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Legendary cinematographer V.K. Murthy, best remembered for his work on the Guru Dutt films, received a standing ovation at the 56th National Film Awards ceremony Friday when he was conferred the Dada Saheb Phalke Award for 2008 by President Pratibha Patil.

Murthy, 87, who was dressed in a black suit, received a cash prize of Rs.10 lakh, a Swarna Kamal and a shawl. This is the first time that a cinematographer has been selected for this award.

Murthy is known for breaking new ground, ushering in highly sophisticated techniques and bringing in rich visual artistry to Indian cinema. He shot India's first cinemascope movie "Kagaz Ke Phool" in 1959. He worked on films like "Ziddi" (1948), "Baazi" (1951), "Jaal" (1952), "Pyasa" (1957) and "Chaudhvin ka Chand" (1960).