New York (PTI): India-born internationally acclaimed filmmaker Mira Nair has been honoured with the 'Person of the Year' award by a leading ethnic newspaper in the US in recognition of her work.

The award by 'India Abroad' newspaper was presented last evening to the Oscar-nominated director by PespiCo CEO Indra Nooyi, who herself received the honour the previous year, at a gala dinner attended by a large number of community leaders at the Gotham Hall in New York City.

Taking note of the contributions made by Nair to cinema and the community, Nooyi said she has captured the popular imagination through her excellence.

In her acceptance speech, 50-year-old Nair paid rich tributes to her mother and all those women who had been a source of inspiration to her.

Among Nair's highly successful movies are award winning Salaam Bombay, Monsoon Wedding and The Namesake. The producer-director-writer is to shoot her next film Amelia starring leading Hollywood actress Hillary Swank in locations in Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Canada.

Also honoured at the event were legendary economists Padma Desai and her husband Jagdish Bhagwati. The couple, distinguished professors at Columbia university, received the India Abroad Lifetime Achievement Award.