Why Mammootty doesn’t refer to himself as ‘Padma Bhushan Mammootty’: ‘That is just a word for…’ | Malayalam News
3 min readKochiFeb 16, 2026 06:30 PM IST
In a major achievement for Malayalam cinema, Mammootty, widely regarded as one of the finest actors the country has ever seen, was honoured with the Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian award in India, earlier this year. One of the biggest and most influential superstars in the regional industry’s history, he has been reigning over Malayalam cinema, along with fellow actor Mohanlal, for almost four decades now. Although Mammootty is elated to have received the honour, he isn’t willing to let it go to his head or make it his identity.
Mentioning that his stance on such titles is very simple, the megastar noted that they are not for him to celebrate but for others. “That is just a word for all of you to celebrate. I don’t refer to myself as ‘Padma Bhushan Mammootty,’ nor am I supposed to. It doesn’t affect me. That is a title that only you can use. I am happy being called ‘Mammootty’; that’s enough. I am just Mammootty. Let the Padma Bhushan be for you all,” he said. The actor was speaking at the 16th-anniversary celebrations of the Care & Share International Foundation, a non-profit charitable organisation he founded.
The names of the Padma awardees for 2026 were announced on January 25, on the eve of Republic Day. Along with Mammootty, ace playback singer Alka Yagnik and advertising legend Piyush Pandey were also honoured with the Padma Bhushan, while iconic Bollywood actor Dharmendra, who passed away in November 2025, was awarded a posthumous Padma Vibhushan. The awards will be presented to the winners by President Droupadi Murmu at a ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi, later this year.
‘Gratitude to the motherland…’
Following his recognition, Mammootty expressed gratitude to the nation, the people, and the government for conferring the Padma Bhushan upon him. In a note on Facebook, the megastar wrote, “Gratitude to the motherland… My heartfelt thanks to the nation, the people, and the government for honouring me with the Padma Bhushan civilian award. Republic Day wishes to everyone.”
In a career spanning over five decades, which began in 1971, he has appeared in over 400 films across various languages and won the National Film Award for Best Actor thrice, the second-most by any thespian — an honour he shares with Kamal Haasan and Ajay Devgn. He is currently gearing up for the release of director Mahesh Narayanan’s Patriot, where he will share the screen with Mohanlal.
