An actress of poise and acumen, Hema Malini’s contribution to Hindi cinema might not be staggering enough though she ruled the industry for many years. But her beauty and elegance coupled with her age-no-bar mantra of performing Bharatnatyam on stage clinched her one of the most prestigious civilian award, Padmashree in 2000. She received the trophy from President K R Narayan.

A R Rahman is a global name now with two Oscars, two BAFTA and two Grammies credited to him. However, in 2000, it was his subtle Indianess to his music that impressed the selectors of the Padmashree Award. He received the award from the hands of the then President of India K R Narayanan.

Aamir Khan has always been a strong contender for Padmashree because of his choice of films over the years. This man doesn’t believe in being conventional always. His films are an example of this attitude of his. His mantra of one film every year has made him elusive yet wanting. His films are sure winners irrespective of what the film is all about. All these finally made him walk the red carpet at the Civillian awards nights at the Rashtrapati Bhavan and accept Padmashree from the then President A P J Abdul Kalam Azad.

Anupam Kher is a man of many faces. He’s done everything in his acting career from being the malicious Dr. Dang to the affable and supremely supportive father of DDLJ’s Shah Rukh Khan or Raj. Audiences loved and also loathed him depending on his portrayals. He is also unique for the fact that he started his career as an old and battered man with Mahesh Bhatt’s Saaransh, a move threatening to dismiss him as a father figure. But with variety as his middle name, Anupam Kher portrayed every possible role in his career and is still doing it. All this didn’t go unnoticed by the selection committee of the Padmashree Awards. He clinched the trophy in 2004 from the hands of President A P J Abdul Kalam.

Shah Rukh Khan is one man who immortalized romantic films with his mushy expressive movies. He gave Indian Cinema one of its best love saga Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge which is the favourite film of mostly every Indian. He claimed the top spot for many years consecutively with everyone from girls to old people going ga ga over him. And it was not long before the fourth highest civilian award Padmashree came calling for the king of Bollywood. He received the honour from the hands of President A P J Abdul Kalam.

Kavita Krishnamurthy is a veteran singer of the industry who didn’t fall prey to mediocrity when she started unlike many of her contemporaries. She chose to do selected singing and gave gems with mostly A R Rahman. Though she’s got a few peppy numbers to her credit, she’s mostly lauded for her soulful numbers that she sang in Bombay, Roja and others. And this drive in her helped her clinch the prestigious Padmashree in 2005 from the hands of A P J Abdul Kalam.

Humility personified, Madhuri Dixit is an icon girls look up to. From her initial days to her reigning times, nothing changed in the beautiful actress who’s the proud owner of the million dollar smile in Bollywood. She did all kinds of roles, from being hero’s ladylove to being a justice seeker. One more thing that made her a star was her immaculate dancing prowess. She used to make every heart go dhak dhak with her moves, a fact acknowledged by every person in the industry. So when she was selected to receive the Padmashree in 2008, no one was surprised. Instead, everyone felt she deserved every bit of it. She accepted the honour from the hands of Pratibha Patil.

An actor who kept on moving in spite of being thoroughly and miserably written off by the critics, Akshay Kumar had to slog to be in a position he’s enjoying right now. Life took a turn for good when he did his first Khiladi film. In the midst of so many consequential and inconsequential Khans, this Kumar continued his relentless sojourns. However, awards never made way for him until Padmashree happened. His never-say-die-attitude was appreciated and lauded with the civilian honour in 2009. The year also saw him claim a position at par with the supposed Kings of Bollywood. He received the award from the hands of President Pratibha Patil.

For the west, India means Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. She’s the global face of this country. Her beauty and prowess brought the two diametrically opposite film worlds together. She paved the way for Indian actresses to get acknowledged in foreign shores. She is the first Indian to be a Cannes Film Festival regular and was also the first Indian to be the member of the jury at one of the occasion. She is also the first one to do a full fledged role in an out and out Hollywood flick Pink Panther and that too as a vamp. So it was not surprising when the Government of India decided to honour this beauty queen with Padmashree last year for representing India at many international dos. She received the honour from the hands of Pratibha Patil.

Rakhee Gulzar was a stable actress of her time and did what is best for her. She never hesitated to slip into the shoes of a conventional heroine or play the role of a mother to an actor whom she romanced in many films. For her it’s the role that drives her. When age played spoilsport, she comfortably donned the character of screen mother and gave stellar performances in Ram Lakshman, Karan Arjun and many more. This flexibility and agility to entertain people in every age, led Rakhee to receive the Padmashree in 2003 from A P J Abdul Kalam.