If your Malayali friend is floating on air (and giving you extra payasam), blame it on the absolute scene, Mohanlal just bagged the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. Yep, the biggest film honor out there, finally landing where every WhatsApp family group always said it should. Announced on September 20, 2025, for the 2023 edition, this is a “history is happening” moment.
- Breaking News, Family Group Edition
Remember your phone buzzing all morning? The Government of India officially announced Mohanlal as the Dadasaheb Phalke Award winner for his iconic contribution to Indian cinema on September 20, 2025. The trophy moment’s booked for September 23 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, so mark your calendars, movie buffs! PM Modi’s post called him the “epitome of excellence and versatility”, and the I&B Ministry sealed the deal. Mohanlal? As always, humble: he dedicated the award to the Malayalam industry and everyone who’s “walked alongside him”, cue waterworks and 10,000 forwarded texts.
Image courtesy India Today
Mollywood’s Proud Flex—Finally, It’s Kerala Time!
If you grew up watching cassettes turn into CDs and then into streams, you know why this moment means everything to Kerala. Mohanlal is just the second Keralite ever to win the Phalke; Adoor Gopalakrishnan lit that torch back in 2004, and two decades later, Lalettan grabs it. With a career spanning 40+ years, over 300 films in five languages, and a cupboard full of National Awards & Padma honours, this is the top-tier legacy move. Fans (and even Mohanlal himself) say it, this win belongs to the whole industry. Nostalgia alert: from VCRs to Netflix, Lalettan is the one constant in every Malayali home.Rent-Free Roles—Lalettan In Every Mood
Supercop? Done. Troubled artist? Iconic. Lovable dad? Nobody does it better. Mohanlal’s filmography is the stuff of living-room debates, but a few classics stay rent-free in our collective heads: Bharatham for emotional masterclass, Vanaprastham for soul, Spadikam for sheer swag, Thanmathra for tissues, and Drishyam, honestly, every meme page’s “case closed” template. Critics and Reddit threads agree: his willingness to age on-screen (rather than just play hero on loop) is what makes him a star and a legend. If you ever uttered “Georgekutty would have aced CID”, you’re not alone; social media lost it over his older-character glow-up.
Image courtesy Reddit
- Pan-India Stan Club: Who Isn’t Cheering?
What happens when Mohanlal wins? Kollywood, Tollywood, Bollywood, sab log taaliyaan bajao! The S-tier congratulations started with the PM and then poured in from every industry. Mammootty’s “crown well-deserved” message? Peak best-friend goals. From trending hashtags to news channel debates, the headlines dubbed it a “national moment” and not just Kerala’s win. Don’t sleep on the upcoming National Film Awards ceremony, it’s about to be historic for every movie buff.
Image courtesy PressPrima
- The Journey, In Three Insta-Worthy Slides
For the IG generation: first, there was the official announcement (screenshot that), next collage of roles only Lalettan could pull off (your phone gallery already knows), and soon, stage pics from the National Awards. Each image is nostalgia x hype, proof that Mohanlal’s journey is basically the plot twist Indian cinema needed. From humble beginnings to an icons-only club, Lalettan = legacy secured.
A star wins, but it’s Malayalam cinema that gets the standing ovation. Mohanlal’s Dadasaheb Phalke Award is a massive win for every cine-nerd who binge-watched Drishyam or wept at Bharatham. So, which performance made you Lalettan’s fan for life?