Overview
- Rastogi was conferred the Padma Shri at Rashtrapati Bhavan by President Droupadi Murmu on June 23 in a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
- A short video from the event showing Rastogi greeting with folded hands and apparently missing a handshake from the prime minister went viral the next day and drew wide online attention.
- Responding on X, the 80-plus actor said the missed handshake was an oversight caused by his age, affirmed his respect for Modi, and urged people not to politicize the moment.
- Political commentators seized on the clip, with figures such as TMC spokesperson Saket Gokhale mocking the exchange, but reporting shows the dispute remained confined to social media and did not escalate into any formal dispute.
- The government Padma citation stresses Rastogi’s long career—about 1,000 stage shows, more than 75 films, 500 TV episodes and published scientific work—and the episode underscores how brief clips can shift attention away from official honours.