The news of Rajinikanth receiving the 51st Dadasaheb Phalke Award broke on the internet yesterday. Following the announcement, a lot of fans and people from the industry congratulated the Sivaji actor on social media.
He expressed his gratitude by posting a small thank you note on Twitter for PM Narendra Modi, Prakash Javadekar, and the jury. "My heartfelt thanks to the government of india, respected & dearest @narendramodi ji, @PrakashJavdekar ji and the jury for conferring upon me the prestigious #DadasahebPhalkeAward I sincerely dedicate it to all those who have been a part of my journey. Thanks to the almighty."
In another note, he also thanked his well wishers, along with friends, family and the media for showering their love on him. He tweeted, "For all the love, greetings & wishes I’ve received from eminent political leaders, my film fraternity friends & colleagues, well wishers, media, every person who took the time to wish me & my beloved fans from across India & all over the world .. my deepest gratitude and thanks"
The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is considered to be one of the most prestigious awards in the Indian film Industry. This year, singer Asha Bhosle, filmmakers Subhash Ghai and Mohanlal, composer Shankar Mahadevan, and actor Biswajeet Chatterjee were among the jury.
Prakash Javadekar had announced that Rajinikanth would receive the 51st Dadasaheb Phalke award in a tweet on 1 April, "Happy to announce #Dadasaheb Phalke award for 2019 to one of the greatest actors in history of Indian cinema Rajnikant ji His contribution as actor, producer and screenwriter has been iconic."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the 'Thalaiva' soon after. "It is a matter of immense joy that Thalaiva has been conferred with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. Congratulations to him," he wrote in a tweet. Megastar Rajinikanth then expressed his gratitude and said he was 'humbled and honoured', "Immensely humbled and honoured with your greetings and the most prestigious #DadasahebPhalkeAward award respected and dearest Shri @narendramodi."
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)