The Padma Awards 2025 were announced on the eve of Republic Day, January 25, 2025. The list of awardees this year included Arijit Singh, musician Ricky Kej, director Shekhar Kapur, actor Ajith Kumar. Meanwhile, Pankaj Udhas was to be honoured with Posthumous Padma Bhushan. The legendary singer passed away in February 2024 due to prolonged illness. The late singer’s wife Farida Udhas accepted the honour from President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhawan.
The news was also shared from the official X account of the Rashtrapati Bhavan (President Of India) and the tweet read, “President Droupadi Murmu confers Padma Bhushan in the field of Art on Shri Pankaj Keshubhai Udhas (Posthumous). He was a versatile singer and he added to the popularity of ghazals. His influence spread across different segments of music lovers. He was also deeply committed to philanthropy. He was actively involved in supporting cancer and thalassemia patients through various means.”
Earlier when the news of him getting the Padma Bhushan was announced, his daughter Nayaab Udhas and the entire family was overwhelmed. Nayaab had said in an interview with Hindustan Times, “I was so happy and emotional when I got a call to inform us about dad’s honour. I felt so happy and grateful that the government of India has recognised his contribution towards not just music, but also towards noble causes such as helping people work towards the cure of thalassemia and cancer. Dad took ghazal to the world and made it relatable. I wish he was around to celebrate with us. We miss him so much more today.”

Madhuri Dixit was at the peak of her career when she got married to Dr Sriram Nene and moved to the USA. The actress tied the knot in 1999 and stayed away from the movies for a long time. Meanwhile, now in 2011, Dr Nene returned to India permanently and even Madhuri resumed her career here. Many in the industry were shocked when Madhuri decided to marry an outsider and settled in the USA and didn’t marry anyone from the industry.
Now in a recent conversation, Dr Nene has opened up on how he felt about marrying a superstar and life that changed with it. He spoke to Ranveer Allahbadia on his Youtube channel and said, “Well, that was the case in America also. Also, I don’t know her like that. She is my wife and partner.”
He added, “The main challenge was anonymity. To be able to behave like normal people, and the lucky thing is we both enjoy that, less so in India to a great degree, but we are very grateful for everything and the people. She is so down-to-earth and the way she treats her fans and other people. Same with me. We just try to be good people.”
Dr Nene further added that he did not know about her past history when he married her and didn’t see her like a star. He expressed, “We look after each other. I never knew her past history and she didn’t know mine. We came from different worlds, but at the same time, we came from the same region, Maharashtra, with the same background. Neither of us thought it would happen. It was kismat, and it has been the most amazing thing in my life.”
He also opened up on moving to India now. When Ranveer asked him if he’s happier now, Dr Nene said, “I can’t say happier. It is different. There you got anonymity and independence and a lot of it was self-driven. In India, I have a culture and we have a lot of ties, so it is different.”