Veteran actress Waheeda Rehman has reacted to her Dadasaheb Phalke Lifetime Achievement Award. On Tuesday, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Singh Thakur on Tuesday announced that veteran actor Waheeda Rehman will be conferred the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Lifetime Achievement Award for her stellar contribution to Indian cinema.

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Sharing her excitement on receiving this award Waheed told ANI, “I am happy. This is a big award from the government. I want to thank I&B Minister Anurag Thakur for it.”

She added, “In the films I did, I often kept in mind that there should be progressive ideas, women should be allowed to do whatever they want to do because, for centuries, women were not allowed to move forward, study and write. So they were suppressed when they also had talent.”

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“I have met many people from different villages when I was in Bangalore, many people who used to work in my factory did not even know how to write their names they used their thumbs instead of signing the documents with a pen. But once they learned, we and they had the same dedication. It is not necessary that you do a BA or MBA, every person can learn, and they should be given a chance,” she continued.

She concluded, “I think women have a lot of strength, they have a lot of brains, they can be very successful if they work wholeheartedly.

Speaking on her award announcement, which coincided with Dev Anand’s 100th birthday on September 26, she said, “I started with Dev Saheb. He was the co-star in my first Hindi film. I think this is the gift I got on his 100th birthday.”

Dev Anand and Waheeda Rehman starred in several films together including films like Kala Bazar, Prem Pujari, Solva Saal, Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja and cult classic Guide. Rehman also received the Filmfare Award for Best Actress for Guide which was produced by and co-starred Dev Anand.