Cinema legend Dharmendra honoured with Padma Vibhushan posthumously
The Ganatantra Mandap at Rashtrapati Bhawan filled with emotions yet reverberated with clapping when the name call to bestow the Padma Vibhushan award on Bollywood actor Dharmendra was announced. President Droupadi Murmu on Monday conferred the Padma Vibhushan on the late super star posthumously for exceptional and distinguished service in the field of art.
It was received by his wife actor turned politician, BJP MP Hema Malini. Both Dharmendra and Hema teamed up in several Bollywood hits, while Dharmendra also served once as BJP MP from Barmer in Rajasthan.
The honour, announced in January this year, was conferred posthumously on the legendary actor, who passed away in November last year, in recognition of his remarkable contribution to Indian cinema spanning over six decades. Hema Malini wore a baby pink saree as she gracefully walked to the stage to receive the prestigious award.
Hema appeared visibly emotional and accepted the honour with a heavy heart. Ahana, who was sitting in the audience, got teary-eyed as she saw her mother recieving award for her late father.
Classical musician and violinist N Rajam too received the second-highest civilian award at a Civil Investiture Ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Rajam was honoured for her pioneering contribution to Indian classical music, especially for revolutionising violin performance through the Gayaki Ang style that replicates vocal music on the instrument.
The ceremony began with an instrumental rendition of the national song, Vande Mataram, followed by the national anthem. It was attended by Vice President CP Radhakrishnan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, among others.
Murmu conferred the Padma Bhushan on Bhagat Singh Koshyari, former Uttarakhand chief minister; Shatavadhani R Ganesh, acclaimed polymath who revived the challenging classical Indian art form ‘Avadhana’; Uday Suresh Kumar Kotak, founder of Kotak Mahindra Bank; and gastroenterologist Kallipatti Ramasamy Palaniswamy.
She also conferred the award posthumously on advertisment guru Piyush Pandey and former parliamentarian Vijay Kumar Malhotra. Pandey’s wife and Malhotra’s son, respectively, received the awards.
Indian women’s cricket team captain Harmanpreet Kaur Bhullar, actor Prosenjit Chatterjee, para athlete Praveen Kumar and former Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) director general K Vijay Kumar received the Padma Shri.
For 2026, the President has approved conferment of 131 Padma Awards — five Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri. The awards will be conferred at two separate Civil Investiture ceremonies.
The Padma Awards are announced on the occasion of the Republic Day every year. The coveted civilian honours are given in various fields, including art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports and civil service.
