Bengal's superstar Prosenjit Chatterjee to get Padmashree

Bengali film industry's biggest icon Prosenjit Chatterjee has been named a Padma Shri awardee, as per the list of Padma Awards for 2026 released by the Union Home Ministry on Sunday. The annual honours recognise eminent individuals for their exceptional contribution and merit across fields such as art, literature, social service, medicine and education.

The awards will be conferred by President Droupadi Murmu at a ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Prosenjit Chateerjee honoured for his decades-long contribution to Indian cinema

The Padma Awards are announced annually on the eve of Republic Day and are among India’s highest civilian honours and are presented in three categories: Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri.

Besides Prosenjit, Dhurandhar star R Madhavan and the late Satish Shah have been selected for the Padma Shri. Satish Shah is being conferred the honour posthumously. Their work in cinema and performance has played a significant role in enriching the country’s cultural fabric, which the award seeks to acknowledge.

The late Bollywood icon Dharmendra has been named a Padma Vibhushan awardee posthumously, in recognition of his immense and enduring contribution to Indian cinema. Meanwhile, singer Alka Yagnik and South Indian actor Mammootty have been honoured with the Padma Bhushan for their decades-long impact on music and acting.

Prosenjit Chatterjee who has found pan-India success with his Hindi projects in recent years, thanks to OTT titles like Khakee: The Bengal Chapter and Jubilee, and films such as Maalik, is one of the most enduring and influential figures in the Bengali film industry. His career has shaped popular culture for over four decades and body of work spans both commercial blockbusters and parallel cinema.

Prosenjit began his acting career as a child artist but rose to stardom in the late 1980s and 1990s, when he became household name in Bengal with a string of hugely successful commercial films like Amar Sangi, Sasurbari Zindabad, Pratiggya, Shudhu Tumi and Guru Shisya.

The early 2000s marked a turning point in his career as Prosenjit consciously shifted towards more complex and content-driven roles. His collaborations with director Rituparno Ghosh earning him critical acclaim and also elevated his artistic stature. Films like Unishe April, Utsab, Chokher Bali and Dosar showcased his depth as a performer and won him multiple national and international honours.

Dosar earned him the National Film Award for Best Actor, cementing his reputation as one of India’s finest actors.

His foray into Hindi and pan-Indian cinema happened with films such as Shanghai, Traffic and Te3n which were widely praised.

Prosenjit Chatterjee also found popularity with the Bengali audiences across globe, with the 'Kakababu' films, based on Sunil Gangopadhyay’s legendary literary detective Raja Roy Chowdhury, popularly known as Kakababu.

The fourth movie in the series, Vijaynagar'er Hirey was released this week and has received positive response. Prosenjit made his debut as the middle-aged sleuth and former archaeologist Kakababu in Mishawr Rawhoshyo (2013). The success of the film led to a franchise that includes Yeti Obhijaan (2017) and Kakababur Protyaborton (2022).

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