Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan says he is honoured and humbled to receive the Padma Vibhushan, the country’s second highest civilian award.
The 72-year-old actor received the loudest and longest applause from the audience, that included Union Ministers, top civil and defence officials at the civil investiture ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan here.
When Bachchan went to receive the award from President Pranab Mukherjee, he was cheered by actor son Abhishek, daughter-in-law Aishwarya, wife Jaya, daughter Shweta Nanda, her son Agastye and daughter Navya Naveli. The actor’s son-in-law Nikhil was also present.
Honoured and humbled, the Padma Vibhushan! Words fail me to acknowledge the love and affection of the people that brought me here.
- Bachchan later tweeted.
The Government of India has previously awarded Bachchan with the Padma Shri in 1984 and the Padma Bhushan in 2001.
Big B later introduced all the family members to the President one by one.His son and actor, Abhishek, touched President Mukherjee’s feet while getting introduced.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi too interacted with the Bachchan family for a brief period.
In a blogpost earlier, Amitabh wrote that he had been to Rashtrapati Bhavan’s Darbar hall on many occasions in the past - when his father and renowned Hindi poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan and his own Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan awards. “Then we had moved inside to the Grand Hall with its incredible ornate ceiling work, for the other Padma Awards for Jaya and Aishwarya...” he wrote.
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