Rajinikanth receives the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for his outstanding contribution to Indian cinema

On Monday, actor Rajinikanth received the 51st Dadasaheb Phalke Award. Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu presented him with the prestigious award in recognition of his outstanding contribution to Indian cinema. 

The actor wore a white kurta-pyjama and was accompanied by his wife Latha, daughter Aishwarya, and son-in-law Dhanush to the function. At the ceremony, Dhanush was presented with the National Film Award for his work in Asuran. 

Prakash Javadekar, a BJP Rajya Sabha MP, broke the news in April of this year. "@rajinikanth fondly called as Thalaiva by his fans, will receive the 51st #DadasahebPhalkeAward, India's highest film honour, on Oct 25." he wrote on the official Twitter account of the Directorate of Film Festivals, India. 

The Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2019 was supposed to be announced last year, but it was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, as were the National Film Awards for 2019. 

The prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke, awarded for excellence in cinematic achievement, is the highest honour in film and is awarded by the government.

Amitabh Bachchan, who co-starred with Rajinikanth in the 1991 action-drama Hum, received the award in 2018. 

Rajnikanth appeared in both Bollywood and South Indian films and also has a massive fan base. He is also the recipient of the Padma Vibhushan, India's second-highest civilian award.

He made his debut in 1975 with K Balachander's Apoorva Ragangal and has spent more than 45 years in the Tamil film industry. The Kabali actor, who was most recently seen in AR Murugadoss' Darbar, will soon be seen as the lead in his much-anticipated film Annaatthe. 

Annaatthe is directed by Siva from the south and stars Nayanthara, Keerthy Suresh, Khushboo, and Prakash Raj. 

The film's release date has been pushed back several times due to production delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic.