The most prestigious civilian awards, the Padma awards 2010, have been announced and Bollywood has indeed made its presence felt here too. Of the total 130 awardees, 6 are Padma Vibhushan, 43 Padma Bhushan, and 81 Padma Shri. The award winners include Ilayaraja, Aamir Khan and AR Rahman for Padma Bhushan, and Rekha, Arundhati Nag, Resul Pokutty and Saif Ali Khan for Padma Shri.
Aamir Khan, who at present is in the US for the Sundance Film Festival, said it was “wonderful” to be chosen for the honour and thanked his fans and well wishers for their support.
He expressed his joy saying, “The first thing that comes to my mind is my mother’s smiling face. This has been a good day for me. My film ‘Peepli Live’ gets superb response at the Sundance Film Festival and then I receive this wonderful news of getting Padma Bhushan. I wish I was back home right now.”