Tamil film star Ajith Kumar recently was conferred with the Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian award for his contributions in the field of art. Ajith was at the Rashtrapathi Bhavan, New Delhi on April 28, 2025 (Monday), to receive the honour from Indian President Droupadi Murmu, in the presence of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and other dignitaries.

Talking to the media after the event, Ajith expressed deep grief over the April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attack that claimed the lives of 26 tourists in Baisaran Valley, Kashmir. “My heart goes out to all the families, and I hope and pray that such things don’t happen...Let’s just keep our fingers crossed and pray that somewhere over a period of time, we all learn to empathize with one another and then keep all our differences aside and live as a peaceful society.” 

The actor then revealed, “I met a lot of people from the (Indian) armed forces today (April 28, 2025). I want to let them all know that we salute them for their sacrifices. They work very hard so that we are able to sleep peacefully. My heart goes out to them, and I wish them and their families a beautiful life.”

Actor Ajith Kumar with wife Shalini, kids Anoushka (17), Aadvik (10), and other family members at the Rashtrapathi Bhavani for Padma Awards 2025

Padma Bhushan Ajith Kumar, taking the occassion added that in honour of the efforts of the Indian Armed forces, Indian citizens must 'learn to respect each other, and work towards a more unified India.

"The Indian armed forces are working so tirelessly to safeguard our borders, and I think at least in their honour we should, within our country, learn to respect each other and respect every religion, every caste and let's not fight at least within ourselves in India. Let us be one peaceful society,"

Alongside Ajith Kumar, Padma awardees on April 28, 2025 from the field of Indian cinema included Telugu actor-politician Nandamuri Balakrishna, director Shekhar Kapur, actor Anant Nag, actor-dancer Shobana Chandrakumar, and three-time Grammy Award-winning music composer Ricky Kej, who has composed for Kannada and Bengali movies.