Rajinikanth presented with Dada Saheb Phalke Award; Thanks his fans and people of Tamilnadu for their love

The presentation of the 67th National Film Awards was held earlier today
Rajinikanth clicked during his speech
Rajinikanth clicked during his speech

Superstar Rajinikanth was conferred with the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke Award by Vice President Venkaiah Naidu during the 67th National Film Awards ceremony that was held earlier today.

The actor was honoured for his contribution to the entertainment industry for over five decades. In his speech, Rajinikanth said that he is elated to receive this prestigious award and thanked the Central Government for the same. He also dedicated the award to the three most important people in his life. "I dedicate this award to my guru and mentor K Balachander sir, and I remember him with gratitude. I also dedicate this to my brother Sathyanarayana Rao Gaikwad, who was a father figure to me, and raised me with great values, and instilled spirituality in me."

The actor also remembered his close friend and bus driver Raj Bahadur, who identified Rajinikanth's talent in acting when the latter was working as a bus conductor. "He was the first person to identify the acting talent in me when I was a bus conductor and encouraged me to enter the world of cinema."

The actor then thanked the producers, directors, technicians, co-artistes, distributors, and the media. While signing off, the superstar thanked his fans and the people of Tamilnadu for their love and affection. "Without them, I am a nobody, They are the gods who keep me alive," he said.

Rajinikanth's speech was met with a huge roar from the crowd who gave a standing ovation to the superstar. 

The prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke Award is one of the highest honours in Indian cinema. The jury which decided the award this year includes Asha Bhonsle, director Subhash Ghai, Mohanlal, Shankar Mahadevan and actor Biswajeet Chatterjee.

Rajinikanth is the third film artist from Tamilnadu to be conferred with the award, after the legendary actor Sivaji Ganesan and late director K Balachander.

The 67th National Film Awards were awarded for films released in 2019. The winners were announced on March 22, 2021, with the pandemic delaying the awards ceremony by about five months. Prominent award-winners include Dhanush (for Asuran), Kangana Ranaut (Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi and Panga), Manoj Bajpayee (Bhonsle), Vijay Sethupathi (Super Deluxe), writer-director R Parthiepan (Oththa Seruppu Size 7), sound designer Resul Pookutty (Oththa Seruppu Size 7), and composer D Imman (Viswasam). Films that won big include Marakkar: Lion of the Arabian Sea (Malayalam), Maharishi (Telugu), Helen (Malayalam), Jersey (Telugu), Asuran (Tamil), and Oththa Seruppu (Tamil).

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