Bollywood actor Raveena Tandon and the composer behind Oscar-winning ‘Naatu Naatu’ MM Keeravaani were among the celebrities to be awarded India’s fourth highest civilian award, Padma Shri, by President Droupadi Murmu at a gilded ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi this week. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah attended the presentation ceremony.
Expressing her gratitude for being picked for the top honour, Tandon said: "Honoured and grateful. Thank you so much, Government of India, for acknowledging my contributions, my life, my passion and purpose – cinema and the arts, that allowed me to contribute not only to the film industry but beyond.
“I thank all those who guided me through this journey of Art and Craft of Cinema -- all those who held my hand through it, and all those who watched me from their place above. I owe this to my father."
Taking to Instagram, Raveena shared a string of pictures from this memorable day which she captioned, "A day of love and celebrations #padmashri #23."
In the first few pictures, the 'KGF 2' actor could be seen posing with her family members at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. In one of the pics, she could be seen posing with the 'RRR' director SS Rajamouli along with her kids and husband Anil Thadani. In the last two pictures, she could be seen receiving her Padma Shri award from President Murmu.
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Tandon emerged as an A-lister in Bollywood with blockbusters such as 'Mohra', 'Main Khiladi Tu Anari', 'Satta', 'Shool', and many more.
She received a lot of appreciation for her performance in the pan-India blockbuster 'KGF 2'. The versatile actor will be next seen in an upcoming romantic-comedy film 'Ghudchadi' alongside Sanjay Dutt, Parth Samthan and Khushali Kumar.
Keeravaani, the composer behind 'RRR's widely popular number 'Naatu Naatu' who won the prestigious Academy Award and Golden Globe award this year in the 'Best Original Song' category, also expressed his gratitude for the award.
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The government of India announced 106 Padma Awards across categories in January 2023. The categories included art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, and civil service, among others.
During the Civil Investiture Ceremony in New Delhi, the Indian President handed out three Padma Vibhushan, five Padma Bhushan and 47 Padma Shri Awards for the year 2023.
Some of the other awardees of India's civilian honours included:
Padma Vibhushan
Political leader Mulayam Singh Yadav (posthumous)
Paediatrician Dilip Mahalanabis (posthumous)
Mathematician S.R. Shrinaivasa Varadhan
Padma Bhushan
Philanthropist Sudha Murty
SL Bhyrappa
Deepak Dhar
Vani Jairam (posthumous)
Tridandi Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji
Padma Shri
Buddhist spiritual leader and head of the Thiksey monastery, Kushok Thiksey Nawang Chamba Stanzin
Anand Kumar for literature and education
Veteran craft artist Shah Rasheed Ahmed Quadari
(ANI)
