Mumbai, Jan 25 (IANS) Veteran actress Hema Malini has expressed her gratitude to the Government of India for conferring the Padma Vibhushan award, the second-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, to her late husband, Dharmendra.
On Sunday, the veteran actress took to her X, formerly Twitter, and wrote, “So so proud that the govt has recognised Dharam ji’s immense contribution to the film industry by bestowing on him the prestigious Padma Vibhushan award”.
On Sunday, Dharmendra was posthumously announced as the recipient of Padma Vibhushan along with Satish Shah, who was posthumously honoured with the Padma Shri. Other members of the fraternity to receive the Padma Awards include the Malayalam cinema legend Mammootty, who will also be lionised with Padma Bhushan, veteran playback singer Alka Yagnik, and the late advertising legend Piyush Pandey, who have been selected for Padma Bhushan.
Both Dharmendra and Satish Shah passed away last year. While Dharmendra left for his heavenly abode in November, Satish Shah departed a month prior to Dharmendra.
Dharmendra was one of Bollywood’s most enduring and beloved stars. He was born in 1935 in Punjab, and began his career in the early 1960s, after he was discovered through a talent hunt competition.
In the late 1950s, Filmfare magazine, in collaboration with Bimal Roy Productions, organized a nationwide talent contest to find new faces for Hindi cinema. He entered the competition and was selected as the winner in 1958, chosen for his striking looks and natural charm. This victory opened the door to the film industry for him.
Dharmendra passed away in November last year at the age of 89. The actor was earlier admitted to the Breach Candy Hospital in South Mumbai, but was discharged after he showed recovery. However, a few days later, the actor was reportedly put on a ventilator, as he was suffering from breathing difficulties. As the news spread through the Bollywood circles, members of the fraternity paid their last respects to him. Aamir Khan and Abhishek Bachchan reached the crematorium in the Vile Parle area of Mumbai Bollywood multi-hyphenate Karan Johar remembered the late actor in his social media post.
–IANS
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