Why Bollywood is divided over Dadasaheb Phalke award for Jeetendra

Yesteryear actor Jeetendra will be conferred with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. This is India's highest award in cinema, given annually by the government.

While Jeetendra is gearing up for the event and will have wife Shobha Kapoor by his side, not everyone in B-town is happy with this announcement. Superstar Salman Khan's father veteran writer Salim Khan feels that it should rightfully go to Manoj Kumar.

"He is the most deserving, look at his line of work, his contribution, his body of work. He is not just an actor, he is also a writer and director. He created the brand Bharat that is synonymous with him even today," he said.

Jeetendra is gearing up for the event and will have wife Shobha Kapoor by his side

Obviously Salim Khan's response has made Jeetendra's family quite upset, especially his son Tusshar Kapoor who makes no effort to downplay his annoyance.

However, few industry people are trying to keep the peace between the two sides, by downplaying the whole issue as just a matter of difference in opinion.

"There's no war he is just expressing unhesitantly his preference for a particular person. There are also voices rallying behind Jeetender saab. So it's a divided house. This plurality is a part of our own social space," said director Mahesh Bhatt.

Right from the time of its inception Dada Saheb Phalke awards have always had their share of controversies! Be it questioning the deservedness of a recipient or the belatedness of awarding it to someone deserving! If anything, such debates only add to the allure of the awards and leaves us, to wish the ones who missed it- better luck for next year.