At the beginning of the awards ceremony, where Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu is the chief guest, it was announced that Bachchan, who has been named as the recipient of the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke award, is unable to attend the ceremony due to ill health.
Earlier on Sunday, the actor, in a tweet, stated that he will not be able to attend the prestigious award ceremony because he is "down with fever" and that he is not allowed to travel.
"Down with fever... Not allowed to travel. Will not be able to attend National Award tomorrow in Delhi. So unfortunate, my regrets," Big B tweeted.Big B will be awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award - India's highest film honour this year.
Bachchan has won four National Film Awards for Best Actor through his illustrious career, last winning it for his performance in 2015 film Piku. Big B was last seen as a host on the TV quiz show Kaun Banega Crorepati 11. Badla, co-starring Taapsee Pannu, remains his last release.
