Aamir Khan has stayed away from every possible award function for over a decade. But he will attend the Dadasaheb Phalke Academy Awards that will be presented on May 3. The annual event at Juhu’s Hotel Tulip Star will honour some of Bollywood’s biggest names. However, these awards are separate from the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Awards instituted by the Government of India.
 
Ashok Shekhar, son of veteran actor Chandrashekhar, who is one of the organisers of the event, insists that they have written confirmation from Aamir that he will be present at the function. “He is keen on attending and has stated that he will be there only for half an hour,” says Ashok, adding that the ceremony will start at around 6.30 pm and Aamir is expected to show up by 9 pm. The actor will unveil a wax statue of Dadasaheb Phalke, who directed India’s first full-length feature, Raja Harishchandra in 1913.

However, Aamir is categorical about not accepting any awards at the do. “We had requested him last year too, but he declined it. He made it clear to us that he is coming to the event to unveil the statue since we’re celebrating 100 years of Indian cinema,” reasons Ashok, adding that Aamir will be seated next to Amitabh Bachchan and Vinod Khanna, who are being honoured with the Phalke Ratna and Legendary Actor trophies respectively.

Aamir’s last appearance at an awards ceremony was in 2010, at the GQ Men of the Year Awards, where he received the GQ Legend Award from John Travolta. The same year, he was presented the Padma Bhushan by President Pratibha Patil and attended a gala hosted by a business publication.