Kozhikode, Jan 29 (IANS): Kerala Governor and Calicut University Chancellor P. Sathasivam on Monday conferred the D. Litt on Malayalam superstar Mohanlal and veteran athlete P.T. Usha, "the Payyoli Express".

The honorary degree was awarded to the two legends after four years since it was first announced.

The two, along with UAE Supreme Council member and Sharjah ruler Sheikh Sultan Bin Muhammed Al Qasimi, were supposed to be honoured in September 2017, when Qasimi had visited the state.

However, the function was shifted at the last minute from here to Thiruvananthapuram.

On that day, only the visiting Sharjah ruler was conferred the honour. It was then decided by the University that it would confer the honours on the two Kerala legends in Kozhikode.

Mohanlal, one of the two reigning superstars in the Malayalam film industry in a career spanning close to four decades, continues his glorious run at the top.

Usha, who is now 53-years-old, is an employee of the Indian Railways. She also runs the P.T. Usha School of Athletics in her hometown near here.

As a 16-year-old, she had become the youngest Indian sprinter to compete in the 1980 Moscow Olympics.

She also went on to represent the country at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles and the 1988 event held in Seoul, besides winning numerous national and international awards in her career.