Bollywood actresses Hema Malini, Neetu Chandra to be honoured

Yesteryear actress, Bharatanatyam exponent and beauty icon Hema Malini will be awarded with the prestigious ‘Bharat Muni Samman’ this year for outstanding contribution to the field of art and culture. 64-year-old Hema will be presented with the award on December 18 on the concluding day of the three-day Bharat Muni Festival, a release from Kalingayana Touryatrikam, the Bhubaneswar-based organization which has instituted the award in the honour of Natyashastra Bharat Muni, said. The earlier recipients are Thankamani Kutty, Pandit Birju Maharaj, Pandit Jasraj and Ratan Thiyam.

In the meantime, it has been reported that Bollywood actress Neetu Chandra will be honoured by the Korean government with a 4th Dan black belt in Taekwondo. Responding to the news, an elated Neetu said, "It's huge especially since Taekwondo is a Korean martial art." Neetu, who's been training in martial arts since the third standard, will be receiving the honour at a ceremony at the Korean embassy in Delhi today. Not only this, the star is also planning to participate in the next Taekwondo World Championship.