KOCHI: It was a long-awaited moment of recognition for lakhs of his fans on Sunday when actor Mammootty was conferred the Padma Bhushan. Having been overlooked for years, while several actors junior to him received national honours, the announcement brought a sense of long-overdue validation for Malayalam cinema and its audience.
The country’s third-highest civilian honour ends a 28-year interlude since Mammootty was awarded the Padma Shri in 1998. For generations of Malayalis who have closely followed his journey, the honour felt overdue rather than unexpected.
With a career spanning over five decades, Mammootty is a household name not just in Kerala but across India. He made his movie debut with Anubhavangal Paalichakal (1971), scripted by Thoppil Bhasi and directed by K S Sethumadhavan, where he appeared as a crowd member. He went on to feature in films such as Kalachakram (1973), Vilkkanundu Swapnangal and Mela (1980), steadily carving a place for himself before emerging as one of Indian cinema’s most formidable actors.
The Padma Bhushan announcement coincided with Mammootty being honoured with his seventh Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor for Brahmayugam (2024) at a ceremony in Thiruvananthapuram. The timing added to the celebratory mood of fans, many of whom had repeatedly voiced disappointment over his exclusion from higher civilian honours despite his vast body of work and national acclaim.
Over the years, Mammootty has delivered a string of iconic performances in films such as Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam (2022), Adiyozhukkukal (1984), Kaazhcha (2004), Kaathal – The Core (2023), Paleri Manikyam (2009), Vatsalyam (1993), and several others.
Fondly known as Mammukka, he has won the National Film Award for Best Actor three times — for Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha and Mathilukal (1990), Vidheyan and Ponthan Mada (1994), and Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar (1999), in which he portrayed B R Ambedkar. In addition to the Padma Shri, he was conferred the Kerala Prabha, the state’s highest civilian honour, in 2022. Reacting to the award, Mammootty told reporters that he was “very happy”, adding that “there is nothing greater than the country honouring a person.”