Amitabh Bachchan was among the recipients of the Padma Vibhushan award at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Wednesday.

The 72-year-old actor, dressed in a black bandhgala, went to receive the award from President Pranab Mukherjee amid a thunderous applause from the audience, which included son Abhishek, daughter-in-law Aishwarya, wife Jaya, daughter Shweta Nanda, her son Agastye and daughter Navya Naveli. Bachchan's son-in-law Nikhil was also present. Vice-President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, senior ministers, BJP patriarch L.K. Advani and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal were also present in the audience.

Picture shows Bachchan after receiving the award.

"Honoured and humbled, the Padma Vibhushan! Words fail me to acknowledge the love and affection of the people that brought me here," Bachchan later tweeted.

The government has earlier awarded Bachchan with the Padma Shri in 1984 and the Padma Bhushan in 2001.

Veteran actor Dilip Kumar, 92, who was also one of the Padma Vibhushan awardees, could not attend the ceremony because of his health.

Pictures by Ramakant Kushwaha and PTI