Bashundhara Group MD gets Dadasaheb Phalke Award

Bashundhara Group Managing Director Sayem Sobhan Anvir has received India’s most prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Excellence Awards-2017.

He has been accorded the award for the outstanding contribution of the country’s leading business conglomerate to the mass media, social service and sports.

Sayem Sobhan is the first Bangladeshi to have received such an iconic award. Indian poet, lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar handed over the award to him at a grand gala at Mumbai St Andrew’s College auditorium on Friday evening.

Sayem Sobhan is the managing director also of East West Media Group Ltd (EWMGL), a concern of Bashundhara Group. EWMGL runs three dailies -- daily sun, Bangladesh Pratidin and Kaler Kantho -- and banglanews24.com online news portal, Radio Capital FM radio station and News 24 television channel.

Apart from contributing to journalism and social welfare, Sayem Sobhan has been working for the promotion of sports.
Other recipients of the awards this year include actress Aishwarya Rai, actress and lawmaker Hema Malini, singers Anoop Jalota and Falguni Pathak and comedian Raju Srivastav.

Among others, Bangladesh Pratidin Editor Naem Nizam and Kaler Kantho Editor Imdadul Haq Milon were present at the award-giving ceremony.

The award was introduced after the name of Dhundiraj Govind Phalke, popularly known as Dadasaheb Phalke, who is considered the father of Indian cinema.