New Delhi: Shashi Kapoor has been conferred with Dadasaheb Phalke Award at Prithvi theatre in Mumbai.
The veteran actor filmmaker received the prestigious award in the presence of his family members and several other Bollywood celebrities.
Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley presented the award to Mr Kapoor for his brilliant contribution to the Indian cinema. Shashi Kapoor is the third member of his acclaimed Kapoor family to have received this highest honour in Indian Cinema.
Elder brother Raj Kapoor and father Prithviraj Kapoor have also been conferred with the prestigious award in the past.
The morning at the Prithvi Theatre in Mumbai witnessed the arrival of Kapoor family members including Rishi Kapoor, Ranbir Kapoor, Neetu Singh, Karisma Kapoor, Krishna Raj Kapoor, Neela Devi, Saif Ali Khan and others.
As the actor arrived clad in a saffron scarf on wheelchair, he was accompanied by his daughter Sanjana and son Kunal on the stage.
Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Nafisa Ali, Waheeda Rehman, Asha Parekh, Rekha, Zeenat Aman, Shabana Azmi amongst other noted faces too expressed their glee at the ceremony.
Born in 1938, Kapoor hit the spotlight from the age of four acting in plays directed and produced by his father, while travelling with Prithvi Theatre. He started acting in films as a child in the late 1940s.
His best known performances as child artist were in "Aag" (1948) and "Awaara" (1951), where he played the younger version of the character played by Raj Kapoor. Shashi Kapoor also worked as assistant director in the 1950s.
Kapoor made his debut as a leading man in the 1961 film "Dharmputra" and went on to appear in more than 116 films during 60s, 70s and until the mid 80s.
Some of his memorable films include "Deewar", "Kabhie Kabhie", "Namak Halal", "Kaala Pathar" and others.
The 77-year-old actor, who is wheelchair bound and has been ailing from kidney problems, is the third from his family to get the award, after father Prithvi Raj Kapoor and elder brother Raj Kapoor.
He was honoured with Padma Bhushan in 2011.
