
Shekhar Kapur, Ajith, Arijit Singh: Full list of Padma awardees 2025
Folk singer Sharda Sinha, screenwriter-director MT Vasudevan Nair posthumously honoured with Padma Vibhushan, ghazal singer Pankaj Udhas with Padma Bhushan
Former Chief Justice of India JS Khehar, former chief of Suzuki Motor late Osamu Suzuki, late musicians Sharda Sinha, Pankaj Udhas, Ram temple architect Chandrakant Sompura, Tamil superstar Ajith Kumar, veteran filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, singer Arijit Singh, and hockey player PR Sreejesh are among 139 recipients of the coveted Padma Awards for the year 2025 announced on the eve of Republic Day.
Posthumous Padma Vibhushan
Folk singer Sinha and noted screenwriter-director MT Vasudevan Nair have been posthumously honoured with Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian award for exceptional and distinguished service.
Renowned Ghazal singer Udhas has been posthumously honoured with third highest honour Padma Bhushan for distinguished service of high order.
Kapur, Ajith, Telugu actor Nandamuri Balakrishna, cinema veteran Anant Nag and Bharatnatyam dancer-actor Shobana have also been honoured with Padma Bhushan.
Arijit Singh, Barry John get Padma Shri
Theatre personality Barry John, known to have played a crucial role in the formative years of stars like Shah Rukh Khan and Manoj Bajpayee, as well as Arijit Singh, veteran Ashok Saraf and four-time Grammy Award-winner Ricky Kej and singer Jaspinder Narula are among the names to be selected for Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award.
Sinha, who died in November 2024, was known as “Bihar Kokila” for her melodious rendition of Chhath and folk songs such as Kartik Maas Ijoriya, Suraj Bhaile Bihaan, and Bollywood hits Taar Bijli and Babul. She was bestowed with Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award, in 2018.
Padma Vibhushan for Kerala literary icon
Nair, a literary icon, authored nine novels, 19 short story collections, 54 screenplays, six films, and several essays and memoirs over seven decades. He passed away at the age of 91 in December 2024.
His novel Naalukettu is a Malayalam classic, alongside acclaimed works like Asuravithu, Manju, and Kaalam. Nair was honoured with the Jnanpith Award in 1995 and received the Padma Bhushan in 2005.
Padma Bhushan for gazal singer
Renowned Ghazal singer Udhas has been posthumously honoured with Padma Bhushan for distinguished service of high order.
Udhas, who ruled the world of ghazals for several years, was best known for tracks such as Chitthi Ayee Hai and Aur Ahista Kijiye Baatein. He died in February 2024 after a prolonged illness. In 2006, Udhas was awarded Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award.
Kapur is an influential name in Indian cinema and one of the earliest directors to establish a name for himself in Hollywood with his film Elizabeth and its sequel Elizabeth: The Golden Age.
He has directed critically-acclaimed films such as "Masoom", "Mr India" and "Bandit Queen" in India.
Cinema icons on Padma list
Ajith is one of Tamil cinema’s most celebrated stars and has delivered numerous blockbusters that have solidified his superstar status. Known for his versatility and larger-than-life screen presence, Ajith has headlined films like Veeram, Vedalam, Viswasam, Mankatha, Valimai, Billa, and Thunivu.
Balakrishna is the sixth son of Telugu cinema icon NT Rama Rao and uncle of superstar JR NTR. Fondly called Balayya by his ardent fanbase, he has starred in many commercial blockbusters like Samarasimha Reddy, Narasimha Naidu and Legend.
Also read: 'Potential to redefine good governance': Prez Murmu backs 'One Nation One Election'
Padma Bhushan for Shobana
Nag has appeared in over 300 films, including over 200 Kannada films as well as Hindi, Telugu, Marathi, Malayalam, and English films. He has appeared in plays, parallel cinema, and television shows.
He frequently collaborated with late Shyam Benegal on his critically-acclaimed movies Nishant, Bhumika, Manthan, Kondra, and Kaliyug in the 1970s and 1980s.
Shobana is a renowned Bharatanatyam dancer and has appeared in over 230 films across multiple languages.
She has won two National Film Awards for Best Actress for her exceptional performances in the Malayalam classic Manichitrathazhu (1993) and the English film Mitr, My Friend (2001).
Artists on Padma list
Renowned violinist L Subramaniam, classical vocalist Ashwini Bhide-Deshpande and sculptor Adwaita Charan Gadanayak have also been named for the Padma awards.
While Subramaniam has been honoured with Padma Vibhushan, Gadanayak and Bhide-Deshpande have been bestowed with the Padma Shri for their respective works.
Kathak doyenne Kumudini Lakhia has been recognised with Padma Vibhushan for her contribution to the classical dance form.
Padma Bhushan for Bibek Debroy
Economist and author Bibek Debroy, who is known for having translated Hindi scriptures such as Mahabharata, Gita, and Valmiki’s Ramayana, has been posthumously honoured with Padma Bhushan.
Late Japanese industrialist Osamu Suzuki, the former chief of Suzuki Motor Corporation, has been honoured with Padma Vibhushan posthumously.
Suzuki, who took a risk and bet on India when no one else believed in having a viable automobile company in India, has been awarded the Padma Vibhushan “for exceptional and distinguished service” in the field of trade and industry.
He died last year at the age of 94.
