President Droupadi Murmu will confer Padma Awards on four of Indian cinema’s most celebrated figures at the second Civil Investiture Ceremony on June 23 at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. Malayalam superstar Mammootty will receive the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian honor, while actor R Madhavan, the late comedian Satish Shah, and Telugu cinema veteran Gadde Rajendra Prasad will each receive the Padma Shri.
The ceremony will also see the posthumous conferment of the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian honor, on legendary actor Dharmendra, who died in 2025. Sixty-five recipients across all fields will be honored at the event. The government approved 131 Padma Awards this year: five Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan, and 113 Padma Shri.
Mammootty’s Padma Bhushan caps a career spanning more than five decades and over 400 films. The 74-year-old actor, born Muhammad Kutty Ismail Panaparambil in Kottayam, made his debut in a junior role in the 1971 Malayalam film Anubhavangal Paalichakal and went on to win three National Film Awards for Best Actor. His filmography stretches across Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Hindi cinema, and he is widely regarded alongside Mohanlal as one of the two pillars of Kerala’s film industry. Mammootty reacted to the announcement with characteristic brevity, offering a single word of gratitude: “Thanks.”
R Madhavan’s Padma Shri recognizes a career defined by versatility. The actor made his name in Tamil cinema with Mani Ratnam’s Alaipayuthey in 2000 before crossing over to Hindi films with the commercially successful Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein. He went on to star in Rang De Basanti and 3 Idiots, two of Bollywood’s most celebrated films, and earned critical acclaim for roles that defied conventional leading-man casting. His directorial debut Rocketry: The Nambi Effect, in which he also starred as scientist Nambi Narayanan, won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi in 2023.
Satish Shah’s Padma Shri arrives posthumously. The veteran comedian and character actor died of a heart attack at his Mumbai home on October 25, 2025, at the age of 74. Shah was best known for his roles in the television sitcom Sarabhai vs Sarabhai and in films like Main Hoon Na and Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa. At his cremation, co-stars and producers of Sarabhai vs Sarabhai sang the show’s title song as a tribute. His son, Rajesh Kumar, later clarified that the cause of death was a sudden cardiac arrest, not kidney failure as initially reported.
Gadde Rajendra Prasad’s Padma Shri honors a Telugu cinema career spanning hundreds of films. The actor, known for his range across comedy, drama, and serious roles, has worked extensively in Telugu and other Indian languages. His recognition alongside Mammootty and Madhavan underscores the ceremony’s reach across India’s linguistically diverse film industries.
Dharmendra’s posthumous Padma Vibhushan places him alongside former Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan in the highest tier of this year’s civilian honors. The actor, who died in October 2025, defined Hindi cinema’s romantic hero archetype across the 1960s and 1970s with films like Sholay, Phool Aur Patthar, and Satyakam. His sons Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol have continued the family’s presence in Indian cinema, with Bobby Deol recently earning career-best reviews in Anurag Kashyap’s Bandar.
The June 23 ceremony comes during a period of heightened reflection on Indian cinema’s legacy. Tamil cinema recently mourned the passing of director Bharathiraja with state honours, and Bollywood has been marking a series of 25th anniversaries for films from its early 2000s golden period. The Padma Awards, bestowed on Republic Day but presented at later investiture ceremonies, represent the Indian state’s formal acknowledgment of artistic contribution to national life.
President Murmu will present the awards at Rashtrapati Bhavan’s Durbar Hall. Recipients who are unable to attend in person may receive their medals at a subsequent ceremony or through their state governors. The full list of 131 awardees spans fields from medicine and science to public affairs, sports, and social work, but the cinema contingent has drawn the most public attention.
