Hyderabad: Superstar Rajinikanth was conferred with the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award at the 67th National Film Awards ceremony in Delhi on Monday. The actor's family, including his wife Lathaa, daughter Soundarya Rajinikanth, and son-in-law Dhanush, were present at the event.
Interestingly, Dhanush also received a National Film Award in the 'Best Actor' category for his performance in 'Asuran'.
Rajinikanth said he was happy to receive the award and even thanked his colleagues and friends who identified the talent in him. "I am extremely happy to receive this most prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Awardā¦I dedicate this award to my mentor, my guru K. Balachander. This moment, I remember him with great gratitude, and my brother Satyanrayan Gaikwad who's like my father who brought me up by teaching me great values, and spirituality. My friend in Karnataka, bus transport driver, my colleague - Rajbahadur. When I was the bus conductor, he identified the acting talent in me and encouraged me to join the cinema," he said.
At the ceremony, conducted by the ministry of information and broadcasting, the best from various film industries in the country, including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Marathi, were honoured.
The awards were presented by Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu.