Indian Cinema Icons Who Were Awarded The Prestigious Legion of Honour

9 May 17 @ 4:39 PM | By Vamsee Ajjampudi

Legion of Honour is the highest honour in France. In 1802, Napoleon Bonaparte wanted to honour responsible French civilians for their contributions to the society & created the Legion of Honour to felicitate them. The award is divided into five classes which are: Chevalier (knight), Officier (officer), Commandeur (commander), Grand Officier (grand officer) & Grand Croix (grand cross). However, the French government makes an exception by conferring this honour to international citizens who are talented enough to receive this honour. Time & again, the benevolent French government has felicitated many Indians who have helped the society. Let's take a look at those Indian film personalities who were worthy enough to receive this prestigious honour from France.

Satyajit Ray

Director of the world famous Apu trilogy, Satyajit Ray was a big shot in Indian Cinema who won many awards for his contribution to Indian Cinema. Bharat Ratna, Dadasaheb Phalke, Ramon Magsaysay awards are some of the awards he won in his lifetime. The Oscar-winner was greatly influenced by French director Jean Renoir. In 1987, Francois Mitterand, President Of France, conferred the Legion of Honour upon Ray. As per the tradition, the President kisses the awardee upon the cheek. However, Satyajit asked the President to make an exception by not kissing him & President Mitterand obliged.

Sources: en.wikipedia
Sivaji Ganesan

Dubbed by the western media as 'Marlon Brando of Indian Cinema', Sivaji Ganesan boasted one of the biggest fan bases in Tamil Nadu. In 1995, the then French ambassador, Phillip Pettit, conferred the honour upon the star at a ceremony held at MAC Stadium, Chennai. Later, in 1996, the actor also received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award.

Sources: stardust.co
Pandit Ravi Shankar

Ravi Shankar was a sitar player whose dedication towards music made him world famous. He scored the music for acclaimed films such as ‘Gandhi’ & ‘The Apu Trilogy’. In 2000, he received the Legion of Honour in the commander class. It is worth mentioning that he spent most of his childhood in Paris. It was there he got acquainted with music & decided to pursue it.

Sources: theguardian
Zubin Mehta

Not many know of the fact that Zubin Mehta acted in the 2015 Hindi film 'Ek Tha Bhujang'. God & the moviemakers only know about the movie's outcome. Coming back to the music conductor Zubin, the French government conferred the honour in 2001. He also went to receive the Israel's Legion of Honour equivalent 'Presidential Awards of Distinction' in 2012.

Sources: articles.economictimes.indiatimes
Amitabh Bachchan

This comes as no surprise. Amitabh Bachchan is a global icon who is well-recognised for his works in Indian Cinema. Given his fame & dedication, the French government decided to give the Legion of Honour in the Chevalier class to Big B in 2005. The then French ambassador Dominique Girard handed the award to Bachchan & later watched 'Penguins, A Love Story', an Oscar-winning movie, with the star. It is worth mentioning that Amitabh provided the voice-over for this flick.

Sources: en.wikipedia

Amitabh Bachchan
Shahrukh Khan

In 2014, King Khan, who has got a large fan base across the globe, received the Legion of Honour from the then French Minister for Foreign Affairs, Laurent Fabius. SRK thanked the President Francois Hollande for deeming him worthy enough to receive the prestigious award. He received the award in the chevalier class.

Sources: ibtimes.co

Shahrukh Khan
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Manish Arora

Manish Arora is a costume designer who previously worked for big shot corporations such as Paco Rabanne. He designed the costumes for the blockbuster 'Veer Zaara'. Given the designer's talent, the French government decided to bestow him with the Legion of Honour in February 2016. Due to the achievement, Manish became the first Indian designer to win the award.

Sources: wwd
Kamal Haasan

The government of France has declared that they will be giving away the award to Kamal Haasan. The actor will be receiving the award in the chevalier class. The South Indian actor went ahead & thanked the 2016 French ambassador, Alexandre Ziegler, for giving him the good news. He has dedicated the award to his fans.

Sources: thehindu

Kamal Haasan