Kerala loves to watch Mohanlal in action. For nearly five decades now, he has been the unfading star of Malayalam cinema, riding on unparalleled fandom. On September 23 then, while receiving the Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2023 from President Droupadi Murmu in New Delhi, it was Mohanlal’s turn to owe it back.

Dedicating the award to the Malayalam film industry and the “discerning, intelligent audience of Kerala”, Mohanlal remarked: “This moment is not mine alone. It belongs to the entire Malayalam cinema fraternity.”

Mohanlal is only the second Malayalam film industry icon to win India’s highest cinematic honour. Filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan won it back in 2004.

Mohanlal debuted on screen with Manjil Virinja Pookkal (1980) although the first film he acted in was Thiranottam (1978). He has

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