Which actor was honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award at the 59th National Film Awards ceremony?

Introduction / Context:
This question relates to Indian cinema and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, which is the highest honour in Indian film awarded for lifetime contribution to cinema. It specifically asks which actor received this award at the 59th National Film Awards ceremony.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The award is the Dadasaheb Phalke Award.
• The event is the 59th National Film Awards.
• The options list well known film directors and one prominent actor.
• We assume awareness that Soumitra Chatterjee is a legendary Bengali actor closely associated with Satyajit Ray.

Concept / Approach:
The candidate must connect the specific edition of the National Film Awards with the name of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award recipient. Soumitra Chatterjee, a veteran actor of Bengali cinema, particularly known for his roles in Satyajit Ray s films, received this lifetime achievement award at the 59th National Film Awards. The other names are mainly film directors and were not the recipients of this particular honour at that event.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall which major actor from Bengali cinema received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in the early twenty first century. Step 2: Identify Soumitra Chatterjee as the actor who had a long and distinguished career, especially in films directed by Satyajit Ray. Step 3: Remember that his lifetime contribution to Indian cinema was honoured at the 59th National Film Awards by conferring the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. Step 4: Check that other options such as Ketan Mehta, Shekhar Kapur and Mahesh Bhatt are better known as directors, not as the specific Dadasaheb Phalke Award recipient for that year. Step 5: This confirms Soumitra Chatterjee as the correct answer.

Verification / Alternative check:
As an alternative verification, recall common lists of Dadasaheb Phalke Award winners where Soumitra Chatterjee is mentioned along with the approximate period. Many competitive exam notes emphasise his contribution as an actor and his association with this prestigious award at that specific edition of the National Film Awards.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Ketan Mehta is a noted director but not the recipient of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award at the 59th National Film Awards. Shekhar Kapur and Mahesh Bhatt are also well known film directors and producers, yet they were not honoured with this lifetime achievement award at that event. Shyam Benegal is a distinguished director who received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in a different year, not the year corresponding to the 59th National Film Awards.

Common Pitfalls:
Candidates may confuse various national cinema awards or mix up the years in which different personalities received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. Another mistake is to choose a more familiar director s name without remembering that the question points specifically to an actor recognised at that edition of the awards.

Final Answer:
The actor who received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award at the 59th National Film Awards is Soumitra Chatterjee.