Amitabh Bachchan Receives Dadasaheb Phalke Award From President Ram Nath Kovind

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who skipped the National Film Awards ceremony due to ill health, received the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award from President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday. The ceremony took place at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. The actor received the highest honour of the film industry for his outstanding contribution to the world of cinema. Mr Bachchan was accompanied by wife Jaya Bachchan and son Abhishek Bachchan.

The prestigious award is named after the father of Indian cinema, Dhundiraj Govind Phalke, and it was instituted in 1969. The award is conferred by the government for outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian Cinema. The award is comprised of a Golden Lotus and a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh.

Delhi: Veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan receives Dadasaheb Phalke Award from President Ram Nath Kovind. pic.twitter.com/9Towgcgo9x

— ANI (@ANI) December 29, 2019

"I would like to thank the government of India, Information & Broadcasting ministry and the jury members of the National Film Awards for finding me deserving enough for the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. God has been kind, there have been blessings of my parents, the support of the filmmakers, producers, co-actors from the industry, but I'm most indebted to the love and constant encouragement by the Indian audience. That's the reason I'm standing here. I accept this award with utmost humility and gratitude," Bachchan said in his acceptance speech.

Big B earlier skipped the prestigious award ceremony because he was "down with fever" and that he was not allowed to travel. "Down with fever... Not allowed to travel. Will not be able to attend National Award tomorrow in Delhi. So unfortunate, my regrets," Big B tweeted.

The 66th National awards were presented to the winners by Vice President of India Venkaiah Naidu last week. Vicky Kaushal and Ayushmann Khuranna jointly won the Best Actor trophy for their performances in Uri: The Surgical Strike and Andhadhun, respectively. Keerthy Suresh won the Best Actress award for her role in Telugu movie Mahanati. Aditya Dhar of Uri won the Best Director award.

Amitabh Bachchan has won four National Film Awards for Best Actor through his illustrious career, last winning it for his performance in 2015 film Piku. He was honoured with Padma Vibhushan - the country's second-highest civilian honour - in 2015. On the work front, Big B has great line-up of films including Brahmastra, Jhund, Gulabo Sitabo and Chehre.