Veteran actor Om Puri will be honored with the lifetime achievement award at the first edition of the International Film Festival of Prayag (IFFP), Allahabad. He will be felicitated at the event’s awards function to be held on February 28, 2015.

The 65-year-old, whose previous accolades include a lifetime achievement award at the 2009 Filmfare Awards and the Padmashri in 1990, India’s fourth highest civilian award , will receive the award for his prestigious and remarkable contribution to the film industry.

“It’s a great honor for us to welcome a personality like Om Puri at the very first year. We are very fortunate to get his support. We will honour him with the lifetime achievement award at this event as our respect towards him,” festival director Abhishek Arun stated.

Hosted by Z&Z Media Pvt. Ltd., IFFP will take place in Allahabad February 26-28, 2015. The festival aims to promote cinema, especially in the country’s north-west region.

“The principle objective of the IFFP is to promote and encourage awareness, appreciation and understanding of the art of cinema especially in this region. Filmmaking professionals and students belonging to the northern region of our country will have a new platform,” said the festival’s founder Hasan Haider.

Om Puri, a Punjab-born talent, is a graduate from the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune, and the National School of Drama, Delhi. He is among the few Indian actors to represent the country at the international level.

In a career of over four decades, Om Puri has proved his versatility through all his roles as he  portrayed characters s in films like Ghashiram Kotwal, Arohan and Ardh Satya. He featured in the 1982 classic Gandhi, and also starred in various international films like My Son The Fanatic, East Is East, Charlie Wilson’s War, The Reluctant Fundamentalist and the recent 100 Foot Road.