Daughter Ahana breaks down as Hema Malini accepts late Dharmendra’s Padma Vibhushan
NEW DELHI,MAY 25 : The Padma Awards 2026 turned into an emotional moment for the Deol family as Ahana Deol broke down while watching her mother, Hema Malini, accept the posthumous Padma Vibhushan on behalf of late screen legend Dharmendra.
The emotional moment unfolded during the Padma Awards ceremony held in New Delhi on May 25, as Hema Malini received the country’s second-highest civilian honour on behalf of her late husband Dharmendra for his extraordinary contribution to Indian cinema.
Videos and photographs from the event captured younger daughter Ahana visibly emotional during the ceremony, as her mother stood on stage to receive the honour.
Here’s the screenshot from the ceremony:
In an earlier interview with India Today, Hema Malini described the honour as both joyous and heartbreaking for the family.
“The entire family is very thrilled and so happy. Of course, we wished he had received this sooner when he was still present to collect it, but nonetheless, we are happy. He deserved it,” she said.
She added that the recognition reflected the immense love and respect Dharmendra continues to receive from both the film industry and audiences. “The fans, the industry – everyone has only nice things to say about him now, and it fills our hearts with so much pride. Everyone wanted this for him,” the 77-year-old told us.
Catch the live updates on Padma Awards here.
About Padma Vibhushan recipients of 2026
This year, the Padma Vibhushan is conferred on five individuals.
Alongside Dharmendra, the other recipients include former Supreme Court judge KT Thomas for Public Affairs, acclaimed classical violinist N Rajam for Art, educationist and academic P Narayanan for Literature and Education, and veteran political leader V S Achuthanandhan, who has also been honoured posthumously.
The entertainment industry also saw several prominent names being recognised at the Padma Awards 2026. Malayalam superstar Mammootty and singer Alka Yagnik were awarded the Padma Bhushan for their contribution to cinema and music respectively.
Meanwhile, actors Prosenjit Chatterjee, R Madhavan, and late actor Satish Shah were conferred the Padma Shri for their contribution to Indian cinema. Actor Anil Rastogi was also among the Padma Shri awardees this year.
The ceremony was held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on May 25.
-PTI
