Ashok Kumar
Awards & Honours
10
Awards Won
3
Honours
2
Records
Three honours tell the story of Ashok Kumar's standing. The Padma Shri came in 1962, while he was still a working leading man. The Dadasaheb Phalke Award followed in 1988, the country's highest cinema honour, and the Padma Bhushan in 1999, two years before his death. He was also styled the Grandfather and Great Custodian of Indian Motion Pictures, a phrase that appeared in tributes and retrospectives. The record that sets him apart is the anti-hero: he was the first lead actor in Indian cinema to play one, in Kismet (1943), and that role changed what a Hindi film star could be.
Awards
Honours & Distinctions
Padma Bhushan
India's third-highest civilian honour, for contribution to Indian cinema.
Dadasaheb Phalke Award
India's highest honour for cinema, for lifetime achievement.
Padma Shri
India's fourth-highest civilian honour, for contribution to Indian cinema.
Records & Feats
First lead actor in Indian cinema to play an anti-hero
Kumar played a thief and charmer in Kismet (1943), breaking the mould of the virtuous Hindi hero.
Career spanning 63 years
His acting career ran from 1934 to 1997, one of the longest in Indian cinema.