Veteran Bollywood actor and mega star Amitabh Bachchan has been selected for Dadasaheb Phalke Award. Best wishes poured in as the minister of information and broadcasting Prakash Javadekar made the announcement. The 76-year-old actor took to his social media accounts to express his feelings. “There is a paucity of words searching a response .. for the generosity of words that pour in ..I am but deeply grateful and most humbled .. my sincerest gratitude ..,” tweeted Bachchan. Many Bollywood celebrities, including Lata Mangeshkar, Rajinikanth, Karan Johar and Anil Kapoor among others congratulated the veteran actor. One of his dear friends and old colleague Shatrughan Sinha who has delivered several hits with the actor, including 'Kaala Patthar', 'Dostana', 'Bombay to Goa', and many more, hailed the star for redefining the industry with his varied roles.
“Amitabh Bachchan is already a personality of high calibre in terms of his career, experience, performance, durability, seniority, maturity. Over time, he has given a lot to the cinema with his roles, and films. He is a good friend of mine and also an old colleague. I pray him good luck and wish that he continues to soar the grandeur of success in his life.” Apart from the actor, former Chairman of Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) chairman Pahlaj Nihalani also praised Big B for his contribution to the Indian cinema and transforming it with his inspirational roles.
The award comprises of a Swarna Kamal (Golden Lotus) medallion, a shawl and a cash prize of Rs 10,00,000. Before Bachchan, Vinod Khanna was selected for Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2017. Kasinathuni Viswanath and Manoj Kumar received the same award in 2015 and 2016 respectively.
The first Dadasaheb Phalke Award was given to Devika Rani in 1969. Interestingly, senior Bachchan also made his film debut as a narrator in Mrinal Sen’s 'Bhuvan Shome' in the same year. It was just the beginning of a landmark career for a person who would be known for his baritone voice and exceptional dialogue delivery in coming years. However, Bachchan had to wait for some years after 'Saat Hindustani' to achieve stardom, and that happened with director Prakash Mehra’s 'Zanjeer' in 1973. After that, there was no looking back for the megastar.
