Superstar Rajinikanth has been conferred with the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award

Superstar Rajinikanth has been conferred with the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award this year. Union Minister Prakash Javadekar announced the same today, April 1. Rajinikanth made his debut in 1975 with K Balachander's Apoorva Ragangal and has completed over 45 years in Kollywood.

Rajinikanth will receive the Dadasaheb Phalke Award on May 3, 2021. PIB India took to Twitter to share a video showcasing the actor's journey.

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

I thank Jury @ashabhosle @SubhashGhai1 @Mohanlal@Shankar_Live #BiswajeetChatterjee pic.twitter.com/b17qv6D6BP

— Prakash Javadekar (@PrakashJavdekar) April 1, 2021

Rajinikanth, born as Shivaji Rao Gaekwad on December 12, 1950, to Ramoji Rao and Jijabai, worked as a bus conductor in Karnataka before embarking on his film journey. During his school days, Rajinikanth was so interested in acting that he took part in plays and then signed up for an acting course at Madras Film Institute.

Having made his debut in K Balachander's Apoorva Ragangal, Rajinikanth initially played character roles and also went on to share screen space with Kamal Haasan in several films.

Director M Bhaskar's Bairavi was the first Tamil film to showcase Rajinikanth as a solo hero. It was with this film that Thalaiva earned Superstar status in Kollywood. Some of his hit films includes Mullum Malarum, Allauddinum Albhutha Vilakkum, Ninaithale Inikikum and Aarilirunthu Arubathi Varai. In the 1970s, Rajinikanth experimented with multiple genres and excelled as an actor.

 Rajinikanth will next be seen in Annaatthe. The Dadasaheb Phalke, awarded for excellence in cinematic achievement, is the highest honour in film and is awarded by the government. The recipient of the 2018 award was Amitabh Bachchan, Rajinikanth's close friend and co-star from Hum.