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Ajith Kumar and Shekhar Kapur were among several prominent and grassroots artists honored with Padma awards, highlighting India’s celebration of cinematic excellence and cultural heritage.
The Indian entertainment fraternity had much to celebrate on Monday as acclaimed filmmaker Shekhar Kapur and Tamil cinema superstar Ajith Kumar were conferred with the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian award, in a glittering ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan’s Durbar Hall. The awards were presented by President Droupadi Murmu in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Celebrated for his visionary direction in films like Bandit Queen and Elizabeth, Shekhar Kapur was recognised for his decades-long impact on Indian and global cinema. Meanwhile, Ajith Kumar, one of Tamil Nadu’s most iconic stars with a massive fan following, was honoured for his contributions to Indian cinema through versatile performances and box-office hits over the past three decades.
The event also honoured late ghazal legend Pankaj Udhas and several other stalwarts from the entertainment world. The recognition underlines the increasing acknowledgement of the arts — particularly cinema, music, and traditional performing arts — in shaping India’s cultural identity.
Among the 139 Padma awardees announced earlier this year, 71 recipients were felicitated on Monday, with the remaining to be honoured in a subsequent ceremony.
Other awardees from the entertainment sector included violin maestro Dr. L. Subramaniam (Padma Vibhushan), playback singer Jaspinder Narula, flautist Pt. Ronu Majumdar, santoor player Pt. Tejendra Narayan Majumdar, and noted puppeteer Bhimavva Doddabalappa Shillekyathara, among others.
FULL LIST OF PADMA AWARDEES (2024) – ENTERTAINMENT & ARTS FOCUS
Padma Vibhushan (Exceptional and Distinguished Service)
- Dr. L. Subramaniam (Art) – Karnataka
- Shri M. T. Vasudevan Nair (Posthumous) – Literature & Film – Kerala
- Shri Osamu Suzuki (Posthumous) – Trade & Industry – Japan
- Dr. D. Nageshwar Reddy – Medicine – Telangana
Padma Bhushan (Distinguished Service of High Order)
- Shri Ajith Kumar – Art (Cinema) – Tamil Nadu
- Shri Shekhar Kapur – Art (Cinema) – Maharashtra
- Shri Nandamuri Balakrishna – Art (Cinema) – Andhra Pradesh
- Shri Pankaj R. Patel – Trade & Industry – Gujarat
- Shri Vinod Kumar Dham – Science & Engineering – USA
- Dr. Jose Chacko Periappuram – Medicine – Kerala
- Dr. A. A. Surya Prakash – Literature & Education – Karnataka
- Shri Sreejesh P. R. – Sports – Kerala
- Shri Sushil Kumar Modi (Posthumous) – Public Affairs – Bihar
- Shri Pankaj Keshubhai Udhas (Posthumous) – Art (Music) – Maharashtra
Padma Shri (Distinguished Service in Any Field)
Art – Music, Performance, Fine Arts, Cinema, Puppetry, etc.:
- Dr. Shyam Bihari Agrawal (Uttar Pradesh)
- Dr. K. Omanakutty Amma (Kerala)
- Shri Miriyala Apparao (Posthumous) (Andhra Pradesh)
- Shri Joynacharan Bathari (Assam)
- Smt. Begam Batool (Rajasthan)
- Shri Bheru Singh Chouhan (Madhya Pradesh)
- Shri Gokul Chandra Das (West Bengal)
- Smt. Nirmala Devi (Bihar)
- Shri Adwaita Charan Gadanayak (Odisha)
- Prof. Bharat Gupt (Delhi)
- Shri Naren Gurung (Sikkim)
- Shri Vasudeo Taranath Kamath (Maharashtra)
- Dr. Jaspinder Narula Kaul (Maharashtra)
- Pt. Ronu Majumdar (Maharashtra)
- Pt. Tejendra Narayan Majumdar (West Bengal)
- Shri Hassan Raghu (Karnataka)
- Dr. Madugula Nagaphani Sarma (Andhra Pradesh)
- Shri Durga Charan Ranbir (Odisha)
- Smt. Bhimavva Doddabalappa Shillekyatara (Karnataka)
- Shri Arijit Aditi Surinder Singh (West Bengal)
- Bhai Harjinder Singh Ji (Punjab)
- Shri Radhakrishnan Devasenapathy Sthapathy (Tamil Nadu)
- Prof. Ratan Kumar Parimoo (Gujarat)
Literature and Education:
- Prof. Anil Kumar Boro (Assam)
- Shri Maruti Bhujangrao Chitampalli (Maharashtra)
- Shri Hriday Narayan Dikshit (Uttar Pradesh)
- Shri Ganeshwar Shastri Dravid (Uttar Pradesh)
- Shri Stephen Knapp (USA)
- Shri Sheen Kaaf Nizam (Rajasthan)
- Prof. Nitin Nohria (USA)
- Dr. Lakshmipathy Ramasubbaiyer (Tamil Nadu)
- Prof. Arunoday Saha (Tripura)
- Dr. Prativa Satpathy (Odisha)
- Prof. (Dr.) Chandrakant Trikamlal Sheth (Posthumous) (Gujarat)
- Shri Tushar Durgeshbhai Shukla (Gujarat)
- Prof. David R. Syiemlieh (Meghalaya)
Other Fields (Selected):
- Trade & Industry: Arundhati Bhattacharya, R. G. Chandramogan, Pawan Goenka
- Sports: Ravichandran Ashwin, Dr. Satyapal Singh
- Social Work: Libia Lobo Sardesai, Vinayak Lohani
- Public Affairs: C. S. Vaidyanathan
- Medicine: Dr. Vijayalaxmi Deshmane, Dr. A. K. Mahapatra
- Others: Culinary (Dr. K. Damodaran), Yoga (Shka. Shaikha Ali Jaber Al-Sabah), Spiritualism, Agriculture
A celebration of India’s artistic and cultural legacy
This year’s Padma awards reaffirm India’s deep respect for contributions in the arts, including both mainstream cinema and traditional art forms. The recognition of icons like Ajith Kumar and Shekhar Kapur, alongside lesser-known but impactful artists such as Bhimavva Shillekyathara, reflects a conscious effort to balance stardom with grassroots talent.
