Ace actor Akshay Kumar received his National Award for Best Actor ('Rustom') from President Pranab Mukherjee last week in a ceremony held in Rashtrapati Bhavan. His win for the role was long challenged by several who debated that Aamir Khan in 'Dangal' and Manoj Bajpayee in 'Aligarh' were more deserving. The debate heated up to the point that National Award jury chief Priyadarshan was accused of favouritism.
Dressed in a bandhgala, Akshay was accompanied by his wife and author Twinkle Khanna, and their 14 year old son Aarav. On receiving the award, the 'Hera Pheri' actor said, “To finally take my last few steps towards the President of India to receive my National Award felt almost unreal. I've never felt so light and so humbled at the same time. When one works day in and day out, as I do, something like this isn't just an honour, it's a moment in time where everything makes sense. No matter how hard the journey may have been, to stand here now, in front of my family, is the cherry on this almighty cake we call life.”
Other awardees included Zaira Wasim for Best Supporting Actress in 'Dangal', Mohanlal who received the Jury Award, and Sonam Kapoor who was given a Special Mention for 'Neerja'.
