Actor and politician Nandamuri Balakrishna received the coveted Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian award, on Monday afternoon in New Delhi. Pictures and videos of Balayya receiving the prestigious award from the President of India, Draupadi Murmu, have been going viral on social media. Balayya proudly carried his Telugu pride on his sleeve as he dressed himself in the traditional panche kattu.
Talking about his Padma honor, Balayya said he is overjoyed. “I am thankful to my fans and the Government of India. I recently completed 50 years as an actor, and I am a hat-trick MLA from the Hindupur constituency. My Basavatarakam hospital is one of the five biggest hospitals in the country,” he added.
Balayya further said that people often told him that he should have received the Padma award much earlier,’ “But I told them that the timing is right because I gave four hit films in a row, it has been 15 years since I became the Chairman of Cancer Hospital, and I have completed 50 years as an actor,” he concluded.