Superstar Rajinikanth and director SS Rajamouli have received the prestigious Padma Vibhushan award and Padmi Shri, respectively from Indian President Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan Tuesday, April 12.
"In Delhi on his way to receive this National honour #PadmaVibhushan #SuperStar #ProudDaughter #Salute ," Rajinikanth's daughter Soundarya had tweeted Tuesday morning.
The 65-year-old actor has received the country's second highest civilian award. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2000. "Feeling deeply honoured for being awarded the Padma Vibhushan.My heartfelt thanks to my dear fans, well wishers & friends for all the wishes (sic)," the actor had posted on his Twitter page after the announcement of the Padma awards.
Meanwhile, after the announcement of the winners' list, "Baahubali" director Rajamouli, who is currently busy with the shooting of the sequel of the blockbuster movie, had stated that he does not deserve the prestigious award. "I don't know what to say. It is quite a mixed feeling. Very frankly i don't feel I deserve the honour. This is not humility (sic)," the filmmaker had then tweeted Jan. 25.
Also awarded on the occasion were Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra, playback singer Udit Narayan and Indian tennis player Sania Mirza. The Padma Awards were given out in two separate ceremonies. Actors Ajay Devgn and Anupam Kher and filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar had received their Padma Awards from President Pranab Mukherjee March 28, according to NDTV.
Rajinikanth, who had began his career as an actor in K. Balachander's "Apoorva Raagangal" in 1975, has become one of the highest paid actors in Asia in a span of 41 years. He has also been felicitated many times by the Government of Tamil Nadu, which has awarded him six State Film Awards, besides the Kalaimamani honour, the MGR Award and the MGR-Sivaji Award.
Check Gallery of Padma Awards 2016
Meanwhile, Rajinikanth, who was last seen in KS Ravikumar's "Lingaa," is currently shooting for S Shankar's movie "2.0," which is the sequel of the superhit science fiction film "Enthiran." The movie also stars Akshay Kumar and Amy Jackson in lead roles and is likely to hit screens in 2017. The "Padayappa" actor is also awaiting the release of the big-budget movie "Kabali," which is expected to be released by May last week or June first week this year. In the movie, which has been directed by Pa. Ranjith, the veteran actor will be seen as an aged don and Radhika Apte will play his love interest.
Check out photos and video of the event here:
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