Arijit Singh and Ricky Kej were honoured with the Padma Shri award, while Nandamuri Balakrishna, Ajith Kumar, Shekhar Kapur and Shobhana received Padma Bhushan. Pankaj Udhas’ wife accepted his award in his honour. Many other awardees, in the field of sports, medicine and business were also honoured.

Ajith Kumar had previously shared a statement about the honour. He said, “I am deeply humbled and honoured to receive the esteemed Padma Award by the President of India. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the Hon’ble President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu and the Honourable Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi for this prestigious honour. It is a privilege to be recognized at such a level and I am truly grateful for this generous acknowledgment of my contributions to our nation.”

See Also: Shekhar Kapur, Ajith Kumar & more honoured with Padma Bhushan

Take a look at the photos from the ceremony below: