Ace Tamil filmmaker Shankar received an honorary Doctorate from the prestigious Vels University at their 12th Annual Convocation event held in Chennai on Friday, August 5. The event, which saw Tamil Nadu Governor R. N. Ravi as the Chief Guest, witnessed several notable names from various walks of life being conferred with the honorary doctorate among whom also included former Indian international cricketer Suresh Raina, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre Director Prof. Ajit Kumar Mohanty, and Vikram Aggarwal, Chairman of Radisson Blu Hotels. 

Addressing press persons after receiving his doctorate at Vels University's 12th Annual Convocation event, Shankar said, "I would like to thank Ishari Ganesh sir, our honorable Governor R. N. Ravi, and also appreciate and congratulate Mr. Raina, Mr. Ajit Kumar and Vikram Agarwal for being awarded the doctorate." Shankar further stated, "This award has given me big encouragement and I look forward to introducing new technologies to cinema. This doctorate conferred on me will serve as a huge inspiration and excitement and I'm looking forward to doing my best going forward."

Earlier, Vels University had released a statement about Shankar receiving the honorary doctorate that read, "The film industry has seen several notable talented people reach heights and become legends. Born to a middle-class family in Kumbakonam, he completed his Diploma in Mechanical Engineering at the Central Polytechnic College and began writing and performing in cultural events." The statement further read, "He was recognized by audiences and won many awards, thus, sparking his interest in acting. He was also a part of an amateur theatre troupe where director S A Chandrasekhar witnessed his performance and invited him to become his assistant director in 1986. After 7 years of experience, he made his directorial debut with Gentleman in 1993. He is none other than the legendary Director Shankar, who has over the years made a total of 13 films in 25 years that include the likes of Kadhalan, Indian, Jeans, Mudhalvan, Sivaji, Enthiran, and 2.0." The statement concluded, "All these are commercially successful movies with leading stars in the cinema industry like 'Superstar' Rajnikanth, 'Ulaganayagan; Kamal Haasan, 'Thalapathy' Vijay. Now, we are happy to honor the highly-talented filmmaker, Shankar, with a doctorate from Vels University."

As for his next venture, Shankar is currently busy working on RC 15, starring Ram Charan and Kiara Advani in the lead roles, and is being produced by Dil Raju's Sri Venkateswara Creations banner. The upcoming bilingual film marks the blockbuster filmmaker's debut in Telugu and will also be coming out in Tamil. Apart from RC 15, Shankar will also be resuming work on the magnum opus Indian 2 with Kamal Haasan, with the production set to kick-off once again this September.

Watch Shankar receive the honorary doctorate at Vels University in the video below: