NEW DELHI: The eminent director and lyricist Gulzar is to get the nation's highest award in cinema, the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award, for 2013.

Confirming the news, Information and Broadcasting Ministry Secretary Bimal Julka said the seven-member selection committee had unanimously recommended his name. Gulzar will receive the award later this year from President Pranab Mukherjee along with the National Film Awards for 2013, for which the juries are currently viewing the entries.

Gulzar is the third lyricist to get this award which was instituted in 1970. The other two lyricists who have won it previously are Majrooh Sultanpuri (1994) and Kavi Pradeep (1998).

Gulzar told Radioandmusic.com that he was particularly happy since the choice was by an independent committee, though set up by the Government. Though a lot of people had told him he deserved this award much earlier, he felt this was the special as it was the right time to get it on the birth centenary year of Dadasaheb Phalke.

The renowned lyricist has not only written songs but has also directed a large number of notable films. He has won awards and been applauded for both his songs as well as his directorial ventures.

Perhaps one of the greatest authorities on the history of song in Indian cinema, Gulzar also gave several talks on the subject in India and abroad, often justifying the kind of songs that were written in the fifties, sixties, seventies and thereafter. Though often accused of having picked up other novels or stories for adaption, Gulzar had the inimitable talent of suitably making the films appealing for Indian and Hindi audiences.

Born Sampooran Singh Kalra and known by his pen name Gulzar, he has worked in Bollywood for over 50 years as a lyricist, dialogue writer, screen play writer as well as a director.

He was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2002 and the Padma Bhushan in 2004. He has won a number of National Film Awards and 20 Filmfare Awards. In 2012 he received the Indira Gandhi National Integration Award.

Gulzar is also known internationally as he was awarded the prestigious Oscar Award (with A R Rahman and Sukhwinder Singh) for writing the Best Original Song 'Jai Ho' from the 'Slumdog Millionare'. He was also given the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media.

Some of his more notable songs are: 'Maine Tere Liye Hi' (Anand), 'Bole Re Papihara Papihara' (Guddi), 'Koii Hota Jisko Apna' (Mere Apne), 'Aanewala Pal Janewala' (Golmaal), Sun Sun Sun Didi (Khubsoorat), 'Ae Zindagi Gale Laga Le' (Sadma), 'Roz Roz Aankhon Tale' (Jeeva), 'Tum Aa Gaye Ho Noor' and 'Tere Bina Zindagi Se' (Aandhi), 'Saare ke saare gaama ko lekar gaate chale' (Parichay), and 'Dil Dhoondhta hai' (Mausam).