Kamal Haasan to be honoured with prestigious French award

Actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan has been conferred the prestigious Chevalier de L’Ordre Arts et Letters (The Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters) award by the French government. The award is in recognition of significant contributions to the arts, literature, or the propagation of these fields, as well as people who have contributed significantly to furthering the arts in France and throughout the world.

The actor released a statement thanking his family and fans for supporting him. He said, “The French Government has kindly conferred the Chevalier Award for arts and letters on me. On this occasion, I bow before my more deserving forerunners Mr Sathyajit Ray and Mr Sivaji Ganesan who made even the common man realise the value of the Chevalier award. I thank the Ambassador of France in India Mr Alexandere Ziegler, who intimated me of this honour. This award humbles me rather than stifle me with pride.”

He further added, “I realise my journey in my chosen field has not been alone. Teachers and admirers abounded around me with motherly care and they have applauded my every little step forward. The melancholy of my parents not being alive to see this day is allayed by the fact the elders and the young are still around in my family to enjoy it. I dedicate this award to my admirers and audience who give me the tenacity of purpose to purse to this day and moment my arts and letters.”

21 years ago, Sivaji Ganesan was conferred with this honour. Other celebrities who have been honoured are Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Nandita Das and Shah Rukh Khan.

Kamal Haasan, who was last seen in a critically-acclaimed movie ‘Thoongavanam’, is currently directing and starring in the trilingual film ‘Subhash Naidu.’ The film also stars his daughter Shruti Haasan.

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