Actor Ajith Kumar, who was conferred with the Padma Bhushan award by the Government of India earlier this year for his contribution to cinema, has landed in Delhi to attend the award ceremony that is scheduled to take place on Monday. He will receive the top honour from the President of India, Droupadi Murmu, at Rashtrapati Bhavan. In a video that has been doing rounds on social media, he was seen accompanied by his wife Shalini, daughter Anoushka and son, Aadvik. His manager Suresh Chandra was also seen alongside him.
In an earlier statement, Ajith expressed his happiness and gratitude on being honoured with the award. "It is a privilege to be recognised at such a level and I am truly grateful for this generous acknowledgment of my contributions to our nation. At the same time, I am mindful that this recognition is not just a personal accolade but a testament to the collective efforts and support of many. I would like to express my sincere thanks to the members of the film industry, including my distinguished seniors, various peers, and untold others. Your inspiration, collaboration, and support have been instrumental in my journey, including the pursuit of my passion in other areas as well."
The actor has been having a glorious year with his acting and racing pursuits yeiling successful results. Both Vidaamuyarchi, helmed by Magizh Thirumeni and Good Bad Ugly, directed by Adhik Ravichandran had performed well at the box office and earned critical acclaim.
On the racing front, the actor's racing team (Ajith Kumar Racing) won third place in the 991 category and won the 'Spirit of the Race' in the 24H series race held in the UAE capital on January 12. Recently, his team secured a second place at the Circuit of Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium.
Out of the total of 139 awards, apart from actor Ajith Kumar, Nandamuri Balakrishna, and Anant Nag are among those who are receiving the Padma Bhushan award. In the Padma Vibushan category, late writer MT Vasudevan Nair is being conferred with the award, posthumously.
Shekhar Kapur, and Shobana Chandrakumar are also receiving the Padma Bhushan from the cinema field. Meanwhile Nalli Kuppuswami Chetti, the owner of Nalli is also receiving a Padma Bhushan from Tamil Nadu.
In the Padma Shri category, some of the award recipients from the cinema industry are, Arijit Singh, Ashok Laxman Saraf, Barry Godfray John, Jaspinder Narula and Ricky Kej and more.