When Mohanlal was announced as the recipient of the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2023 , filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma couldn’t resist putting his own quirky spin on the congratulations.


Taking to social media, the 'Company' director wrote: “I don’t know much about #DadasahebPhalke except that he’s made the 1st ever film, which I dint see and I never met anyone who saw it, but from what I saw and know of @Mohanlal, I think Dadasaheb Phalke should be given the MOHANLAL AWARD .”

Mohanlal’s good-humoured response
At a press conference in Kochi, Mohanlal was asked about the comment and chose to brush it off with grace. With a chuckle, he said that Ram Gopal Varma is someone who cracks jokes all the time. The 'Thudarum' actor said, "I see it as black humour. I share a great friendship with him and had the chance to act in one of his cult films, Company.
Mohanlal concluded by saying," He chose to react differently from others and that's it.”

Mohanlal and RGV's 'Company'
Mohanlal and Ram Gopal Varma first joined forces in the acclaimed 2002 crime drama Company, where Lalettan’s portrayal of Commissioner Sreenivasan was widely celebrated. They later reunited in 'Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag' (2007), which infortunately received negative reviews from the audiences and turned out to be a flop.
Meanwhile, Mohanlal will be presented with the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2023 at the 71st National Awards Ceremony which will be held on September 23, 2025. Taking to Twitter, PM Modi congratulated the 'Empuraan' actor by penning, "Shri Mohanlal Ji epitomises excellence and versatility. With a rich body of work spanning decades, he stands as a leading light of Malayalam cinema, theatre and is deeply passionate about the culture of Kerala.
He has also delivered remarkable performances in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Hindi films. His cinematic and theatrical brilliance across mediums is truly inspiring. Congratulations to him on being conferred the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. May his accomplishments continue to inspire generations to come. @Mohanlal."
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