New Delhi, April 12
Celebrated lyricist and poet Gulzar has been conferred the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2013, becoming the 45th in the series of illustrious awardees.

A seven-member jury consisting of eminent artists unanimously recommended the 79-year-old Gulzar for the honour. The award, which consists of a Swarn Kamal (golden lotus), a cash prize of Rs 10 lakhs and a shawl, is conferred by the government for outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian Cinema.

Gulzar said he felt "fulfilled" to get recognised for his work. "I am happy and honoured. It is a feeling of fulfilment of not one song, screenplay, but the total work one does. I am thankful to everyone for their love and support," Gulzar told PTI.

Born as Sampooran Singh Kalra to Makhan Singh Kalra and Sujan Kaur (parents) in 1934 in Dina village of Jhelum district in Pakistan’s Punjab in pre-Independence India, Gulzar and his family shifted moved to Amritsar after Partition. During the phase of his existential struggle, he went to Bombay and took up a job as a garage mechanic even while he composed poetry in his spare time. He began his career in 1956 and as a lyricist got his first break in Bimal Roy’s ‘Bandini’. The song ‘Mora Gora Ang Lai Le…’ filmed on Nutan was an instant hit and gave him recognition. His memorable hits such as ‘Tujhse Naraaz Nahin’ and ‘Tere Bina Zindagi Se’ are considered to have an ethereal air about them.

The Sahitya Akademi Award (2002) and the Padma Bhushan (2004) are some other feathers in his cap. He has won many National Film Awards and 20 Filmfare Awards. At the 81st Oscars, he won the Academy Award for ‘Jai Ho’. In 2010, the same song won him a Grammy. (with agency inputs)