’ is awarded annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, which comes under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. It is awarded during the National Film Awards ceremony.
One of India’s iconic stars, Rajinikanth made his debut in 1975 in the Tamil film ‘Apoorva Ragangal’. Among his hit films are ‘Sivaji’, ‘Billu’, ‘Muthu’ and ‘Baashha’.
Due to his immense contribution to films, the actor has won several awards, including the Padma Bhushan (2000) and Padma Vibhushan (2016).
