Hema Malini receives Padma Vibhushan on behalf of late Dharmendra

President Droupadi Murmu felicitated several distinguished achievers, including the late Dharmendra, Prosenjit Chatterjee and Arvind Vaidya, at the ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday. Dharmendra was posthumously conferred the Padma Vibhushan at the Padma Awards 2026. His wife, Hema Malini, received the honour on his behalf. 
Veteran actor and theatre thespian Arvind Vaidya was honoured with Padma Shri.  Bengali superstar Prosenjit Chatterjee was honoured with Padma Shri. Advertising legend Piyush Pandey was posthpomously honoured with Padma Bhushan. His wife, Nita Joshi, received the award on his behalf. From UP, Dr N Rajam, renowned violinist, was honoured with Padma Vibhushan.

राष्ट्रपति द्रौपदी मुर्मु ने श्री पीयूष पांडे को मरणोपरांत कला के क्षेत्र में पद्म भूषण से सम्मानित किया। श्री पीयूष पांडे विज्ञापन जगत की एक निर्णायक हस्ती थे। उनका प्रभाव केवल रचनात्मकता तक ही सीमित नहीं रहा, बल्कि इसमें रणनीतिक दूरदर्शिता, उद्योग नेतृत्व और सांस्कृतिक… pic.twitter.com/zthlCOUBR4

— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) May 25, 2026

The first phase of the Padma Awards ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Several dignitaries from fields such as cinema, arts, and medicine were honoured during the event. The second phase of the ceremony will be held on a later date, which has not yet been announced.