The 68-year-old actor, who was accompanied by his wife Latha Rajinikanth at the opening ceremony, was greeted by a round of applause and loud cheers from the audience. In his acceptance speech, he also expressed gratitude to the government of India, and his collaborators and fans for their love and support through the years.
"I''m extremely happy to receive this prestigious Special Icon of Golden Jubilee award. My heartfelt thanks to the Indian government for honouring me with the award. I dedicate this award to all my directors, producers and all the technicians who have worked in my films.
"And above all, my fans and Tamil people who have supported me. Thank you, Jai Hind," Rajinikanth said in his speech.
The veteran actor, popularly known as the ''Thalaivar'', has worked in over 150 films such as "Billa", "Baasha", and more recently the "Enthiran" films, "Kabali" and "Kaala".
He has also worked in films across Telugu, Kannada, Hindi languages such as "Anthuleni Katha", "Chilakamma Cheppindi", "Katha Sangama", "Kiladi Kittu", "Chaalbaaz", "Bulandi", among others.
Also present on stage were Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, among others.
The 50th edition of IFFI runs through November 20-28.