# Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Malayalam

The Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Malayalam is an award instituted in 1972, presently annually at the Filmfare Awards South to an actor via a jury. This is given by the Filmfare magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards South for performers in Malayalam cinema. The award was first given in 1972. The 2023 winner of the award is Mammootty. Also, as of 2023, he leads the list with 13 wins.

## Superlatives

| Superlative | Actor | Record |
| Actor with most awards | Mammootty | 13 |
| Oldest winner | Premji | 81 |
| Oldest nominee | Premji | 81 |
| Youngest winner | Kamal Haasan | 20 |
| Youngest nominee | Kamal Haasan | 20 |
* Mammootty holds the record of winning an award in 5 decades.
* Premji and Mammootty are the only actors to win a Best Actor award for portraying a real person. Premji won in 1989 for portraying Professor Raghava Chakyar in Piravi and Mammootty in 1990 for portraying Vaikom Muhammad Basheer in Mathilukal (1990).
* Mammootty triumphed in the 2000s with 4 wins. Mammootty again led the 2010s with 3 wins to his credit.
* Mammootty holds a record of receiving nominations in this category in 5 decades (1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, 2020s).
* Only one actor has won the Best Actor award for their debut performance: Premji for Piravi (1989)
* Mohanlal holds the record for most consecutive wins, having won the award for three years in a row from 1993 to 1995. Five other actors have won the award in consecutive years; in chronological order, they are Madhu (1976–77), Pratap Pothen (1979–80), Bharat Gopi (1982–83), Mammootty (1984–85), Mammootty (1998–99), and Mammootty (1990–91), Mammootty (2009–10), Fahadh Faasil (2012–13), and Mammootty (2014–15).
* Kamal Haasan became the youngest Best Actor winner in the history of the award at the age of 20 for Kanyakumari (1974).
* Kamal Haasan and Madhu achieved supremacy in the 1970s with 2 wins, each. In the 1980s with 2 wins Bharat Gopi, Mammootty and Mohanlal reigned. Mammootty and Mohanlal continued their domination in the 1990s with 3 wins each.

## Multiple winners

* 13 Wins: Mammootty
* 08 Wins: Mohanlal
* 03 Wins: Madhu, Jayaram, Fahadh Faasil
* 02 Wins: Kamal Hassan, Pratap Pothen

## Winners

| Year | Recipient | Role | Film(s) |
| 1972 | Madhu | Vishwam | Swayamvaram |
| 1973 | P. J. Antony | Velichapad | Nirmalayam |
| 1974 | Kamal Haasan | Sankaran | Kanyakumari |
| 1975 | Adoor Bhasi | Vishwanatha Menon | Raagam |
| 1976 | Madhu | Vinod | Theekkanal |
| 1977 | Madhu | | Yuddha Kaandam |
| 1978 | Kamal Haasan | Ramu | Yaetta |
| 1979 | Prathap Pothan | Thakara | Thakara |
| 1980 | Prathap Pothan | Vinod | Chamaram |
| 1981 | Nedumudi Venu | Xavier | Vida Parayum Munpe |
| 1982 | Bharath Gopi | Nandagopal | Ormakkayi |
| 1983 | Bharath Gopi | Prof. Shakespeare Krishna Pillai | Kattathe Kilikkoodu |
| 1984 | Mammootty | Karunan | Adiyozhukkukal |
| 1985 | Mammootty | Unnikrishnan | Yathra |
| 1986 | Mohanlal | Gopalakrishna Panikkar | Sanmanassullavarkku Samadhanam |
| 1987 | Nedumudi Venu | Ravunni Nair | Oru Minnaminunginte Nurunguvettam |
| 1988 | Mohanlal | *Soap Kuttappan *Maathu Pandaaram | Padamudra |
| 1989 | Premji | Raghava Chakyar | Piravi |
| 1990 | Mammootty | Vaikom Muhammad Basheer | Mathilukal |
| 1991 | Mammootty | Achootty | Amaram |
| 1992 | Murali | Bapputty | Aadharam |
| 1993 | Mohanlal | Mangalassery Neelakantan | Devaasuram |
| 1994 | Mohanlal | Unnikrishnan | Pavithram |
| 1995 | Mohanlal | Thomas "Aadu Thoma" Chacko | Sphadikam |
| 1996 | Jayaram | Mohanachandran Podhuval | Thooval Kottaram |
| 1997 | Mammootty | Vidyadharan | Bhoothakkannadi |
| 1998 | Balachandra Menon | Ismail | Samaantharangal |
| 1999 | Mohanlal | Kunjukuttan | Vanaprastham |
| 2000 | Mammootty | Raveendranath Menon | Arayannagalude Veedu |
| 2001 | Jayaram | Karunakaran | Theerthadanam |
| 2002 | Dileep | Meesa Madhavan | Meesa Madhavan |
| 2003 | Jayaram | Reji | Manassinakkare |
| 2004 | Mammootty | Madhavan | Kaazhcha |
| 2005 | Mohanlal | Ramesan Nair | Thanmathra |
| 2006 | Mammootty | Murugan | Karutha Pakshikal |
| 2007 | Mohanlal | Valiyakathu Moosa | Paradesi |
| 2008 | Lal | S. Raveendran Pillai | Thalappavu |
| 2009 | Mammootty | • Murikkum Kunnathu Ahmed Haji • Haridas Ahmed • Khalid Ahmed | Paleri Manikyam |
| 2010 | Mammootty | Chirammal Enashu Francis | Pranchiyettan & the Saint |
| 2011 | Salim Kumar | Abu | Adaminte Makan Abu |
| 2012 | Fahadh Faasil | Cyril C. Mathew | 22 Female Kottayam |
| 2013 | Fahadh Faasil | Harikrishnan | North 24 Kaatham |
| 2014 | Mammootty | P. K. Venugopal | Varsham |
| 2015 | Mammootty | Pallikkal Narayanan | Pathemari |
| 2016 | Nivin Pauly | Biju Poulose | Action Hero Biju |
| 2017 | Fahadh Faasil | Prasad | Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum |
| 2018 | Joju George | Joseph | Joseph |
| 2020 - 2021 | Biju Menon | SI Ayyappan Nair | Ayyappanum Koshiyum |
| 2022 | Kunchacko Boban | Kozhummal Rajeevan | Nna Thaan Case Kodu |
| 2023 | Mammootty | James/Sundaram | Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam |