10 Indian Actors With Honorary Doctorates Abroad As Rani Mukerji Joins List
As Rani Mukerji receives an honorary doctorate from Australia’s La Trobe University, here’s a look at Indian actors who have been honoured by universities abroad.
Aug 14, 2026 17:32 IST
Last Updated On
Aug 14, 2026 17:48 IST
On August 14, Rani Mukerji added another major honour to her illustrious career, as Australia's La Trobe University conferred an Honorary Doctor of Letters on the Bollywood actress for her contributions to Indian cinema and her work beyond the screen. The distinction recognises Rani Mukerji's three-decade journey in the film industry, during which she has built a reputation for taking on a diverse range of characters and delivering performances that have resonated with audiences in India and abroad.
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Rani Mukerji's latest honour also places her in the company of another major Indian film star. She becomes only the second Indian cinema personality to receive the distinction from La Trobe University after Shah Rukh Khan was honoured by the institution in 2019. Rani Mukerji's citation recognises her achievements as an actress, as well as the causes and initiatives she has supported outside the film industry.
The honour arrives at a significant point in Rani Mukerji's career, with the actress remaining one of Hindi cinema's most respected performers. Over the years, she has successfully moved between commercial entertainers and performance-driven dramas, creating several memorable characters along the way. The actress has also received recognition from the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM), which honoured her with a special citation celebrating her contribution to acting. The festival highlighted her three decades of work and the wider international impact of her performances.
Rani Mukerji is now the latest name from the Indian entertainment industry to have been honoured abroad, and the ever-growing list shows the influence of the Indian film industry and the true soft power it holds. Indian cinema’s influence has long travelled beyond the country’s borders, and its stars have often found recognition in places far removed from the traditional awards circuit.
From Shah Rukh Khan collecting honorary degrees across continents to Shabana Azmi being celebrated for the intersection of cinema and activism, several Indian stars have received honorary doctorates from universities abroad. Here are some prominent names, apart from Rani, who have earned the distinction.
Without further ado, here's the list:
1. Shah Rukh Khan – Universities In UK And Australia
Shah Rukh Khan has one of the most impressive collections among Indian actors. The University of Bedfordshire in the UK first conferred an honorary doctorate in Arts and Culture on him in 2009 in recognition of his achievements as an actor and producer. In 2015, the University of Edinburgh awarded him the degree of Doctor Honoris Causa, recognising his global reach as an actor as well as his philanthropy and humanitarian work.
If you thought that's it, we have more for you. In 2019, the University of Law in London awarded SRK an honorary doctorate, highlighting his work in areas including human rights and philanthropy. Later that year, Australia’s La Trobe University conferred an Honorary Doctor of Letters on him, particularly recognising his humanitarian initiatives, including the Meer Foundation’s work with women who have survived acid attacks. The university subsequently established the Shah Rukh Khan La Trobe University PhD Scholarship.
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2. Amitabh Bachchan – De Montfort University And Leeds Metropolitan University, UK
Amitabh Bachchan’s international stature has also translated into recognition from academia. In July 2006, De Montfort University in Leicester conferred an Honorary Doctor of Arts degree on the veteran actor. The university’s own records state that the honour recognised Bachchan’s distinguished career in films and his contribution to Indian cinema. Just a year later, Bachchan received another Honorary Doctor of Arts from Leeds Metropolitan University, now known as Leeds Beckett University.
The university’s official honorary-graduate records list Bachchan among its 2007 recipients alongside fellow Indian cinema personalities Shabana Azmi and Yash Chopra. His presence on this list is particularly fitting given how extensively his career has represented Hindi cinema internationally over several decades.
3. Akshay Kumar – University Of Windsor, Canada
Akshay Kumar, also known as the Khiladi, entered the honorary-doctorate club in 2008, when Canada’s University of Windsor conferred an Honorary Doctorate of Law on him. The actor received the distinction in Ontario on May 9 that year, as the University recognised both his work in the film industry and his contribution to social causes.
The honour came at a time when Akshay had established himself as one of Hindi cinema’s biggest commercial stars and was also associated with philanthropic work in India and Canada. He described the recognition as an especially meaningful moment in his life, placing him alongside Indian film figures, including Amitabh Bachchan, Shabana Azmi and Shilpa Shetty, who had already been honoured by overseas universities.
4. Shabana Azmi – Leeds Metropolitan University And Simon Fraser University
Over the years, Shabana Azmi's career has combined acclaimed acting with decades of activism. In 2007, Leeds Metropolitan University awarded her an Honorary Doctor of Arts, with the university’s official directory confirming both the degree and year.
