Mammootty says he is sad upon winning 15th Filmfare award, remembers people of Wayanad in his speech 

Mammootty

Malayalam film superstar Mammootty won his 15th Filmfare award for Best Actor on Saturday night for the 2023 film 'Nanpaka Nerathu Mayakkam'. The film which was a Tamil and Malayalam bi-lingual was directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery . The actor received the award from Tamil actors Vikram and Siddharth. In his short speech, he won hearts by addressing the devastating tragedy in Wayanad, Kerala.

After the receiving the award, Mammootty who has been in the industry for over four decades now said, "This is my 15th Filmfare. I played a dual role in which I speak Tamil as well as Malayalam. I produced it myself. I thank my team for this."

He later went on to say that this should be a joyous moment for him but unfortunately it ain't one. "This is supposed to be a very happy moment for me, but I am not very happy. I am sad for the suffering of my people in Wayanad, who lost their lives. I remember them at this moment. I wish for you to support them and help them regain their lives," he added.

'Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam' was released in theaters in January 2023 and was Mammotty's first collaboration with director Lijo Jose Peliissery . The film narrates the story of group of Malayali travellers are returning to Kerala by bus after a visit to Velankanni and doze off in a lazy nap. When James stops the bus in a village in Tamil Nadu, Sundaram starts behaving like him and confuses them.

Meanwhile, Mammootty has had a good run at the movies in the past year with back to back hits and appreciation for his experimental roles. From delivering a nuanced act in 'Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam' to playing a homosexual man in 'Kaathal: The Core' to playing a devil in experimental horror film 'Brahmayugam', Mammootty has been lauded for taking up challenging and different roles in recent times. The actor has been lauded for his choice of scripts and for boosting the image of Malayalam cinema at a time when majority of the films from the state are doing well.

While promoting his last film 'Turbo' in Dubai, Mammootty addressed Malayalam cinema's recent successful streak at the box office and audience acceptance as other industries struggle to get people to the audience. He attributed the success to the evolving taste of the audience. "The audience controls cinema and it undergoes change only if the former does. When people consistently ignore bad films and watch only the good ones, movies naturally improve," he said, Cue Studio reported.

"We are currently experiencing a good phase with the arrival of consecutive quality films because our audiences support and watch good cinema. Look at other languages/industries; they are failing because they don't understand their audience. The audience completely controls cinema," he emphasised.