Actor-filmmaker
Kamal
Haasan
is
all
set
to
be
awarded
the
Chevalier
de
L'Ordre
Arts
et
Letters
(The
Knight
of
the
Order
of
Arts
and
Letters)
by
the
French
government,
as
part
of
France's
premiere
award.
"The
distinction,
which
is
yet
another
laurel
for
the
actor,
is
in
recognition
of
his
high
level
of
artistic
excellence
and
his
distinguished
career
achievements.
The
award
will
be
conferred
on
Kamal
Haasan
at
a
special
ceremony," read
a
statement
from
Haasan.
Dedicating
The
Award
"I
dedicate
this
award
to
my
admirers
and
audience
who
give
me
the
tenacity
of
purpose
to
pursue
to
this
day
and
moment
my
arts," he
said.
A
Humbling
Experience
He
said
the
award
humbles
him
rather
than
stiffening
him
with
pride.
Chevalier
de
L'Ordre
Arts
et
Letters
is
considered
as
one
of
the
most
prestigious
awards
given
away
by
the
French
government.
Missing
His
Parents
Though
there
was
the
"melancholy" of
his
parents
not
being
alive
to
"see
this
day",
other
elders
and
youngsters
were
there
in
the
family
to
"enjoy
it
(the
moment),"
Haasan
added.
Nadigar
Sangam
Greets
Kamal
The
Nadigar
Sangam
(Artistes'
Association)
and
DMK
Treasurer
and
Opposition
Leader
in
Tamil
Nadu
Assembly
MK
Stalin
greeted
the
actor
for
getting
the
French
award.
A
Function
To
Celebrate
The
Occasion?
The
award
was
a
"recognition" of
the
Tamil
cinema
industry,
a
sangam
release
said,
adding
the
actors
wanted
to
felicitate
Haasan
by
conducting
a
function
but
said
a
decision
on
this
would
be
taken
after
consulting
him.
Stalin's
Take
Stalin
hailed
Haasan
as
a
"multi-faceted"
actor
and
extended
his
hearty
greetings
to
him.
In
a
Twitter
post,
Stalin
wished
more
such
awards
to
the
actor
"who
has
come
up
due
to
hardwork."
Upcoming
Projects
After
finishing
the
shoot
for
Sabhash
Naidu,
Kamal
might
look
to
release
his
long
pending
Vishwaroopam
2.
Also,
rumours
are
rife
that
the
actor
might
join
hands
with
KS
Ravikumar
for
the
sequel
of
Panchathanthiram.
The
award
is
presented
"to
recognize
eminent
artists
and
writers,
as
well
as
people
who
have
contributed
significantly
to
furthering
the
arts
in
France
and
throughout
the
world."
Other
Indian
recipients
of
the
award
include
late
Tamil
actor
Sivaji
Ganeshan,
Amitabh
Bachchan,
Aishwarya
Rai
Bachchan,
Nandita
Das
and
Shah
Rukh
Khan.
On
receiving
the
award,
Kamal
said
he
would
like
to
dedicate
it
to
his
"admirers
and
audience"
and
that
the
prestigious
recognition
has
humbled
him.
"On
this
occasion,
I
bow
before
my
more
deserving
forerunners
Satyajit
Ray
and
Sivaji
Ganesan
who
made
even
the
common
man
realise
the
value
of
Chevalier
award,"
the
61-year-old
actor
said
in
an
audio
message.