Overview

• The award will be presented at the 71st National Film Awards in New Delhi on September 23, 2025.
• The I&B Ministry confirmed the selection via an official post on X following the Dadasaheb Phalke Award Selection Committee’s recommendation.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised Mohanlal’s excellence and versatility, while the actor said he is deeply humbled and thanked the PM for his message.
• Mohanlal becomes the second Malayalam cinema figure to receive the honor after Adoor Gopalakrishnan in 2004.
• With 350–400-plus films over more than four decades, Mohanlal has earned multiple National Film Awards, including two Best Actor wins, as well as the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan.