Poonam Dhillon, Saira Banu, Priyamani, Barjatyas, Udit Narayan, Rajpal Yadav, Anwesshaa, etc. honoured with Dadasaheb Phalke Film Foundation Awards at star-studded event by Chaitanya Padukone

Evergreen senior star-actress and (now 'CINTAA' President) Poonam Dhillon, dignified multi-lingual star actress Priyamani, Padma Bhushan mega-star singer Udit Narayan, brilliant actor Rajpal Yadav, the ( iconic Rajshri banner) Barjatya brothers ( Kamal Kumar and Ajit Kumar), ‘Gadar-2’ debonair villain-actor Manish Wadhwa and director Anil Sharma, noted actor Darshan Kumar, playback n pop-singer Anwesshaa,  ‘ageless’ actor Rohit Roy, popular star-comedian "VIP" and of course mega-star actress of Nepali movies Priyanka Karki ( she came specially from Kathmandu) were among the galaxy of glitterati scene-stealers. This was at the oldest and prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Film Foundation Awards 2024, established by the 25-year-old  film foundation which also looks after the social-pension and health-medical welfare of old and needy technicians from the film fraternity. The glittering late evening event was held at the Mukesh Patel Auditorium at JVPD area in Mumbai.

 Legendary Saira Banu ( in-absentia) was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Despite her ill health preventing her attendance, the award will be personally delivered to her at the earliest, according to this event co-organiser Ashok Shekhar.

Most of the celebs including Poonam Dhillon,  Rajpal Yadav, Priyamani, and Udit Narayan expressed their emotional sentiments on being honored with a prestigious Award named after the legendary ‘Father of  Indian Cinema‘ Dadasaheb Dhundiraj Govind Phalke’s to mark his 154^th  anniversary.

Incidentally,  for National Film Award winner modest, versatile dignified Priyamani (of landmark Hindi movie Article 370 fame, ‘Jawaan’ fame, ‘Maidaan’ movie fame, and ‘The Family Man’ OTT show fame actress), the Phalke-FF-Award was also like an advance  Special ‘Birthday Gift!  That’s because her Birthday is today- ( June 04^th). Speaking to me, Priyamani, said that she was eagerly awaiting the release of her upcoming multi-lingual ( Hindi) movie ‘Quotation Gang’ directed by Vivek Kannan which has Jackie Shroff and Sunny Leone as her co-stars, Defying her charming screen-image, Priyamani plays ‘Shakuntala’ –a daring 'contract-killer' with tribal-tattoos on her neck and hand, as part of her deadly-look.

The oldest and most prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Film Foundation Awards 2024, established by the 25-year-old  film foundation, saw the glam-glitterati of tinsel town gracing the late-evening event at Mukesh Patel Auditorium in Mumbai in the presence of IMPPA President Mr Abhay Sinha.

Besides iconic veteran actress Saira Banu, the Dadasaheb Phalke FF Lifetime Achievement Award, alongside luminaries like  veteran Rajshri Productions filmmakers Kamal Kumar Barjatya and Ajitkumar Barjatya, Anil 'Gadar' Sharma and  evergreen actress Poonam Dhillon,

 A large number of  talented popular artistes and luminaries were honoured on stage with the Phalke FF Awards trophies  including maverick musician-singer Leslee Lewis, ‘youth-icon’ singer Anwesshaa Datta Gupta , actors Brijendra Kala, Paintal, Rohit Roy,Rajpal Yadav, Manish Wadhwa, Vaishali Thakkar, Priyamani, Darshan Kumar, Rushad Rana, Deepak Tijori, Simrat Kaur, Archana Gautam, Karan Mehra, Rajan Shahi, Rakesh Bedi, Chahat Pandey, celeb stand-up comedian VIP, Paintal, impresario Mohomed Morani and many others.’CineBuster’ magazine Publisher-editor Ronnie Rodrigues came specially to present few of the awards . Also present was music-industry luminary Bharat Ashar--former manager to  iconic legendary composer-singer R D Burman and various other top-singers and currently with singer  Anwesshha.

Visionary Ashfaque Khopekar-- President of Dadasaheb Phalke Film Foundation, along with co-organisers Babubhai Thiba  and veteran dynamic producer-impresario Ashok Shekhar asserted, "The Dadasaheb Phalke Film Foundation Awards is one of the most prestigious awards in Indian cinema, honouring many senior artists in Hindi cinema. Since nearly 25 years, this foundation followed by the decade old award  has been striving to honour and  provide pensions and medical benefits to technicians and needy artistes in the film industry."

By acknowledging both veteran and young cine-artistes and cine-technicians, the Dadasaheb Phalke Film Foundation Awards reaffirm their position as one of the prestigious and inclusive recognition for the World of Indian Cinema. Today Indian Cinema and Bollywood is an acclaimed glorious cinematic global entity at several top-ranking foreign film-awards and film-festivals be it at Cannes , Moscow, London and even at the US-based Oscar Academy Awards!

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