Sir Ben Kingsley at The Asian Awards
London, UK: Sir Ben Kingsley CBE, one of the most distinguished actors of our time, will be coming to collect the prestigious Fellowship Award for his outstanding contribution to cinema, at this year’s Asian Awards , in Partnership with UK Sotheby’s International Realty.
Kingsley was born, Krishna Pandit Bhanji, to an English mother and Gujarati father, Rahimtulla Harji Bhanji. He changed his name early in his career after gaining recognition as a stage actor. His impressive five-decade career, has seen the 69-year-old pick up incredible accolades at the Oscars, Grammys, BAFTA’s, Golden Globes and SAG awards and in 1984 he was awarded the prestigious Padma Sri by Indira Gandhi and the government of India.
However, it is his Oscar-winning portrayal as Gandhi in 1982 that he is still most renowned for, although his performance as Itzhak Stern in Schindler’s List in 1993 also earned him plaudits.
Paul Sagoo, founder of The Asian Awards, said: “Ben Kingsley is without a doubt one of the most accomplished actors of Asian descent and we are incredibly proud and excited to celebrate the remarkable career of such an outstanding individual.”
Hosted once again by Lord Sebastian Coe, The Asian Awards is being attended by an array of stars including Sir Ben Kingsley, Beverley Knight, Ivanka Trump, Kamui Kobayashi, James Caan, Gok Wan, Nancy Delallio, Colin Jackson and Dame Judy Dench. This year Bruce Lee is also going to be honoured with the prestigious Founders Award for his iconic status and impact on western cinema. His wife, Linda Lee will be receiving the award on his behalf.
Kingsley is currently filming Iron Man 3 and will be coming to London to collect the award on April 16th at the Grosvenor House, Park Lane.
Last year the late Ravi Shankar, also known as the ‘Godfather of World Music’ was presented with the coveted Fellowship award for his outstanding contribution to the music industry.
The Asian Awards has honoured some of the world’s most influential South Asians from Sachin Tendulkar and Muttiah Muralitharan to legendary artistes, Asha Bhosle, Freddie Mercury (posthumously), Amitabh Bachchan, Jay Sean and AR Rahman to powerful business magnates Ratan Tata, Vijay Mallya and Dr KP Singh, and leaders in technology such as Google’s Amit Singhal.