Megastar Rajinikanth has been honoured with the 51st Dadasaheb Phalke Award for his extraordinary contribution to Indian cinema and congratulatory messages came in from his fans, colleagues, film fraternity friends, political leaders. Right from PM Narendra Modi to South A-listers Chiranjeevi, and Mahesh Babu. Even Bollywood stars like Akshay Kumar, Anil Kapoor, Karan Johar, among others showered with congratulatory messages on Twitter. Expressing gratitude towards them, he penned a sweet message for sending their love and support.
He wrote, “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.” Even Hema Malini and Hrithik Roshan congratulated the superstar. The Dream Girl actor wrote, “Got the wonderful news of my dear friend & colleague Rajnikant having been given the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke award. I can’t think of a more humble & deserving person considering his immense contributions to the film and by way of so many super hits. Congratulations!”
While Hrithik said, “My Dearest @rajinikanth Sir.. Your aura and persona compliments the prestige of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. Makes me so happy to have yet another reason to celebrate YOUR legend. Lots of love & respect, as I continue to look up to your greatness”
After being honoured with the prestigious award, Thalaivi dedicated it to his friend and bus driver Raj Bahadur. In a statement shared on his micro-blogging site, he said, “I dedicate this award to my friend, bus driver Raj Bahadur, for recognising my acting ability and providing encouragement, my brother Thiru Sathyanarayana Rao Gaikwad for making many sacrifices to help me follow my dreams even when we lived in poverty, my mentor K Balachander for giving me my first break and making me Rajinikanth, all my film producers, directors, technicians distributors, theatre owners, the media, the Tamil people who have helped me thrive, and my fans all over the world.”
Image source: SpotboyE archives