Megastar Rajinikanth on Thursday penned a note of gratitude and dedicated the Dadasaheb Phalke Award to those "who have been a part" of his journey.
Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar had earlier in the day announced that the 'Robot' actor will be conferred with the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2019, India's highest film honour.
"My heartfelt thanks to the government of India, respected & dearest @narendramodi ji, @PrakashJavdekar ji and the jury for conferring upon me the prestigious #DadasahebPhalkeAward," tweeted Rajinikanth.
"I sincerely dedicate it to all those who have been a part of my journey. Thanks to the almighty," he added.
The 'Kaala' actor also penned a note of thanks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a separate tweet.
"Immensely humbled and honoured with your greetings and the most prestigious #DadasahebPhalkeAward award respected and dearest Shri @narendramodi ji. My heartfelt thanks to you and the government of India," wrote the 70-year-old star.
PM Modi had earlier congratulated the veteran actor on being conferred with the prestigious award.
"Popular across generations, a body of work few can boast of, diverse roles and an endearing personality...that's Shri @rajinikanth Ji for you. It is a matter of immense joy that Thalaiva has been conferred with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. Congratulations to him," he tweeted.
The Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2019 should have been announced last year but was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, as were the National Film Awards for 2019.
The Dadasaheb Phalke, awarded for excellence in cinematic achievement, is the highest honour in film and is awarded by the government. The recipient of the 2018 award was Amitabh Bachchan, Rajinikanth's close friend and co-star from 'Hum'.
Rajinikanth has worked in Bollywood as well as South Indian films and has a humongous fan following. The '2.0' star had made his debut in 1975 with K Balachander's 'Apoorva Ragangal' and has completed more than 45 years in the Tamil film industry.
Rajinikanth was last seen in AR Murugadoss's 'Darbar'. Currently, he is shooting for his upcoming film 'Annaatthe'.
( With inputs from ANI )
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