Dadasaheb Phalke Award, 2020

Veteran actress Asha Parekh has been declared the recipient of the 2020 Dadasaheb Phalke award, making her the 52nd awardee of the honour.

• She will be honoured at the 68^th National Film Awards event to be presided over by President of India Smt Droupadi Murmu.

About Asha Parekh:

• Asha Parekh made her debut as a leading actress in the 1959 film Dil Deke Dekho. 
• Ms Asha Parekh was conferred the Padma Shri in 1992.
• She has also served as the first female chairperson of Central Board for Film Certification from 1998-2001.
• She came out with her autobiography, The Hit Girl, co-written by film critic Khalid Mohamed, in 2017.

About the Dadasaheb Phalke Award:

• The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is the highest honour in Indian cinema.
• The award was instituted in 1969, the award is the highest honour for an artiste in Indian cinema. 
• Previous recipients include Raj Kapoor, Yash Chopra, Lata Mangeshkar, Mrinal Sen, Amitabh Bachchan and Vinod Khanna.
• Devika Rani was the first winner, while actor Rajinikanth is the most recent winner of the prestigious honour, in 2021.

About National Film Awards:

• These are among the most prestigious honours bestowed upon persons who have contributed to the advancement of cinematic art.
• These prizes have been given out annually since 1954.
• Organised by: The Directorate of Film Festivals took over the responsibility of organizing these awards in 1973.
• The winners are chosen by a national selection committee appointed by the government.
• The awards are presented by India's President, and the winning films are shown to the public.
• The awards are presented not just to the finest films from India's Bollywood industry, but also to the best films from other countries.

Categorization of Awards

The following are the five key categories for which this award is given: