Padma Awards 2022: Sonu Nigam and Prithviraj director Chandraprakash Dwivedi among awardees

On Tuesday, the eve of Republic Day, the Padma Awards honour list was announced. The honourees include renowned classical vocalist Dr Prabha Atre of the Kirana Gharana (Padma Vibhushan), veteran actor Victor Banerjee (Padma Bhushan), and director Chandraprakash Dwivedi (Padma Shri).

According to PTI, the late Punjabi folk singer Gurmeet Bawa and classical musician Rashid Khan were honoured with the Padma Bhushan. 

Besides Dwivedi, playback singer Sonu Nigam was felicitated with the Padma Shri, which is the fourth highest civilian honour.

Other Padma Shri awardees are Nalini and Kamalini Asthana, Madhuri Barthwal, S Ballesh Bhajantri, Khandu Wangchuk Bhutia, Sulochana Chavan, Lourembam Bino Devi, Shyamamani Devi, Arjun Singh Dhurve, Gosaveedu Shaik Hassan (posthumous), and Shivnath Mishra. 

In a statement, Dwivedi, whose next directorial is the historical drama Prithviraj with Akshay Kumar and Manushi Chillar, said: "I’m deeply humbled to have been bestowed with the prestigious Padma Shri award. I have been fortunate enough to creatively collaborate with some of the best minds of the Hindi film and television industry. They have enriched me, pushed my boundaries and made me better creatively. I share this huge moment of my life with all these people who have shaped me and my thinking."

Meanwhile, Nigam relayed his gratitude for the award and dedicated it to his parents. "My heartfelt thanks to all those who selected me and suggested my name for this prestigious honour," he said in a statement as quoted by The New Indian Express.