Shivaji Rao Gaekwad (Rajinikanth) to get India’s Highest Film Honour!

The award is given for a lifetime contribution to Indian cinema and carries a prize of one million rupees (S$18,340).

Indian movie superstar Rajinikanth, 70, will receive the Dadasaheb Phalke award, India’s highest film honour.

The award is given for a lifetime contribution to Indian cinema and carries a prize of one million rupees (S$18,340).

Dadasaheb Phalke award
         Dadasaheb Phalke Award

Announcing the 2021 award recipient yesterday, India’s Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar said in a tweet that Rajinikanth is “one of the greatest actors in the history of Indian cinema” and that “his contribution as actor, producer and screenwriter has been iconic”.

Born Shivaji Rao Gaekwad, Rajinikanth began his career in 1975 and has starred in 160 movies, gaining fans at home and abroad. His new film, action drama Annaatthe, is due later this year.

Past winners of the Dadasaheb Phalke award include film-makers Satyajit Ray and Tapan Sinha, actors Soumitra Chatterjee and Amitabh Bachchan, and musicians Manna Dey and Asha Bhosle.