Kangana Ranaut, Adnan Sami felicitated with Padma Shree Award

Kangana Ranaut and Adnan Sami were felicitated with Padma Shri award today in New Delhi. The prizes will be presented over the course of two days in four ceremonies.

Filmmakers Karan Johar and Ekta Kapoor are among the honourees from the film industry, while vocalist SP Balasubrahmanyam will get the Padma Vibhushan posthumously.

Kangana Ranaut was photographed receiving the Padma Shri from President Ram Nath Kovind, draped. She got the National Award for Best Actress for her roles in the films ‘Manikarnika’ and ‘Panga’, and was most recently seen in the Jayalalithaa biopic ‘Thalaivii’.

Adnan Sami is of Pakistani descent and became an Indian citizen in 2016. When the honours list was revealed in January, his Padma Shri was heavily criticized, with the Nationalist Congress Party calling it a “insult to 130 crore Indians.” Adnan Sami slammed Congressman Jaiveer Shergill on Twitter after the politician called the singer’s Padma award “chamchagiri.”

Speaking to news agency PTI after controversy erupted, Adnan Sami said, “The people who are criticising are some minor politicians. They are doing it because of some political agenda that they have and it has nothing to do with me. I am not a politician, I am a musician.”