On
the eve of India’s Republic Day, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has announced the list of Padma awardees for 2026. These awards honour individuals from all walks of life who have demonstrated excellence and long-term impact in arts, literature, social service, medicine, education, public service, and more. While the names are announced before the Republic Day 2026 celebrations, the President of India, Droupadi Murmu, will be presenting the medals at the Rashtrapati Bhavan later this year. Padma Awards one of the highest civilian Awards of the country, are conferred in three categories, namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri.
Padma Awards 2026 winners
The list of Padma Awards 2026 were announced with an official press release. Veteran actor
Dharmendra Singh Deol, who breathed his last at the age of 89 in November 2025, will be posthumously honoured with
Padma Vibhushan. On the other hand, Malayalam superstar and Dulquer Salmaan's father,
Mammootty has been named for
Padma Bhushan along with renowned Bollywood playback singer Alka Yagnik.
Padma Shri awards will be given to National Award-winning actor
R Madhavan, Bengali superstar Prosenjit Chatterjee and the veteran TV and film star Satish Shah (Posthumous).
Posthumous awardees
Dharmendra Deol, popularly known as Bollywood's He-Man or Dharamji, left behind an unmatched legacy which is now being taken forward by his sons, Sunny and Bobby. His last film, Ikkis, released in theatres on January 1. Satish Shah, a name familiar to every Indian, passed away in October 2025 due to ill health. He played the iconic television character of Indravadan Sarabhai in
Sarabhai vs Sarabhai.
Padma Bhushan 2026
Alka Yagnik has entertained her fans for many decades. The Bollywood playback singer will be sharing the honour of Padma Bhushan with Mollywood superstar, Mammootty, who has changed the landscape of
Malayalam cinema with progressive and culturally rooted movies.
Padma Shri 2026 award winners
In the Padma Shri 2026 category, R Madhavan or
Madhavan Ranganathan will be receiving the award along with renowned actors, including Bengali superstar
Prosenjit Chatterjee, Gujarati theatre and Hindi television personality Arvind Vaidya, who is the father of actress Vandana Pathak.
All you need to know about the Padma Awards and its categorisation
Padma Vibhushan is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service; Padma Bhushan for distinguished service of high order and Padma Shri for distinguished service in any field. The awards are announced on the occasion of Republic Day every year.
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