Here is a 101 on how to become a Mammootty fan, Step 1: Watch the following classics

Oru Vadakkan Veeragadha (1989) Direction: Hariharan | Story: The historical period drama film set in 16th century northern Kerala, chronicles around the adopted son of the chekavar clan, Chandu. Hailed as one of Indian cinema's gems , Oru Vadakkan Veeragadha raked in four National film awards and six Kerala state film awards. (Photo | National Film Archive of India)

Amaram (1991) Direction: Bharathan | Story: Achootty, an uneducated fisherman wants his daughter, Radha, to study and become a doctor but his dreams fall apart when Radha falls in love with her childhood friend who is also a fisherman. The film takes its viewers to the shores of Kerala and leaves us torn between love for humanity and an antipathy for it. (Photo | Hotstar)

Mathilukal (1990) Direction: Adoor Gopalakrishnan | Story: Based on a novel by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer, Mathilukal (Walls) is about a man, imprisoned for writing against the British during their reign. He falls in love with a woman incarcerated on other side of the wall of his jail - the women's prison. Mammootty's performance as a vulnerable lover won him the National film award for best actor but his character in the film is left without gratification. Mammootty's performance was mentioned in a 2013 Forbe's list of '25 Greatest Acting Performances of Indian Cinema'. (Photo | Twitter)

Ponthan Mada (1994) Direction: TV Chandran | Story: Starring Mammootty and Naseeruddin Shah, Ponthan Mada is set in 1940s British India and shows an uncanny friendship between a 'lower caste' Mada and his landlord Sheema Thampuran, which transcends caste barriers. One of the striking features of the two men's relationship is that Mada talks to the thampuran by hanging from palm trees. (Photo | National Film Archive of India)

Thalapathi (1991) Director: Mani Ratnam | Story: The lives of an orphan Surya (Rajnikanth) and a gangster (Mammootty) intertwine while they team up to fight crime, forming a plot with twists that brings viewers to tears. The deadly combination of Mani Rantnam and Santosh Sivan is all the more reason for the movie to have a cult following. (Photo | YouTube Screengrab)

Bhoothakkannadi (1997) Direction: Lohithadas | Story: A directorial debut that won Lohithadas his National award, Boothakkannadi is about Vidyadharan, a clocksmith, who views the world with blinkers because of the his deeply troubled past. (Photo | hotstar)

Soorya Manasam (1992) Direction: Viji Thampi | Story: Inspired by the 1937 American novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Director Viji Thampi tells us the story of a slow-witted lad Putturumees who is raised by his single mother in a village. (Photo | Instagram)

Peranbu (2018) Direction: Ram, Amudhavan Karuppiah | Story: The film revolves around an estranged father who returns from the Middle East to look after his pubescent child who has cerebral palsy. Peranbu was especially praised for its sensitivity in approaching the concepts of womanhood, health conditions and fatherhood.

Unda (2019) Direction: Khalid Rahman | Story: A modest film without any of the usual flamboyance that accompanies movies portraying accomplished actors, it follows the journey of a unit of policemen who is stationed in a maoist affected area of Chhattisgarh for election duty during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. (Photo | Mammootty, Facebook)