DMDK chief and wife of actor-turned-politician Vijayakanth, Premalatha received the posthumous Padma Bhushan award conferred on the former leader of opposition in Tamil Nadu.

Premalatha received the esteemed civilian award from President Droupadi Murmu at the national capital on Thursday. The Padma award ceremony was also attended by Vijayakanth's son Vijay Prabhakaran.

An emotional Premalatha looked at the sky while receiving the award.

Hailing from a humble background, Vijayakanth has acted in over 150 films making his debut with Inikkum Ilamai. The actor's big break came in Sattam Oru Iruttarai, directed by SA Chandrasekhar. In the later years, he was best known for playing cop roles in thrillers like Captain Prabhakaran (where he got the moniker 'Captain'), Oomai Vizhigal, Pulan Visaranai, Sethupathi IPS, and Alexander, to name a few.

Following his tremendous success in films, he forayed into politics floating Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK). Vijayakanth was elected a legislator twice, with the position of the Leader of the Opposition in 2011 being the pinnacle of his political career.

However poor health hampered the actor-turned-polician's prospects in the susbequent elections. Vijayakanth breathed his last on December 28, 2023. He was 71.