In September 2025, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) announced that Legendary Malayalam Actor and Padma Awardee Mohanlal Viswanathan Nair will be conferred with Dadasaheb Phalke Award for year 2023, India’s highest cinema honour.
- He will be the 55th recipient of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in recognition of his exceptional contribution to Indian cinema, becoming the second Malayalam film personality to receive it after filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan in 2004.
Exam Hints:
- What? Announcement of Dadasaheb Phalke Award Winner
- For Which Year? 2023
- Announced by: MIB
- Winner: Malayalam Actor Mohanlal Viswanathan Nair
- Recipient: 55th
- Last Year Winner: Veteran Indian Actor Mithun Chakraborty
- Cash Prize: Rs 10Lakh
- Award Instituted in: 1969
Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2023:
Selection Committee: The selection was based on the recommendation of the 3-member Dadasaheb Phalke Award Selection Committee which comprised of: Renowned Indian Actor Mithun Chakraborty; Famous Indian Singer and Music Composer, Shankar Mahadevan; and Director Ashutosh Gowariker.
Official Ceremony: The award will be conferred to Mohanlal at the 71st National Film Awards Ceremony in New Delhi, Delhi.
About Mohanlal Viswanathan Nair:
Profile: Mohanlal Viswanathan Nair, popularly known as ‘The Complete Actor’, is a celebrated Indian actor, producer, and playback singer, renowned for his contributions to the Malayalam film industry.
Experience: Over a 40 years-long career in the film industry, he has worked in more than 400 films across various Indian languages including Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Hindi.
Notable Films: He debuted with Malayalam film ‘Thiranottam’ in 1978 and some of his notable films are: Thanmathra, Kilukkam, Drishyam, among others.
National Film Awards: He has won 5 National Film Awards including, ‘Best Actor’ for film ‘Bharatham’ in 1991; and Best Feature Film Award for ‘Vanaprastham’ as a producer in 1999.
Civilian Honour: In 2001, he was honoured with the Padma Shri, India’s 4th highest civilian award in the category of Arts and was later, honoured with Padma Bhushan, India’s 3rd highest civilian award in 2019 also in the field of Arts.
Other Awards/Accolades: In 2009, he was commissioned as an Honorary Lieutenant Colonel in the Indian Territorial Army
About Dada Saheb Phalke Award:
Formed in: It was instituted in 1969 by the Government of India (GoI) to commemorate the contribution of Dhudiraj Govind Phalke(Dada Saheb Phalke) to Indian cinema.
Father of Indian Cinema: Dhundiraj Govind Phalke, considered as the Father of Indian cinema, had directed India’s 1st full-length feature film named “Raja Harishchandra” in 1913.
Recognizes: The award recognizes the outstanding contribution of an individual to the growth and development of Indian cinema.
Presented by: The award is presented annually at the National Film Awards ceremony organised by the Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF), under the MIB.
Prize: The recipient of the award receives a Swarna Kamal (Golden Lotus) medallion, a shawl, and a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh.
1st Recipient: The 1st Dada Saheb Phalke Award was received by Devika Rani Roerich in 1969.
54th Recipient: In 2024, Veteran Indian Actor-turned-Politician and Padma Bhushan Awardee Mithun Chakraborty received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award (for 2022) as 54th recipient.
