This Article is From Jan 30, 2016

After Seeing Padma Awardees, Kader Khan Says 'Good I Didn't Get It'

After Seeing Padma Awardees, Kader Khan Says 'Good I Didn't Get It'
Mumbai: After seeing this year's list of Padma awardees, actor Kader Khan says it's 'good' that he did not get one and hinted that 'flattering' could be one of the reasons for his colleagues being chosen for the honour.

Kader Khan, 79, told IANS in an exclusive interview, "It's good that they did not give me a Padma Shri. I have neither flattered anyone in my life, nor will I ever. I don't want these awards if they have been given to people who got it this time. An award is a no big thing, but its importance lies in the people it has been conferred upon".

"Earlier, there was a certain honesty in these awards but it's not the same case now. People have now forgotten to respect others and have become way too selfish. I would think that I was not as capable as those who were chosen for the Padma awards this year. I, however, thank all those who proposed my name for it," Mr Khan added.

Kader Khan, who has regaled audiences with his comic side in films like Himmatwala, Aankhen and Coolie No 1, also urged actors to refrain from indulging in 'politics'.

"I would like to urge all the actors to return from the politics. 'Laut aao, politics tumhari manzil nahi hai' (Come back, politics is not your destination). It is only breaking you," he said.

He sounded especially upset with actor Anupam Kher, who will receive the Padma Bhushan, 12 years after he was given the Padma Shri in 2004.

"What has he done except singing praises for (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi. I am not contesting the government's decision of conferring him with the award but the only thing I want to know is the credentials that I lacked for it. If the government feels that I have done good work, it will honour me. It's people's love that they are demanding it for me," Kader Khan had told IANS in an interview in September 2015," he said.

Besides Mr Kher, this year's list includes celebrities like Rajinikanth, Priyanka Chopra, Madhur Bhandarkar, SS Rajamouli, Udit Narayan and Malini Awasthi.

Kader Khan was last seen on the silver screen in the Fauzia Arshi-directed Hogaya Dimaagh Ka Dahi.
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