Malayalam cinema’s rich legacy of National Award winners is highlighted, from P. J. Antony’s debut to Mammootty and Mohanlal’s multiple accolades. The article also touches upon Suraj Venjaramoodu and Salim Kumar’s transition to serious roles, Prakash Raj’s critique of the awards, and the significant contributions of actresses like Urvashi, Surabhi Lakshmi, Shobana, and Archana.
Malayalam cinema has consistently produced some of India’s finest performers and over the decades, many actors from the industry have been honoured at the National Film Awards.
The journey of recognition began with the legendary P. J. Antony, who became the first Malayalam actor to win Best Actor in 1974 for ‘Nirmalyam’.
Bharath Gopi , Balan K. Nair and more
Bharath Gopi won for ‘Kodiyettam’ with a nuanced performance. The movie, released in 1977, is considered a classic. Late actor Balan K. Nair who is known for intense performances, earned recognition for ‘Oppol’, while Premji was honoured for ‘Piravi’.
Mammootty and Mohanlal lead the era
Among the biggest names, Mammootty stands out with three Best Actor National Awards.
He won in 1989 for Mathilukal and Oru Vadakkan Veeragadha, in 1993 for Ponthan Mada and Vidheyan, and in 1998 for Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar. Mohanlal also made a significant mark by winning Best Actor for ‘Bharatham’ and ‘Vanaprastham’.Actors like Suraj Venjaramoodu and Salim Kumar have carried forward the legacy and interestingly both the actors were once known for their comedy roles and surprised the audiences with their intense and serious performances later.
Suraj won for ‘Perariyathavar’, while Salim Kumar was honoured for ‘Adaminte Makan Abu’.Speaking about his journey, Suraj Venjaramoodu earlier told ETimes, “It gives me great joy that I could do a lot of good roles in 2019 in movies that were widely watched and to win this State honour. It’s obviously a huge responsibility. I have always wished for good characters and by putting the effort, I could get to play such roles.
After winning the National Award for Perariyathavar, I started getting a lot of good roles such as the one in Action Hero Biju.
I think the response for the character was the award given to me by the people. I didn’t expect this award but I did wish it.”
Prakash Raj’s criticism
Meanwhile, Prakash Raj stirred debate in 2025. He said in a press event that, “I don’t mind saying that the National Film Awards are compromised,”. “I am so happy to be a jury chairperson in Kerala because when they called me, they said that we need an outsider who is experienced, and we will not poke our hands into it.
We will let you take a decision. That’s not happening in the national awards.”
Women continue to make their mark
On the female front, Urvashi recently won Best Supporting Actress at the 71st National Awards for ‘Ullozhukku’. Earlier, Surabhi Lakshmi received Best Actress for ‘Minnaminungu’. Actresses like Shobana and Archana have also contributed significantly across industries where the former one received the prestigious honour for her performance in ‘Manichitrathazhu ‘ and ‘Mitr, My Friend’ and the latter one for ‘Veedu’, and ‘Daasi’.
