National Awards: Vinod Khanna, Sridevi recognised posthumously

New Delhi: Doffing its hat to mainstream stars Vinod Khanna and Sridevi, the 65th National Film Awards on Friday recognised their contribution to the Indian cinema by honouring them posthumously with the Dadasaheb Phalke and best actress awards.

Announcing Sridevi's name, feature film jury head Shekhar Kapur said the actor was the most deserving candidate.

Sridevi, whose filmography spanned across 50 years and in 300 films in languages such as Tamil, Telugu and Hindi, was recognised for her role of an angry mother seeking justice for her daughter in rape-revenge drama, "Mom".

Her death, at the age of 54 in February this year, had shocked the country. Kapur had worked with Sridevi in "Mr India".

"It was not because of the relationship we shared but because she was the most deserving candidate for her portrayal in 'Mom'," Kapur said.

Sridevi's husband Boney Kapoor became emotional when told about her win.

"Thank you. I wish she were here today to see this," Boney told a news agency.

Khanna, one of the biggest stars of Hindi films in the '70s and '80s, became the 49th recipient of Dadasaheb Phalke award, Indian cinema's highest honour. Probably, the only second actor to be named for the honour posthumously after Prithviraj Kapoor.