"I express my hearty thanks," he told reporters at the airport when asked about the Centre announcing the award for him.
Last week, the 65-year-old star had tweeted that he was "feeling deeply honoured "on being chosen for Padma Vibhsuan.
He said that his eagerly anticipated "Kabali" has entered the final shooting schedule even as the actor proceeded today to Malaysia to wrap up the shooting.
Rajinikanth will also star in ace director Shankar's "Robot 2" the sequel to the duo's previous sci-fi hit "Enthiran," (Robot).