"I have received national and few international awards in my career so far, but this award is special, in fact, priceless for me," the National Award winning actor said here at the ceremony on Friday.
"This is because I don't think I am a deserving candidate for this award. I am still a newcomer," he added.
This was the 73rd edition of the awards. Apart from Anil, actor Dilip Prabhalkar was also conferred with the honour.
Meanwhile, Lata Mangeshkar gave a miss to the event because of her ill health. Last year, the award was given to Bollywood actor Rishi Kapoor and musician Zakir Hussain.