The Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2019 should have been announced last year but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Superstar Rajinikanth will be conferred with the highest award in Indian cinema, that is, 51st Dadasaheb Phalke Award, Union minister Prakash Javadekar announced on Twitter on Thursday. "Happy to announce #Dadasaheb Phalke award for 2019 to one of the greatest actors in history of Indian cinema Rajnikant ji. His contribution as actor, producer and screenwriter has been iconic," Mr Javadekar tweeted.
Mr Javadekar said that this decision has been taken unanimously by the jury comprising Asha Bhonsle, Mohanlal, Biswajit Chatterjee, Shankar Mahadevan and Subhash Ghai. The Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2019 should have been announced last year but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The award includes a Golden Lotus and a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh.
The 70-year-old actor made his debut in Tamil film 'Apoorva Ragangal' in 1975 and delivered super hit films thereafter. He has done over 160 films and has been awarded with the Padma Bhushan in 2000 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2016. He will be seen in his next film 'Annaatthe.' Mr Rajinikanth was ready to launch a political party in January 2021 but soon decided to quit politics citing heath issues.
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