Malayali superstar Mohanlal has been chosen for the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2023. The actor, with a career spanning more than four decades, has worked in 400 films and won five National Awards.

On September 20, 2025, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting announced that Kerala’s renowned actor Mohanlal will be honored with the country’s highest cinema honor, the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2023.
This award will be presented on September 23 at the 71st National Film Awards ceremony. The actor, with a career spanning more than four decades, has worked in 400 films and won five National Awards.
Known as the face of Malayalam cinema, he has also left his mark in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Hindi films.
Some of Mohanlal’s notable films include Thanmathra, Iruvar, Kilukkam, Vanaprastham, Company, Lucifer, Drishyam, Manichitrathazhu, and Pulimurugan. He won the National Film Award for Best Actor in 1991 for his performance in Bharatham.
He was also honored with the Padma Shri in 2001 and the Padma Bhushan in 2019, two of India’s highest civilian awards.

Dadasaheb Phalke Award

Established in 1969, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India’s most prestigious honor in the field of cinema, given annually for lifetime contribution to the development of the film industry.
It is presented by the President of India. Last year, veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty received this honor.
The award was first presented to “the first lady of Indian cinema” Devika Rani. The award includes a Golden Lotus, a cash prize of 10 lakh rupees, a certificate, a silk roll, and a shawl.
Dhundiraj Govind Phalke was an Indian producer, director, and screenwriter who directed India’s first feature film Raja Harishchandra (1913). He is known as the “Father of Indian Cinema.”