Rajinikanth at his residence during a press conferenceBCCL
Indian actor Rajinikanth will receive the 51st Dadasaheb Phalke award – one of the most prestigious recognitions in the film industry.
Prakash Javadekar, the Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting announced the news on Twitter and called Rajinikanth’s contribution to Indian cinema as iconic.
The likes of Akkineni Nageshwar Rao, K Balachander, Amitabh Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor, Soumitra Chatterjee, Manna Dey and many others have been recipients of the award.
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Indian actor Rajinikanth will receive the 51st Dadasaheb Phalke award – one of the most prestigious recognitions in the film industry. Rajinikanth, who is called as thalaivar (leader or boss), has a God-like status in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.
Fans of Rajinikanth holding a protest at Valluvar Kottam in Chennai urging the actor to take the political plunge.BCCL
Prakash Javadekar, the Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting announced the news on Twitter and called Rajinikanth’s contribution to Indian cinema as iconic.
Happy to announce #Dadasaheb Phalke award for 2019 to one of the greatest actors in history of Indian cinema Rajnik… https://t.co/C7lYvTyGyi
The likes of Akkineni Nageshwar Rao, K Balachander, Amitabh Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor, Soumitra Chatterjee, Manna Dey and many others have been recipients of the award.
Born in 1950, Shivaji Rao Gaekwad came to be known as Rajinikanth as he began his journey in Kannada and then moved on to the Tamil film industry.
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Rajinikanth’s journey from being a bus conductor to one of India’s most recognised celebrities, makes him truly one of the legends in Indian cinema. He is also a recipient of the Padma Vibhushan and Padma Bhushan, the second and third highest civilian honours in India, respectively.
The star’s debut was in 1975 in K. Balachander's Tamil drama Apoorva Raagangal, and there has been no looking back since then.
A fan celebrating the release of a Rajini filmBCCL
Over his 44-year long career, he has done 206 films across languages.
The actor had also contemplated an entry into politics but gave up the ambition earlier this year.
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