Amitabh Bachchan to Be Honored with Highest Civilian Award of France

Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan is now going to reach another heirght as he has been selected to be honored with Legion d'honneur, the highest civilian honor of France which was introduced by the Napoleon Bonaparte about two century ago. This old actor is still competing with the present time actor of Bollywood. Amitabh is very much proud of this honor. Monsterstandcritics reported:

The award was conferred on the 64-year-old actor for his 'contribution to Indian and international cultural life' by the French ambassador Dominique Girard in New Delhi on Saturday night, the NDTV network reported.

'I am truly humbled by the honour. I consider the honour not as a personal achievement, rather a recognition of the manifold achievements of Indian cinema, which I have had the privilege of being associated with for over three decades,' Bachchan said at the ceremony.

Bachchan had arrived for the event accompanied by his family including his son, Bollywood heart-throb Abhishek Bachchan and would-be daughter-in-law, Aishwarya Rai, a former Miss World.

'We chose Amitabh Bachchan for the honour because we always have respect and esteem for world-class artists. He is a milestone in the history of the Indian entertainment industry,' said Girard.

Legion d'honneur was instituted in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte to reward eminent military and civil merits in the service of France, and is the highest distinction that can be conferred to a French citizen or foreigner.

Among the eminent Indian personalities to have received the honour are film-maker Satyajit Ray in 1987 and environmentalist RK Pachauri in July 2006.

Bachchan, popularly known as Big B, is a national icon who has dominated Indian cinema since he quit his job as a freight broker in Calcutta and joined Bollywood over three decades ago.

Bachchan has survived two life-threatening illnesses and has acted in more than 140 films.

BBC Online voted him 'star of the millenium' above such Hollywood legends as Sir Lawrence Olivier and Charlie Chaplin.

This is a matter of great honor for Bollywood and this will definitely an achievement for both Big B and Amitabh Bachchan. I like to see him going for much more way in his career.