She received another major international academic honour in 2013 from Simon Fraser University in Canada. SFU conferred on Azmi the degree of Doctor of Fine Arts, honoris causa, describing her as an award-winning actor and highlighting her advocacy for women, minorities and displaced slum dwellers. The university formally presented the degree on June 12, 2013. For an actor whose filmography and public life have consistently intersected with questions of social justice, the recognition went considerably beyond conventional screen stardom.
5. Shilpa Shetty – Leeds Metropolitan University, UK
Shilpa Shetty received an Honorary Doctor of Arts from Leeds Metropolitan University in 2007, shortly after becoming a particularly recognisable Indian face in Britain following her Celebrity Big Brother win. The university’s official honorary-graduate directory confirms that Shetty was among its Honorary Doctor of Arts recipients that year. She was part of a notable run of Indian cinema figures recognised by the institution around the same period, with Amitabh Bachchan, Shabana Azmi and filmmaker Yash Chopra also appearing in its 2007 honorary-graduate records. The distinction arrived during a period when Shetty’s fame had expanded dramatically beyond the Indian film industry and into British popular culture.
6. Preity Zinta – University Of East London, UK
Preity Zinta received an Honorary Doctorate of Arts from the University of East London in October 2010, in recognition of both her work in cinema and her humanitarian efforts. During a special convocation at the university’s Docklands campus, the citation described Zinta as an international actress, a pioneering Hindi cinema star and a committed humanitarian.
Her social work was an important part of the university’s reasoning. Contemporary accounts highlighted her involvement with blood-donation initiatives and her efforts to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS, human trafficking and the plight of street children. Zinta, who had by then built a filmography including 'Dil Se..', 'Kya Kehna', 'Kal Ho Naa Ho', and 'Veer-Zaara', said the distinction was particularly special because it recognised her cultural and humanitarian contribution rather than simply an individual film performance.
7. Sharmila Tagore – Edinburgh Napier University, UK
Veteran actress Sharmila Tagore was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Arts by Edinburgh Napier University in 2012. Unlike many celebrity honours whose exact details become muddled over time, this one is clearly recorded in the university’s official list of honorary graduates, which lists “Sharmila Tagore, Doctor of Arts (2012).”
The degree recognised her outstanding contribution to Indian cinema, a career that stretches from her celebrated collaborations with Satyajit Ray to an equally influential body of work in Hindi cinema. She received the honour at an Edinburgh graduation ceremony alongside figures from several other professional fields.
8. Vir Das – Knox College, United States
Vir Das, an International Emmy Award winner, may be best known internationally today as a comedian, but his substantial acting career also makes him an unusual and worthy addition to this list. In June 2018, Knox College in Illinois awarded Das the degree of Doctor of Fine Arts during its commencement ceremony. Das is himself a Knox alumnus, having graduated from the college in 2002 after studying theatre and economics.
The college’s official citation recognised his accomplishments as an actor, comedian, musician and producer, as well as his ability to bring cross-cultural perspectives to audiences worldwide.
9. Anupam Kher – Hindu University Of America
Anupam Kher received a rather different honorary academic distinction in 2021, when the Hindu University of America conferred on him an Honorary Doctor of Hindu Studies. The degree was presented during the institution’s graduation ceremony in New York on September 18, 2021.
The veteran actor, whose career encompasses hundreds of Indian and international screen credits, attended the ceremony in person and described himself as honoured and humbled by the recognition. The university’s records place him alongside its graduating students in Sanskrit, Hindu Studies and Yoga, making his honour distinct from the Doctor of Arts or Doctor of Letters degrees received by several other actors on this list.
10. Gurdas Maan – University Of Wolverhampton, UK
Punjabi singer and actor Gurdas Maan was honoured by the University of Wolverhampton in the UK in September 2010, receiving an honorary doctorate in recognition of his contribution to music and entertainment. The university conferred the honour on him at a ceremony held at the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre on September 7, celebrating a career that helped take Punjabi music and culture to audiences across the world.
While Maan is best known as one of Punjabi music’s most influential voices, he has also enjoyed a long acting career, appearing in films such as ‘Mamla Garbar Hai’, ‘Shaheed-e-Mohabbat Boota Singh’ and ‘Waris Shah: Ishq Daa Waaris’. His inclusion therefore adds representation from Punjabi cinema to a list otherwise dominated by Hindi film stars, while his honorary degree reflects the international reach he built over decades as both a performer and cultural ambassador.
