Padma Vibhushan Awards 2024: Chiranjeevi, Vyjayanthimala conferred with second highest civilian honour

Chiranjeevi and Vyjayanthimala were honored with Padma Vibhushan, India's second-highest civilian award, for their distinguished contributions to cinema

Team Asianet Newsable

First Published Jan 26, 2024, 10:07 AM IST | Last Updated Jan 26, 2024, 10:07 AM IST

Chiranjeevi and Vyjayanthimala were recently conferred with the prestigious Padma Vibhushan, the second-highest civilian honor, in recognition of their exceptional and distinguished contributions. The government announced the list of 132 individuals who received Padma awards on Republic Day.

Vyjayanthimala Bali, an iconic figure in Indian cinema, began her career at the age of 16 with the Tamil film 'Vaazhkai' in 1949. She made her Hindi debut in 1951 with 'Bahar' and went on to star in several noteworthy films from the 1950s and 1960s, including 'Devdas,' 'Naya Daur,' 'Aasha,' 'Sadhna,' 'Gunga Jumna,' 'Sangam,' and 'Jewel Thief.' Vyjayanthimala had previously been honored with the Padma Shri in 1968.

Chiranjeevi, a prominent actor in South Indian cinema, boasts a career spanning over 150 feature films in languages such as Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, and Kannada. Some of his notable works include 'Rudra Veena,' 'Indra,' 'Tagore,' 'Swayam Krushi,' 'Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy,' 'Stalin,' and 'Gang Leader.' He had previously received the Padma Bhushan in 2006. His latest appearance was in 'Acharya.'

The Padma Awards, among the highest civilian honors in the country, are distributed in three categories: Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri. These awards recognize outstanding contributions in various fields such as art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, and civil service.

The 'Padma Vibhushan' is bestowed for exceptional and distinguished service, 'Padma Bhushan' for distinguished service of high order, and 'Padma Shri' for distinguished service in any field. The awards are traditionally announced on Republic Day every year.

In addition to Chiranjeevi and Vyjayanthimala, other notable recipients of the Padma Bhushan for 2024 include Mithun Chakraborty, singer Usha Uthup, and composer Pyarelal Sharma. Notably, the late Tamil actor and politician Vijayakanth, who passed away in December 2023, was posthumously honored with the Padma Bhushan.

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