Kader Khan, the much missed actor-writer-director who passed away in Canada in January, was awarded a much-deserved Padma Shri posthumously.
Sarfaraz Khan, Kadarsaab's son who lives with his family in Toronto, was supposed to attend the awards ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan last month, but could not make it.
Earlier this week, the Padma Shri was presented to Sarfaraz Khan by Dinesh Bhatia, India's consul general in Toronto.
"It (the Padma Shri) is a statement on my father's hard work in Indian cinema for 45 years. I accept it with joy pride and humility on his behalf," Sarfaraz had told Subhash K Jha earlier.
"If God is happy with what an individual has done in his life, He will find a way to give love and respect to that individual even when he is gone," Sarfaraz had added then.
"This is the best gift of my life, my dad's Padma Shri, which I received on my birthday," Sarfaraz tells Subhash , after receiving the civilian honour.
"I am grateful to the honourable President and the Government of India. I would like to thank the people of India for the love and respect they have always showed towards my father and his family, this could not be possible without them," an overwhelmed Sarfaraz adds.
"On my father's behalf, I would like to thank everyone who believed in my father's skills and ability, and would love to share this happiness with them."