Legendary filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan has been chosen for this year's Dabasaheb Phalke Award, in recognition of his vast contribution to cinema.

A four-time National Award winner and a Padma Shri, some of Adoor's most famous films include Swayamvaram, Elipathayam and Nizhalkuthu.

The Dadasaheb Phalke award, instituted in 1969 -- the birth centenary of the man considered to be the Father of Indian Cinema -- is given out every year by the Indian government in recognition of lifetime contribution to Indian cinema.

Some of the previous recipients of the prestigious award are: Mrinal Sen (2003); Hrishikesh Mukherjee (1999); Sivaji Ganesan [Images] (1996); and Satyajit Ray (1984).

Read more about the filmmaker:
Adoor's oeuvre
'Serious cinema is not dead'
'I don't make films on ordinary problems'
'I am the creator and the critic'
Adoor flays Jha over Devgan award
Adoor Gopalakrishnan's best Indian films
The Millennium Special: Adoor Gopalakrishnan
Films are made only to sell: Adoor Gopalakrishnan
'Hollywood films dubbed in Hindi are a threat'