New Delhi: Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan will get the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke award on December 29.
This has been announced by Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar said during the 66th National Film Awards ceremony today.
The 77-year-old Bachchan will be 50th person to receive the Phalke Award, which is the highest honour in Indian cinema.
The award comprises a Swarna Kamal (Golden Lotus) medallion, a shawl, and a cash prize of Rs 10,00,000.
Phalke Award is usually 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. However, Bachchan didn’t attend the National Film Awards ceremony today.
The Bollywood icon had yesterday tweeted that he would miss the ceremony due to fever.
Dadasaheb Phalke Award was introduced in 1969 to commemorate Dhundiraj Govind Phalke’s contribution to Indian cinema.
Devika Rani, who is widely known as the first lady of Indian cinema, received it in 1969 on the occasion of the 17th National Film awards.
Phalke’s debut film, Raja Harishchandra, was the first Indian movie in 1913, and is now known as India’s first full-length feature film. He is regarded as the father of Indian cinema.