New Delhi: The 51st Dada Saheb Phalke Award has been conferred to superstar Rajnikanth. After debuting with K Balachander's Apoorva Ragangai in 1975, Rajnikanth has completed 45 years in Kollywood.
The Union Minister Prakash Javadekar had previously announced the name of the recipient of the 51st Dada Saheb Phalke Award on April 1, 2021.
The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is considered to be India's highest honour in cinema. It is presented by the Director of Films Festivals to acknowledge the recipient's contribution to the development and growth of Indian cinema.
The award had been named after the father of Indian Cinema, Dhundiraj Govind Phalke, and was instituted in 1969. The recipient of this award receives a Swarna Kamal (Golden Lotus) medallion, a shawl and a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh.
Rajnikanth had made his debut in the film industry with K Balachandser's Apoorva Ragangal. After playing the roles of side characters in the initial stage of his career, Rajnikanth got his big break in M Bhaskar's Bairavi where he was cast as the lead actor. The success of the movie also bagged him his superstar status.
After this, there was no stopping him and Rajnikanth went on to become one of the most loved and respected actors of Indian Cinema.
He also joined politics in 2017 and later quit it owing to his ill health.
In 2018, the Dada Saheb Phalke Award was given to megastar Amitabh Bachchan. The award was handed over to the actor by the President of India Ram Nath Kovind on December 23, 2019.
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