51st Dadasaheb Phalke Award is conferred upon Rajinikanth

Rajinikanth | Source: https://www.thehindu.com/

Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar today announced the recipient of the 51^st Dadasaheb Phalke Award. The award for 2019 will be conferred to legendary actor Rajinikanth. It will be presented on 3^rd May, along with the 67th National Film Awards.

Happy to announce #Dadasaheb Phalke award for 2019 to one of the greatest actors in history of Indian cinema Rajnikant ji
His contribution as actor, producer and screenwriter has been iconic
I thank Jury @ashabhosle @SubhashGhai1 @Mohanlal @Shankar_Live #BiswajeetChatterjee pic.twitter.com/b17qv6D6BP

— Prakash Javadekar (@PrakashJavdekar) April 1, 2021

Announcing the award in New Delhi, the Minister said that the choice was unanimously made by the members of the Jury, which the Government accepted. The jury consisted of five members — Asha Bhosle, Mohanlal, Biswajit Chatterjee, Shankar Mahadevan and Subhash Ghai.

Speaking on the achievements of Rajinikanth, the Minister said that he is an iconic actor who has ruled the hearts of Indians for over fifty years. The Minister congratulated the legendary actor on the achievement.

About Dadasaheb Phalke Award

The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India’s highest award in cinema. It is presented annually at the National Film Awards ceremony by the Directorate of Film Festivals, an organisation set up by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The initiative started in 1969 by the Government of India to commemorate the contribution of Dadasaheb Phalke contribution to the world of cinema. Phalke (1870–1944), who is popularly known as and often regarded as “the father of Indian cinema”, was an Indian filmmaker who directed India’s first full-length feature film, Raja Harishchandra (1913). Devika Rani was the first recipient of the award.

As of 2018, there have been 50 awardees. In 2018, the award was conferred upon Amitabh Bachchan and from then there was no nominee for the past three years. As of 2017, the award comprises a Swarna Kamal (Golden Lotus) medallion, a shawl, and a cash prize of ₹1,000,000.