In November2025, Renowned Indian Art Director and Padma Shri AwardeeThota Tharani,was conferred with theChevalier de L’Ordre Arts et des Lettres(Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters), one of France’s highest civilian honours in the field of arts and culture, by theFrench Government.
- Tharani formally received the award fromThierry Mathieu,French Ambassador to India, at a ceremony held at the Alliance Francaise of Madras in Chennai, Tamil Nad(TN).
- Following this honor, Thotta Tharani now joins a list of Indian film personalities like: famous Tamil actor Sivaji Ganesan (1995), M. Balamuralikrishna, Kamal Hassan (2016), Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (2012), and Kalki Koechlin (2018), who had previously received the award.
About Thota Tharani:
Career:Tharani started his career as an art director with Singeetam Srinivasa Rao’s Telugfilm‘Sommokadidhi Sokokadidhi’in 1978.
Notable Work:With a career spanning over 40 years, Tharani created set designs for some of Tamil films like: ‘Nayakan’, ‘Indian’, ‘Thalapathi’,‘Dasavatharam’ and ‘Ponniyin Selvan’.
Civil Honour:In 2001, Tharani was honoured withPadma Shri,India’s 4th highest civilian honour in the field of ‘Arts and Culture’.
Other Awards/Accolades:He received various other national and state honours like: two National Film Awards for Best Art Direction for films Nayakan (1987) and Indian (1996).
- In 1992, he received the Kerala State Film Award for film ‘Abhimanyu’ in the category of Best Art Director.
- In addition to these awards, he was also honoured with two TN State Film Awards and 3 Nandi Awards.
About Ordre des Arts et des Lettres :
Overview:The Order of Arts & Letters (Ordre des Arts et des Lettres) is a French order of merit awarded by the French Ministry of Culture. The award, started in 1957, has since honoured people who have made great contributions to arts and culture.
IAS-2026 - OPTIONAL / GEOGRAPHY / PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION / SOCIOLOGY / ANTHROPOLOGY / ORIENTATION ON 03 & 04-10-2025 
