Padma Bhushan to Aaamir Khan and A R Rahman

After Priyanka Chopra won the National Award in the best actress category for ‘Fashion’ recently, it’s actor Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan along with living legends Rekha and Zohra Sehgal, who have made the Indian film industry proud.

On the occasion of 60th Republic Day, maverick actor Aamir Khan has bagged the coveted Padma Bhushan Award for his outstanding contribution to Hindi cinema. The 44 year old perfectionist Khan, who made his directorial debut with the critically-acclaimed ‘Taare Zameen Par’ in 2007, recently came out with ‘3 Idiots’ that has become the highest earning movie in Bollywood.

The coveted award has also been bestowed upon music maestro AR Rahman. Rahman won multiple Oscar and Golden Globe Awards last year for the music and background score of 'Slumdog Millionaire'. He has also been nominated in 2010 for 'Couples Retreat'.

And that’s not all, the ever so beautiful veteran actress Rekha and Bollywood heartthrob Saif Ali Khan have won the prestigious Padma Shri award for significant performances in the history of Hindi cinema.

It is also revealed that eminent theatre and film personality Zohra Sehgal is likely to be given Padma Shri.

The awards were announced early on Monday and have surely come as pleasant surprise for the Indian film fraternity.

Kudos to the winners!

Padma Shri Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

January 26th brought another feather to bollywood diva Aishwarya Rai’s hat. This actress has been conferred the prestigious Padma Shri Award this year and the actress can’t help but feel honored.

“I am very thankful for the privilege. I am humbled by it. I thank the high officers of our country because this has been accorded to me by them and our fellow people. I hope to be able to live up to the promise of it. I am very grateful and will continue doing my best”, these were the words from the actress after receiving the honour.

Father-in-law and the rest of thefamily is equally elated at this achievement of Aishwarya Rai. “Aishwarya’s Padma decoration is the fifth in the family. My father received Padmabhushan, myself with (two) Padmashri and Padmabhushan and Jaya was receipient of Padmashri. Five Padma awardees in one family. God is generous and kind,” Big B has expressed his views in his blog.

Apart from Aishwarya Rai, Akshay Kumar was also the proud recipient of the Padma Shri, regarded as one of the top civilian honors in the country.

Akshay Kumar may not have won many awards in his illustrious career but this honor coming from the Govt. of India surely means a lot to the 'Kinng' of Bollywood. Akshay Kumar was awarded the Padma Shri by the Govt. of India for his contribution to cinema.

Besides Aishwarya and Akshay, veteran actress and dancing queen of yesteryears Helen was also bestowed with the Padma Shri for her contribution to art and cinema.

Other recipients of the Padma Shri award this year include, playback singers Kumar Sanu and Udit Narayan, Ghazal singer Penaaz Masani and music composer Pandit Hridaynath Mangeshkar.

Multifaceted talent Tom Alter to receive Padma Shri

In a career spanning about three decades, Bollywood actor, sports writer and novelist Tom Alter has played a variety of characters both in real life and reel life.
The multifaceted actor is now all set to receive the Padma Shri Award for his distinguished contribution in the field of art.

Fondly called the 'true blue Englishman on screen', Alter recently left stage buffs in a thrall in Oman with his solo play on the life, times and scholarship of Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad.

The 57 year-old actor of American origin has his fingers in many pies - theatre, television, films, sports and literature. However, he is most prominently known for his work in the Hindi film industry.

Born in 1950, Alter, the son of an American missionary, is a native of Mussoorie who spent his early years between Landour and Mumbai, where he now lives.
Alter began his career with cameo roles in films like Satyajit Ray's Shatranj Ke Khiladi in 1977 and played Lord Mountbatten in the movie on Sardar Patel in 1993.

The versatile actor, who last appeared in low budget blockbuster film Bheja Fry, forayed into big-time acting with Laila Majnu.
For years he got to play English characters, till filmmakers like Raj Kapoor in Ram Teri Ganga Maili, Mukul Anand in Sultanat and Vidhu Vinod Chopra in Parinda created Indian characters for him.

His other celebrated works include Charas, Parvarish, Des Pardes, Kranti, Gandhi and Khoon Bhari Maang, to name a few.

Uniquely talented for his fluency in Hindi, Urdu and knowledge of the country's culture, he has worked with noted filmmakers like Satyajit Ray in Shatranj Ke Khiladi and Ismail Merchant in Sardar, the 1993 film biography of Indian leader Sardar Patel, which focused on the events surrounding the partition and independence of India.

The seasoned actor endeared himself to thousands of television serial buffs with his act in Bharat Ek Khoj, Junoon and Betaal Pachisi.

In 1996 he appeared in the Assamese-language film Adajya, and in 2007 acted in the theatrical reproduction of William Dalrymple's City of Djinns alongside Zohra Sehgal.

Tom Alter's first cousin Stephen Alter, also born and raised in India, is a notable author and teacher.