FULL SPEECH: Amitabh Bachchan receives Dadasaheb Phalke award, dispels 'retirement' doubts

Veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan on Sunday received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award from President Ram Nath Kovind. After receiving the award, Big-B expressed his gratitude and said that the love and affection from the film industry helped him achieve this success. The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India's highest honour given in the field of cinematic art. The megastar has been honoured with the award for inspiring generations with his diverse work.

During his speech, Amitabh Bachchan said, "I want to thank Government of India, Information and Broadcast Ministry and the award Jury that they though me of capable of getting this award. I got the blessing from God, from of my parents, the film industry but above all the affection and above all the dedication of people which brought me here. This award was first started 50 years ago and from the same time I have been working in this film industry and I am very thankful for that." 

He went on to quip about 'retirement' in the context of winning the award, dispelling the notion:

"I would like to say that when I came to know about me receiving the award I was in doubt. I thought it's a retirement call. But, let me tell you that there is some work left, that I have to finish and I have other projects in the pipeline too. So if you can confirm that if I can work more or not, then I would be really obliged."

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Earlier, Amitabh Bachchan missed the National Film Awards ceremony on December 23, Monday, due to ill health. Information and Broadcasting (IB) Minister Prakash Javadekar said that the actor will be presented with the Dadasaheb Phalke honour on December 29, adding that President Ram Nath Kovind will host a high-tea for all the winners at the Rashtrapati Bhavan where Bachchan will be presented with Indian cinema’s biggest honour.

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About the Award

The award was named after Dhundiraj Govind Phalke who was revered as the father of Indian cinema, was instituted in 1969, the same year where Amitabh Bachchan made his debut in Hindi film industry with his film Saat Hindustani. This award is considered as the highest honour for an artist in Indian cinema, the award comprises a Swarna Kamal (Golden Lotus) medallion, a shawl, and a cash prize of ₹ 10,00,000. It was also conferred upon late actor Vinod Khanna in 2017. 

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