Thiruvananthapuram: Malayalam superstar Mammootty, who was conferred the Padma Bhushan on Sunday, said he was "very happy" and that there was "nothing greater than the country honouring one,” PTI reported.
Fondly called 'Mammukka' by his fans and those close to him, the 74-year-old actor described the award as "unexpected" while speaking to a TV channel.
Wishes began pouring in on social media as news spread about the honour, which was conferred on Mammootty for his contributions to the field of art.
"Congratulations, Mammukka! And thank you for showing us how boundaries are broken, and challenges are taken up with a smile! You're our pride and one of a kind," actor Manju Warrier wrote in a Facebook post.
Actor-politician Kamal Haasan also congratulated Mammootty on 'X'.
"My friend Mammootty has now become Padma Bhushan Mammootty. Congratulations to my friend," he said.
Later, at the Kerala State Film Awards ceremony, he was congratulated by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Culture Minister Saji Cherian.
The CM, in his speech at the event, said Mammootty had been honoured by the country with the Padma Bhushan.
"The Kerala cabinet is happy it could take part in this joyous development, as we have been recommending him for the award for the past several years. Everything has its time. Heartfelt congratulations to him. No one in the history of Indian cinema has performed such diverse characters as he has," Vijayan said.
He also noted that Mammootty has won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor for the ninth time.
Vijayan added that Mammootty has given Kerala another moment of pride, as his movie 'Bramayugam' has been selected as the only Indian film to be screened at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles.
The Padma Awards, among the highest civilian awards in the country, are conferred in three categories: Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri.
Mammootty has acted in over 400 films in various languages, including Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, English, and Malayalam, in a career spanning more than five decades.
Three National Awards, several state awards, 14 Filmfare Awards, the Padma Shri, and two honorary doctorates stand as proof of his acting excellence and mass fan following.
Some of his popular films include 'New Delhi', 'Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha', 'Oru CBI Diary Kurippu', 'Kutty Srank', and 'Bheeshma Parvam'.
He has worked with critically acclaimed directors, including Adoor Gopalakrishnan, K G George, and T V Chandran, as well as commercially successful filmmakers like I V Sasi, Joshi, Ranjith, and Anwar Rasheed.
Mammootty made his film debut in 1971 with 'Anubhavangal Paalichakal'.