There has never been a year without criticism surrounding the Padma Awards. Even so, it is hardly new to say that these awards are now being announced largely to suit political needs.
The common criticism remains that state governments forward names they prefer, and the Centre finally selects from those lists based on its own priorities.
This year, two names from the Andhra Pradesh quota, Murali Mohan and Rajendra Prasad, have drawn particular criticism. Both received the Padma Shri under the arts category.
After TDP came to power with Alliance parties, Nandamuri Balakrishna was first awarded with Padma Bhushan last year in 2025.
It is known that he is closely associated with the TDP, being an MLA as well as the family member of the party chief. This year Murali Mohan, a former TDP MP, was awarded Padma Shri. Along with him Rajendra Prasad, who is an ardent supporter of TDP, who campaigned for the party earlier, is also awarded the same.
It is understandable that these actors have long-standing identities in the film industry due to their contributions. However, social media highlights that they are not the only ones deserving of recognition; there are many others as well.
One such social media discussion centers on actor Chandra Mohan, who passed away recently and is considered deserving of a posthumous Padma award.
Social media reminds that he pioneered comedy-driven heroism and delivered extraordinary performances across genres, yet passed away without receiving such recognition. His lack of association with any political party throughout his decades-long career appears to be the only reason he never received a Padma award, as social media discussions mention.
While people from other groups have indeed received Padma awards in fields like business, music, and other arts, public debate largely focuses on film actors because they are more visible to the masses.
The fact of the matter is that the Padma awards gained greater respect after Narendra Modi came to power at the Centre. There has been a widespread opinion that the Padma awards were also being conferred on the common man and unsung heroes for their contributions to the nation and society around them. The earlier practice of awarding honors based on political recommendations was reduced phenomenally. However, from last year, it appears that this phenomenon has returned to its old ways of lobbying and political involvement, drawing criticism.
Reacting to the Padma awards in general, a netizen remarked, “The Padma awards sometimes appear confusing. NTR received the Padma Shri, whereas Balakrishna was awarded the Padma Bhushan. Lata Mangeshkar received the Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan, and the Bharat Ratna, while the legendary singer Kishore Kumar was not even awarded the Padma Shri. Alka Yagnik received the Padma Bhushan this year. It looks a large part is politically managed.”
Such discussions tend to surface on social media when netizens feel that deserving individuals are being overlooked, while undeserving or less deserving people receive higher awards due to political lobbying; or when only one particular group of people are honored,
