Actor Mohanlal dedicates Dadasaheb Phalke Award to Malayalam film industry

Ace actor Mohanlal said he is dedicating the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award to Malayalam cinema. “I speak with a deep sense of humility and gratitude here. This is a proud moment and I cannot enjoy this alone. I’m sharing this with everyone, the audience, the people I have worked with in the past, the ones I am working with in the present and those I will work with in the future,” Mohanlal said.

The actor who had arrived in Kochi Sunday morning (September 21, 2025) told media persons that the moment was a special and a beautiful one for him and the entire film industry. “The award is for the entire Indian film industry,” he said.

“I am not a person who dreams a lot. If you were to ask me what my social commitment is, I would say that it is to attempt to play the roles I am being given in the best possible manner. I will give it my best try. But you cannot do a movie alone; it is the work of many people. I pray that we get to make good movies and that good movies are made in the Malayalam industry. I just want to be a part of that. That is my dream,” said the actor.

Calling the award ‘special’ and likening the moment to something that will only happen in one’s wildest of dreams, the actor said the industry he works with is like ‘God‘ for him and that cinema is like magic.

“Cinema is a vicious circle. It is magic. We cannot predict anything about it. When two movies turn into a success, then it elevates you and when it fails, it is the opposite. To stay in such an industry for 48 years is like being in a circus. And I have had the privilege of having many supportive people along with me in that journey,” he said.

Adding that he had the privilege of working with many master actors and was lucky enough to play good roles, the actor said this is a beautiful and special moment. “Cinema has only one language. I am just part of the industry; there is no pinnacle to it. ‘Zenith’ is just a word. So I don’t consider to have reached the pinnacle of anything with an award,” he added.

On Saturday (September 20, 2025), the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting announced that the actor will be conferred the country’s highest cinema honour, the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2023. The news brought much cheer to the Kerala film industry.

The award will be presented at the 71^st National Film Awards ceremony on September 23. The actor who has had a career spanning more than four decades has worked in 400 films and bagged five National Awards.