NEW DELHI: Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan has received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in a ceremony in New Delhi for his contribution to film and cinema.
President of India Ram Nath Kovind presented the award to the actor. Amitabh Bachchan is honoured with the award for his outstanding contribution to the film industry.
The 66th National Awards were held in Delhi on December 23. However, Amitabh was not able to attend the ceremony due to ill health. The Indian president invited all winners of this year to the presidential house and announced that Amitabh Bachchan will be presented with the award on December 29.
Amitabh Bachchan was accompanied by his wife Jaya Bachchan and son Abhishek Bachchan to the event. After receiving the award, Amitabh Bachchan thanked the president and Indian Minister of Information and Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar saying:
“It is by the grace of God, the blessings of my parents, support of colleagues from the industry and the love of the people of India that I am able to stand in front of you. It’s been 50 years since the establishment of Dadasaheb Phalke Award and it is the time for which I have been working in the industry. I am grateful for this opportunity and accept this award with gratitude.”
He ended his address by saying, “When the award was announced, I thought if this is a hint to tell me that my time is over and I need to rest at home now. There’s still some work I have to finish and I will be grateful of you all if I get more opportunities in the future.”
The award is named after the father of Indian cinema Dhundiraj Govind Phalke and was instituted in 1969. It is conferred by the government for outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian Cinema. It consists of a medallion and a cash prize of 10 lakh rupees.
