A.R.Rahman, Aamir, Rekha, Saif get civilian honours

Bollywood star Aamir Khan and celebrated Tamil composers A.R. Rahman and Ilayaraja were Monday named for Padma Bhushan, the nation's third highest civilian award, While actors Rekha, Saif Ali Khan, Arundhati Nag and sound engineer Resul Pokutty got Padma Shri.

Aamir, 44, who struck gold at the box office with his latest outing '3 Idiots' that grossed over Rs.375 crore worldwide, is already a recipient of the Padma Shri.

Allah Rakha Rahman, who shone at the Oscars last year with his double golden statuette win, seems to be on an award winning spree post the success of 'Slumdog Millionaire'.

In 2008, Rahman scored the music of Danny Boyle's rags-to-riches drama 'Slumdog Millionaire' for which he won a Golden Globe. He also bagged two Oscars for the film, becoming the first Indian citizen to do so.

Apart from the Oscars, Rahman has also been awarded with the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) award, four National Film Awards and 13 Filmfare awards.

Tamil composer Ilayaraja has been a prominent name in the southern film industry since 1976. He debuted with 'Annakkili' and is known for integrating Tamil folk lyric with Western music. He won the Indian National Film Award thrice for the movies - 'Sindhu Bhairavi', 'Rudraveena' and 'Saagara Sangamam.'

And now Ilayaraja gets the Padma Bhushan.

Bollywood diva Rekha, 55, has been selected for the Padma Shri, the fourth highest honour, after four decades in the Indian film industry.

The daughter of the late southern star Gemini Ganesan, Rekha bagged overnight success with her debut film and went on to become India's sex symbol.

Rekha has acted in over 150 films and maintained versatility in films like 'Do Anjaane' (1976), 'Ghar' (1978), 'Muqaddar Ka Sikander' (1978), 'Khubsoorat' (1980), 'Silsila' (1981), 'Baseraa' (1981), 'Utsav' (1984), 'Khoon Bhari Maang' (1988), 'Ijaazat' (1988), 'Kama Sutra' (1996) and 'Zubeidaa' (2001), et al.

After being awarded with the 2008 Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, now Arundhati Nag, a well-known name in the theatre world, wins Padma Shri. She was recently seen in 'Paa' as Amitabh Bachchan's grandmother.

Saif Ali Khan, one of the top notch actors in Hindi film industry, has been honoured with the Padma Shri. He became a sought after name after the success of 'Dil Chahta Hai' (2001). After that there has been no looking back for the actor who also bagged the National Film Awards for his performance in 'Hum Tum'.

Sound engineer Resul Pokutty, who won Oscar last year for his work in 'Slumdog Millionaire', is honoured with the fourth highest civilian award Padma Shri

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