Rajnikant, Ashok Saraf to be felicitated by Mah govt

Mumbai, Apr 23 (UNI) Tamil superstar Rajnikant will be felicitated with the Raj Kapoor award and veteran Marathi actor Ashok Saraf with the V Shantaram award instituted by the Maharashtra government for their lifetime contribution to cinema.

According to a statement issued by the state cultural department, the Raj Kapoor award comprises a cash prize of Rs one lakh, citation and memento while the V Shantaram award carries a cash prize of Rs 1.25 lakh, memento and a citation.

Rajnikant's real name is Shivajirao Gaikwad and hails from Kolhapur. Before hitting big time on celluloid screen, Rajni was a bus conductor. He has acted in more than 150 films in all south Indian languages and Hindi.

Both he and V Shantaram award winner Ashok Saraf began their celluloid journey from theatre, then equally distributed their time between Marathi and Hindi films as well as television serials.

Saraf has carved a niche for himself in comedy, serious and villanious roles.

The awards will be presented on April 30 during the state film awards presentation function in Thane.

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