Manoj Kumar Makes It To The Ceremony

The combined event of the 63rd National Award and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award took place on May 3. Young talents like Varun Grover, Kanagana Ranaut, Monali Thakur, Maneesh Sharma were present to collect their National Awards which they received for their respective fields from the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee. Experienced figures like S S Rajamouli, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Vishal Bharadwaj and the legendary Amitabh Bachchan were also present in the event to receive the award. Amongst all these people, the veteran actor Manoj Kumar’s presence was a treat to all. The 78-yeal-old actor was severely ill since quite some time, but after a series of checkups, the doctor permitted him to go ahead with the travel; provided he goes by train and also, keeps a check on his movements. The actor made it to the event and arrived at the venue in a wheel chair. Although he looked frail, he was pleased to get the honour of the 47th edition of the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award. The jury members for this award were the melodious sisters Asha Bhosale and Lata Mangeshkar, Nitin Mukesh, Salim Khan and Anup Jalota. Pranab Mukherjee greeted the actor and handed over the Golden Lotus, prize money of ten lakh rupees, a Sai Baba idol and a warm shawl.