Bollywood’s megastar Amitabh Bachchan has been unanimously chosen for this year's Dada Sahab Phalke winner, Indian cinema's highest honour. Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar confirmed the news in a Twitter post on Tuesday. "The legend Amitabh Bachchan who entertained and inspired for 2 generations has been selected unanimously for Dada Sahab Phalke award. The entire country and international community is happy. My heartiest Congratulations to him. @narendramodi @SrBachchan," Javadekar tweeted.
The 76-year-old actor, who rose to stardom with his 'Angry Young Man' persona in 1970s with films such as "Zanjeer", "Deewar" and "Sholay", continues to be a force to reckon with in Indian cinema. In a career spanning five decades, Bachchan has given memorable performances film after film and is a four-time national film award winner. The actor earlier has been honoured with many prestigious awards like the Padma Shri in 1984, the Padma Bhushan in 2001 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2015.
