Dharmendra Awarded Padma Vibhushan Posthumously; Mammootty, Alka Yagnik Receive Padma Bhushan

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced the Padma Awards 2026- one of the highest civilian Awards of the country- on the eve of India’s Republic Day. The prestigious awards honour individuals for

excellence and their contributions across fields such as arts, cinema, social work, public affairs and more. Veteran actor Dharmendra Singh Deol, who passed away at the age of 89 in November last year, has been awarded the Padma Vibhushan posthumously. Notably, Dharmendra was earlier honoured with the Padma Bhushan in 2012 for his contributions to the arts.

Padma Awards 2026 Winners

Meanwhile, Malayalam superstar Mammootty and Bollywood playback singer Alka Yagnik have been named for the Padma Bhushan 2026 awards. Padma Shri awardees include actor R Madhavan, Bengali superstar Prosenjit Chatterjee and late actor Satish Shah (posthumous). While the names of the awardees were unveiled on the eve of Republic Day, the awards will be presented by President Droupadi Murmu later this year at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The list, which was released today, comprises 5 Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri Award winners.

About Dharmendra

Legendary Indian actor Dharmendra, fondly known as the ‘He-Man of Bollywood’, breathed his last on November 24, 2025, just days before his 90th birthday. With a career spanning more than six decades, he remained one of the most beloved and influential stars in the history of Hindi films.

Dharmendra’s illustrious career includes timeless classics such as Sholay, Chupke Chupke, Mera Gaon Mera Desh, Dharam Veer, Dream Girl, among numerous other films. In recent years, he won hearts again with his touching performance in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani and Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya. His final film Ikkis, directed by Sriram Raghavan, released posthumously earlier this month. The war drama also starred Agastya Nanda, Jaideep Ahlawat, late actor Asrani, Sikander Kher, Vivaan Shah, among others.