Amitabh Bachchan to be conferred with Dada Saheb Phalke award today

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan will be conferred with the Dada Saheb Phalke award on Sunday. The veteran actor will receive the award from President Ram Nath Kovind at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The 77-year-old actor will be receiving the highest honour of the film industry for his outstanding contribution to the cinema world.

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.

The 'Don' actor received congratulatory messages from Bollywood celebrities and fans when he was first nominated for the honours. Hema Malini who had shared screen space with the veteran actor said she cannot think of a more appropriate person to be nominated for the award. Scores of celebrities congratulated the actor including son Abhishek Bachchan, Rajnikanth, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, l Kapoor, Karan Johar, Riteish Deshmukh, Vivek Oberoi, Arjun Kapoor, Ayushmann Khurrana, Huma Qureshi, and Kartik Aaryan.

Last seen onscreen in 'Badla', Bachchan is a recipient of four National Film Awards for his roles in 'Agneepath', 'Black', 'Paa' and 'Piku'. He made his acting debut in 1969 with 'Saat Hindust'.

He was honoured with Padma Vibhushan - the country's second-highest civilian honour - in 2015.

( With inputs from ANI )