Superstar Rajinikanth received the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award from the hands of Vice President Shri Venkaiah Naidu today, October 25, in New Delhi. He received a standing ovation from the dignitaries and the media present in the arena. Along with him were Latha Rajinikanth, Dhanush, Aishwarya Dhanush, and his three grandchildren - Yatra, Linga, and Ved Krishna.
Rajinikanth said, 'I am extremely happy to receive this prestigious award and my heartfelt thanks to the central government for honoring me with the Dadasaheb Phalke award. I dedicate this award to my mentor and guru K Balachander sir. At this moment, I remember him with gratitude. And my brother Satyanarayana Gaikwad, who is like my father, for teaching me great values and inculcating spirituality in me. Also, my thanks to my friend and colleague, Raj Bahadur, who was a bus transport driver. When I was the bus conductor, he was the one who identified the actor in me and encouraged me to join the cinema. My gratitude to the honorable directors and producers who believed in me and did films with me. Thanks to technicians, distributors, exhibitors, the media, and all my fans. My thanks to all the Tamil people - Without you, I am nobody."
