Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Malayalam
The Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Malayalam is presented annually by Filmfare magazine as part of its Filmfare Awards South ceremony, honoring excellence in Malayalam cinema. The award was instituted in 1972 and is determined by a jury.
The inaugural recipient of the award was Madhu for his performance in Swayamvaram. As of 2023, Mammootty holds the record for the most wins in this category, with 13 awards. He is also the most recent recipient, having won the award in 2023.
Superlatives
- Mammootty holds the record for the most wins in the category, with 13 awards. He is the only actor to have won the award in five separate decades: the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and 2020s. He also holds the record for receiving nominations across all five decades.
- Premji and Mammootty are the only actors to have received the award for portraying real-life individuals. Premji remains the only actor to win the award for a debut performance.
- Mohanlal holds the record for the most consecutive wins, having received the award three years in a row from 1993 to 1995. Other actors who have won in consecutive years include Madhu, Pratap Pothen, Bharat Gopy, Mammootty, and Fahadh Faasil.
- Fahadh Faasil has received the award three times within six years, for 22 Female Kottayam, North 24 Kaatham, and Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum.
- Kamal Haasan remains the youngest recipient of the award, having won at the age of 20 for his performance in Kanyakumari.
- In decade-wise distribution, Kamal Haasan and Madhu each received two awards in the 1970s. In the 1980s, Bharat Gopi, Mammootty, and Mohanlal received two awards each. Mammootty and Mohanlal led the 1990s with three wins each. Mammootty and Fahadh Faasil led with three wins each.