PremiumLate Tamil actor-politician Vijayakanth conferred with Padma Bhushan honour by Indian government on Republic Day
Actor and politician Vijayakanth, who has honoured with Padma Bhushan, died in December last year after suffering from pneumonia. He had also tested positive for Covid-19.
Last Updated: 09.11 AM, Jan 26, 2024
Veteran actor and politician Vijayakanth, who recently passed away , was conferred with the Padma Bhushan honour posthumously by the central government of India on Thursday, ahead of the country celebrating its Republic Day. The late actor has been given the award under the field of art.
Taking to her X (formerly Twitter) handle, actor-turned politician, Khushbu Sundar shared the news and wrote, “Wish you were among us now to share our happiness on you being honoured with #PadmaBhushan (posthumously) by the Govt of India and we celebrating you. We miss you Sir. My heartfelt thanks to #GOI for recognizing Thiru #Vijaykanth 's contributions and honoring him.”
Vijayakanth’s fans have been celebrating the honour on social media.
Stars get honoured on Republic Day 2024:
Others who have awarded the Padma honour include actor Chiranjeevi, singer Usha Uthup, dancer Vyjayanthimala, actor Mithun Chakraborty, and composer Pyarelal Sharma. Vijayakanth, a prolific actor who predominantly worked in the Tamil industry, died on December 28, last year, after getting treatment from the hospital for pneumonia. He had also tested positive for Covid-19 at the time of his death.
Vijayakanth’s legacy:
An actor-turned politician, Vijayakanth was fondly known as ‘Captain’ by his fans and fraternity members. Hailing from Madurai, he has appeared in over 100 films as a lead actor and was mostly known for his action sequences. Vaidehi Kathirunthal (1984), Amman Kovil Kizhakale (1986), Poonthotta Kaavalkaaran (1988), Senthoora Poove (1988), Pulan Visaranai (1990), Chinna Gounder (1992), are some of his known films, that stand the test of time. Vijayakanth was fondly called as “karuppu MGR” by his fans.
After decades of working as an actor, Vijayakanth founded the political party, Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) in 2005 and served as an MLA two times. He also served as opposition leader in Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from 2011-2016. However, while he remained as the leader of his party, his declining health saw less of him in the public and actively participating in politics and cinema. He is survived by his wife Premalatha Vijayakanth and two children.