NEW DELHI: Tamil Nadu's Thalaiva Icon and Superstar Rajinikanth will be conferred with the 51st Dada Saheb Phalke award for the year 2019, Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar tweeted on Thursday.
"India every year gives Dada Saheb Phalke award to a film personality. This year this selection has been made by a jury comprising Asha Bhonsle, Mohanlal, Biswajit Chatterjee, Shankar Mahadevan and Subhash Ghai.
"They unanimously recommended that superstar Rajinikanth be conferred with Dada Saheb Phalke award and we accepted it," he said.
Happy to announce #Dadasaheb Phalke award for 2019 to one of the greatest actors in history of Indian cinema Rajnikant ji
— Prakash Javadekar (@PrakashJavdekar) April 1, 2021
His contribution as actor, producer and screenwriter has been iconic
I thank Jury @ashabhosle @SubhashGhai1 @Mohanlal@Shankar_Live #BiswajeetChatterjee pic.twitter.com/b17qv6D6BP
The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India’s highest recognition in the field of 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 recipient is honoured for their "outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian cinema".