President confers Dada Saheb Phalke Award to Amitabh Bachchan: Top tweets

Dadasaheb Phalke Award: President Ram Nath Kovind conferred Dada Saheb Phalke Award to  Amitabh Bachchan at a function held at Rashtrapati Bhavan on December  29, 2019. Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India's highest film honour. 

Amitabh Bachchan was honoured with the award on Sunday, after he missed the 66th National Film Awards ceremony due to ill health. All the winners of the National Film Awards 2018 and the jury members were also invited to attend the special ceremony.  The National Film Awards 2019 were conferred in Delhi on December 23, 2019. 

The legendary actor shared a touching note in his blog following the conferral ceremony, in which he expressed pride for the recognition. He also posted a series of pictures from the ceremony,  including pictures of his wife Jaya Bachchan  and son Abhishek Bachchan seated in the audience.

Abhishek Bachchan also posted a a picture on his Instagram featuring Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan. 

Amitabh Bachchan selected for Dadasaheb Phalke award 2019

Union Minister Prakash Javadekar officially announced the winner of Dadasaheb Phalke award 2019 through a tweet. Javadekar tweeted saying that the legendary Amitabh Bachchan, who entertained and inspired for 2 generations,  has been selected unanimously for the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke award.

Following the Union Minister's tweet, warm wishes and congratulatory messages poured in for the acting legend from all corners of the film fraternity including from  the  likes of Karan Johar, Anil Kapoor, Asha Bhosle and southern superstars Rajinikanth and Nagarjuna. 

Following are some of the tweets: 

Amitabh Bachchan

Amitabh Bachchan has received several prestigious awards to honour his illustrious career including four national awards for best actor and many other international awards. 

Amitabh Bachchan is the recipient of India's fourth-highest civilian honour, the Padma Shri in 1984. The legendary actor also received the third-highest civilian honour, the Padma Bhushan in 2001 and the second-highest civilian honour, the Padma Vibhushan in 2015. 

Amitabh Bachchan also received the highest French civilian honour,  Knight of the Legion of Honour, in 2007.

Dadasaheb Phalke Award

The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is the highest film honour in India. It is conferred annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, under the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

The award honours the selected individual for their "outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian cinema."

The recipient of the prestigious honour is selected by a committee consisting of eminent film industry personalities. The award comprises a 'swarna kamal' medallion, a shawl and a cash prize worth Rs 1,000,000.

The award was established by the Union Government to honour Dadasaheb Phalke's immense contribution to Indian cinema. Dadasaheb Phalke, known as the father of Indian cinema, directed India's first full-length feature film, Raja Harishchandra in 1913. 

The first Dadasaheb Phalke Award was presented in 1969 and it was conferred to Devika Rani. The Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2018 was conferred posthumously to the late actor, Vinod Khanna at the 65th National Film Awards ceremony.