Mumbai, Nov 22 (IANS): Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah has received the Aditya Vikram Birla Kalashikhar Puraskar at Sangit Kala Kendra Awards, which was recently held virtually.

Two emerging stars, Neel Choudhary and Irawati Karnik, were awarded the Aditya Vikram Birla Kalakiran Puraskars.

"We rejoice, the spirit of our, founder president, Aditya Vikram Birla and his love for the performing arts. The Sangit Kala Kendra's, 'Aditya Vikram Birla, Kalashikhar Puraskar' and the 'Kalakiran Puraskars', were instituted in 1996, as a befitting memorial to, Adityaji and through it, create a significant pathway, for a singular recognition, of exemplary talent, in this domain," said Rajashree Birla, President, Sangit Kala Kendra.

"Theatre is the central theme, for this yeara¿s awards. A few of you may recount, Adityaji's love of the theatre and his donning the mantle of an actor in the two plays under the banner of Sangit Kala Kendra. At a personal level, both Adityaji and I, loved watching plays and films. A lot of our Sunday evenings were thus spent. Among our favourite actors was Mr Naseeruddin Shah, whom we watched in theatres and on screen. It is wonderful to have you with us, Naseeruddinji," she added.

Talking about Naseeruddin Shah, she said: "His breakthrough roles have hit both the screen and the theatre, for now over 40 years. The films and the theatre roles, still keep rolling and we see him do the most challenging roles with amazing ease, getting into the skin of the character. Having you, receive this Award, Naseeruddinji, is truly a fulfilling moment, for all of us at Sangit Kala Kendra. We respect you and we admire you."

Apart from plays, Naseeruddin Shah has impressed the audience with films such as "Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro", "A Wednesday", "Masoom", "Iqbal" and "Parzania".