Superstar Rajinikanth will be honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, information and broadcasting minister Prakash Javadekar announced on Thursday.
The announcement comes days ahead of the April 6 Assembly polls in Tamil Nadu where the 70-year-old Rajinikanth resides and has a massive following among the people.
In December last year, the actor, citing poor health and the pandemic, had declared that he would not enter politics weeks after announcing that he would launch a party and contest the Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu.
Dadasaheb Phalke Award, Indian cinema’s highest honour for an artiste, for the year 2019, will be presented to Rajinikanth on May 3.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed Rajinikanth for his contribution to cinema while congratulating him on the honour.
“Popular across generations, a body of work few can boast of, diverse roles and an endearing personality...that’s Shri @rajinikanth Ji for you. It is a matter of immense joy that Thalaiva has been conferred with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. Congratulations to him,” Modi said in a tweet.
Replying to the PM, the actor tweeted, “Immensely humbled and honoured with your greetings and the most prestigious #DadasahebPhalkeAward award respected and dearest Shri @narendramodiji. My heartfelt thanks to you and the government of India.”