'Padma Bhusan, Mammootty': 'Megastar' night at Thiruvananthapuram Nishagandhi

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kurta and traditional Kerala mundu (dhoti), all in white, producing a halo around the superstar. Malayalam’s megastar exuded elegance and commanded attention while walking to the stage at the Thiruvananthapuram Nishagandhi auditorium on Sunday night for the state film awards ceremony.

The entry of Mammootty was followed by thundering applause from the crowd. The unending cheers also came in for a reason. Just moments before megastar Mammootty entered the stage, the central government had announced the Padma Bhushan awards. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and others extended their greetings. A cry of 'Mammootty, we love you' came from the audience. The actor quickly discerned the direction the chant came from and waved to the audience in that direction. It was enough to leave the thousands gathered agog yet again.

Mammootty received the State Film Award for his sublime performance as Koduman Potty in 'Bramayugam'. While responding to his Padma award achievement, Mammootty said that no award would be the same as being honoured by the nation, which he labelled as the most pivotal of all.

'Our cabinet has finally been able to see the country honouring Mammootty by awarding him the Padma Bhushan. The state government has been recommending Mammootty's name for several years. "There is a time for everything,

Mammootty's characters on screen are mesmerising with their expressiveness. Not many stars would dare commit to a movie like Kaathal. 'Bramayugam' is being screened at the Oscar Academy Museum in Los Angeles,” said the Chief Minister.

While inviting him to the stage, the chief minister addressed the actor as Padma Bhusan Mammootty, but the actor chose not to mention his Padma award achievement in his address speech.

“Awards are an encouragement for an artist. Asif and Tovino, who received the special jury award, are not even a fraction of a millimetre lower than me. Maybe the award reached me because I’m older now(pun). I saw 'Feminichi Fatima'. Such films can only be made in Malayalam. Malayalees see cinema as a medium to think, understand and convey messages. We want the hero and heroine of the film to be ordinary human beings.” Said Mammootty.