Veteran actor Dharmendra and Malayalam cinema legend Mammootty are among the prominent entertainment personalities honoured with Padma awards on the occasion of Republic Day 2026. While Dharmendra has been awarded the Padma Vibhushan posthumously, Mammootty has received the Padma Bhushan for his contribution to Indian cinema.Renowned singer Alka Yagnik has also been conferred the Padma Bhushan, recognising her decades-long impact on Indian music. Late advertising and brand communication icon Piyush Pandey has been honoured posthumously with the Padma Bhushan.
131 Padma awards approved by President Murmu
President Droupadi Murmu has approved the conferment of 131 Padma Awards this year, including two duo cases, which are counted as one award, according to an official statement. The list was announced on the eve of Republic Day.As per the notification, the awards include five Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri honours.
Posthumous honours and diversity among awardees
Sixteen of the awards have been conferred posthumously. As many as 19 women feature among the recipients, while the list also includes six foreign nationals, NRIs, PIOs and OCIs.Veteran actor Satish Shah has been honoured with the Padma Shri posthumously, while Tollywood icon Prosenjit Chatterjee also features among the awardees, further underlining the strong representation from the arts and entertainment fraternity. R Madhavan has also been honoured with the Padma Shri for his contribution in Indian cinema. Apart from Dharmendra, Left stalwart and former Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan has also been awarded the Padma Vibhushan posthumously. Late JMM founder and former Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren is another notable name among this year’s honourees.The other recipients of the Padma Vibhushan, the country’s second-highest civilian award, include former Supreme Court judge K.T. Thomas (Public Affairs), classical violinist N. Rajam (Art), and P. Narayanan (Literature and Education).
About the Padma Awards
The Padma Awards are conferred in three categories — Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri — across various fields such as art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, and civil service. While the Padma Vibhushan is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service, the Padma Bhushan recognises distinguished service of a high order, and the Padma Shri is given for distinguished service in any field.
