Ajay Devgn, Madhur Bhandarkar to be honoured with Swabhimani Mumbaikar award

Actor Ajay Devgn, director Madhur Bhandarkar and singer Udit Narayan will be felicitated with the 'Swabhimani Mumbaikar' award by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at the Mumbaikar Festival 2016 scheduled to be held this December.

Elated over the announcement, Bhandarkar said "I really feel proud to be here and felicitated with 'Swabhimani Mumbaikar' award organized by Mumbaikar festival. We all needed such Mumbaikar Festival as our city has everything that we need to be proud of and it needs to be showcased."

"Mumbai will completely change for those four days it will be like New York. Mumbai's energy inspires me the most, it has the pace, its vibrant, lots of positive energy, never sleeps, motivates me and it also motivates Mumbaikar when they are feeling low. The city inspires us to overcome all the hurdles and break free and that's the beauty of Mumbai," he added.

Rohit Poddar, the chairman of Mumbaikar Festival, said this event would also open doors for tourism in India

"It is a matter of pride for us to felicitate the recipients of Padma Vibhushan awardees, given by Government of India to the civilians. We are sure to take Mumbaikar festival, an Indian festival to an international platform," he added.

Sixteen Padma Vibhushan awardees will be felicitated at the inauguration of this festival with 'Swabhimani Mumbaikars' Awards including posthumous achievers too.

Late Dhirubhai Ambani, Anupam Kher, Ajay Devgn, Priyanka Chopra, Udit Narayan, Madhur Bhandarkar, eminent architect Hafeez Contractor, Adman Piyush Pandey and senior legal counsel Ujjwal Nikam, Business baron Dilip Shanghvi of Sun Pharma, scientist Dr Keki Hormusji Gharda of Gharda Chemicals, Sanskrit scholar Ramanuja Tattacharya, renowned agriculturist Subhash Palekar, noted documentary photographer Sudhakar Olwe, spiritual guru Swami Tejomayan Andaand, chemical engineer Dr. Ganapati Dadasaheb Yadav will be among those who will receive the honour.