Mohanlal to receive Dadasaheb Phalke Award

• The government announced that Mohanlal will be conferred with the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2023. 

• The legendary actor, director, and producer from Kerala is being honoured for his iconic contribution to Indian cinema. 

• Mohanlal becomes the second Malayalam film personality to win the recognition after filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan in 2004.

• The award will be presented to him at the 71st National Film Awards ceremony on September 23.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the veteran actor, saying Mohanlal epitomises excellence and versatility.

A leading light of Malayalam cinema

• Mohanlal Viswanathan Nair was born on May 21, 1960 in Kerala.

• He made his debut as an antagonist in Fazil’s ‘Manjil Virinja Pookkal’ (1980) and went on to star in critically-acclaimed and commercially-successful films such as ‘Manichitrathazhu’, ‘Kireedam’, ‘Bharatham’, ‘Iruvar’, ‘Vanaprastham’, ‘Company’, ‘Thanmathra’, ‘Drishyam’ and ‘Pulimurugan’.

• With a career spanning more than four decades, Mohanlal has acted in over 360 films across Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Kannada.

• With a rich body of work spanning decades, he stands as a leading light of Malayalam cinema.

• Known for his effortless screen presence and wide range, he has received two National Film Awards for Best Actor, nine Kerala State Awards and international honours.

• Mohanlal was honoured with the Padma Shri in 2001, and the Padma Bhushan in 2019 for his contribution to the arts.

Dadasaheb Phalke Award

• To honour the ‘Father of Indian Cinema’, Dhundiraj Govind Phalke, the National Film Awards named the most prestigious and coveted award of Indian Cinema after him. 

• He is the man who made the first Indian Feature film Raja Harishchandra in 1913. Popularly known as Dadasaheb Phalke, he then went on to make 95 films and 26 short films in a span of 19 years. 

• The Dadasaheb Phalke Award was introduced in 1969 by the government to recognise the contribution of film personalities towards the development of Indian Cinema. 

• The first recipient of this award was Devika Rani.

• Dadasaheb Phalke Award is given to a film personality for his/her outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian Cinema. 

• The award comprises a Swarna Kamal (Golden Lotus) medallion, a shawl, and a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh.

Some of the previous awardees are:

• Mithun Chakraborty - 2022

• Waheeda Rehman - 2021

• Asha Parekh - 2020

• Rajinikanth - 2019

• Amitabh Bachchan - 2018

• Vinod Khanna - 2017

• K. Viswanath - 2016

• Manoj Kumar - 2015

• Shashi Kapoor - 2014

• Gulzar - 2013

• Pran - 2012

• Soumitra Chatterjee - 2011

• K. Balachander - 2010.

(The author is a trainer for Civil Services aspirants.)