Actor Rajnikanth conferred upon prestigious Phalke Award

Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu on Monday presented the 67th National Film Awards at a special function in New Delhi. Veteran actor and  Super Star Rajinikanth was honoured with the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke Award for his outstanding contribution to the world of Indian cinema.Malayalam movie 'Marakkar Arabikkadilinte Simham' directed by Priyadarshan was awarded the Best Feature Film Award. Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan was given best Direction Award for Hindi film 'Bahattar Hoorain'.
Actor Manoj Bajpayee was awarded best Actor award for Hindi movie 'Bhonsle' and Dhanush got the award for Tamil Movie 'Asuran'. Kangana Ranaut received Best Actress award for her movies 'Manikarnika -The Queen of Jhansi' and 'Panga'. Vijaya Sethupati was awarded the best supporting actor award for Tamil film 'Super Deluxe' and Pallavi Joshi got best supporting actress award for Hindi film' The Tashkent Files'.

Speaking on the occasion, Vice President Naidu said he is happy to see films from different regions winning the awards. He said the films deal with pertinent issues of our times, including climate change. He said, cinema serves as a powerful medium for promotion of sports and this medium should be used for betterment of society. The Vice President said, film should be a vehicle with a higher purpose carrying ethical and moral message. He stated that film with a message has a lasting appeal. He said, government has played a key role in strengthening the documentary movement in the country.

 Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur congratulated Rajinikanth for receiving the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke award. He said these five decades have turned Rajinikanth from an individual to an institution. He said, cinema not only entertains but also plays the key role of delivering important messages to the society. Mr Thakur said, choosing the right content to portray to the society is a huge responsibility.