Actor Mithun Chakraborty, renowned singer Usha Uthup, music composer Pyarelal Sharma, of the Laxmikant-Pyarelal duo, and late Tamil actor Vijayakanth (posthumous) have been awarded with one of India’s highest honours. The mentioned artists are among the 17 Padma Bhushan awardees announced for the year.

As for Mithun Chakraborty, the 73-year-old is known for his long, successful Bollywood career. Hailing from West Bengal, made his debut in ‘Mrigayaa’, which got him the National Film Award for Best Actor. He then starred in several films including ‘Disco Dancer’, ‘Agneepath’ and ‘Pyaar Jhukta Nahin’. 

He is not the only actor who’s honoured for his contributions to cinema. Tamil actor turned politician Vijayakanth has been posthumously honoured with the Padma Bhushan award as well. He passed away in December 2023, and was fondly known as Captain by his fans. His most famous films include ‘Vaidehi Kathirunthal’, ‘Amman Kovil Kizhakale’, ‘Poonthotta Kaavalkaaran Chinna Gounder’ and ‘Honest Raj’. His 100th film, Captain Prabhakaran made him earn the moniker of Captain.

Usha Uthup, known for her contributions in music, has sung several renowned songs such as ‘Ramba Ho’, ‘One Two Cha Cha’, ‘Shaan Se’, ‘Koi Yahaan Nache Nache’ and ‘Hari Om Hari’. The 76-year-old singer is known for his unique voice. 

Finally, Pyarelal Sharma, of the iconic duo Laxmikant-Pyarelal, too has been honoured in the field of entertainment. With his partner, Pyarelal was the force behind composing songs such as ‘Ek Pyaar Ka Nagma Hai’, ‘Sheesha Ho Ya Dil Ho’, ‘Hum Tum Ek Kamre Mein Band Ho’, ‘Jumma Chumma De De’ and ‘Ek Haseena Thi’ among others.