Other luminaries
Sattriya exponent Jatin Goswami, who has earlier received the Padma Shri in 2008, has been named for the Padma Bhushan this time.
Other luminaries to receive the Padma Shri include musicologist Bharat Gupt, calligrapher Achyut Ramachandra Palav, poet Chandrakant Sheth (posthumous), Odissi dancer Durga Charan Ranbir, Rajasthani folk singer Begam Batool, and American author Stephen Knapp.
Lakshmipathy Ramasubbaiyer, the publisher of leading Tamil daily Dinamalar, has been honoured with the Padma Shri for rendering illustrious services in the fields of literature, education and journalism.
The nonagenarian is currently serving as joint managing editor of the widely-read newspaper.
Indian-American engineer Vinod Dham, widely known as the “Father of the Pentium chip”, prominent malaria researcher Chetan Chitnis, noted chemical engineer and President of the Indian National Science Academy Ashutosh Sharma also figure among the Padma awardees.
Dham, inventor and entrepreneur, has been chosen for the Padma Bhushan award, while Chitnis and Sharma will receive the Padma Shri.
Dr Jose Chacko Periyappuram, a renowned cardiac surgeon who performed the first successful heart transplant in Kerala, has been bestowed with Padma Bhushan.
Renowned gastroenterologist and Chairman of AIG Hospitals D Nageshwar Reddy has been chosen for the Padma Vibhushan.
Doctor Ashok Kumar Mahapatra and sculptor Adwaita Charan Gadanayak are among four eminent personalities from Odisha to be selected for the Padma Shri.
Noted historian David Syiemlieh from Meghalaya has also been honoured with Padma Shri.
Apart from singer Arijit Singh, the Padma list from West Bengal include actor Mamata Shankar, drummer Gokul Chandra Das, educationist Nagendra Nath Roy, industrialists Pawan Goenka and Sajjan Bhajanka, Swami Pradiptananda (Kartik Maharaj), sarod artiste Tejendra Narayan Majumdar, and social worker Vinayak Lohani.
Also read: Kuwaiti Yoga practitioner, dhak player, fruit farmer among Padma awardees
Padma Shri for former SBI chief
Naren Gurung, a well-known Sikkimese folk artist, has been conferred with the Padam Shri for his contributions to art.
Renowned in Sikkim as the “Nepali Geet ke Guru Gurung”, the 70-year-old has dedicated over six decades to preserving and promoting Sikkimese Nepali folk music and dance traditions.
Former SBI chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya, vice chancellor of Lucknow’s KGMU Soniya Nityanand and industrialist Pawan Goenka have been given Padma Shri.
Sportspersons on Padma list
Former men’s hockey captain PR Sreejesh has been chosen for the Padma Bhushan, while recently-retired cricket star Ravichandran Ashwin is among the Padma Shri winners as four athletes and a para-athletics coach figure in the list.
Legendary Indian footballer IM Vijayan and India’s first Paralympic gold medal-winning archer Harvinder Singh too have been named for the Padma Shri.
Para athletics coach Satyapal Singh, who mentored Paris Paralympics gold-winning and Khel Ratna-awardee high-jumper Praveen Kumar, would also be bestowed with the Padma Shri.
23 of 139 awardees women
Percussionist Guruvayur Dorai, chef K Damodaran, Carnatic vocalist K Omanakutty Amma, poet Ramdarash Mishra, and sculptor Radhakrishnan Devasenapathy will also receive the Padma Shri.
Kamalakshi Omanakutty Amma is a household name in the minds of music buffs in Kerala. Popularly known as K Omanakutty, she is known for her in-depth researches and insightful articles in the field of music and her contributions in the academics.
The list comprises seven Padma Vibhushan, 19 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri Awards. 23 of the awardees are women and the list also includes 10 persons from the category of Foreigners/NRI/PIO/OCI and 13 posthumous awardees.
Unsung heroes
The President has also awarded 30 Padma Shri to unsung heroes that includes 100-year-old Libia Lobo Sardesai, who played an important role in Goa’s freedom movement. She cofounded an underground radio station — Voz da Liberdabe (Voice of Freedom) — in a forested area in 1955 to rally people against the Portuguese rule.
Wildlife researcher and Marathi author Maruti Bhujangrao Chitampalli (92), who gave unique dictionaries on birds, animals and trees; 68-year-old bhajan singer Batool Begum from Jaipur; percussionist Velu Aasaan (58) from Tamil Nadu, who is standardising and reviving traditional Parai Isai artform, are also among the Padma Shri awardees.
Togalu Gombeyaata (leather puppetry) master puppeteer Bhimavva Doddabalappa Shillekyathara, who was one of the first women to practise the art form, has also been awarded Padma Shri. The 96-year-old “Grandmother of Gombeyaata” mastered the art just 14 and has performed in more than 12 countries.
Lavjibhai Nagjibhai (64), a Tangaliya weaver from Dangasia community in Surendranagar Parmar; Vijayalakshmi Deshamane, a veteran oncologist from Kalaburgi who provides free treatment to poor cancer patients; and Chaitram Devchand Pawar, who conserved 400 hectares of forest in Maharashtra, are also among the unsung heroes who have been given the coveted Padma Shri.
Pandi Ram Mandavi, a traditional tribal musician and the creator of bamboo wind whistle called “Sulur” or “Bastar flute”, is also among the Padma Shri awardees.
(With agency inputs)