Muhammad Kutty Paniparambil Ismail better known by the diminutive name Mammootty is an Indian film actor and producer who works in Malayalam cinema. In a career spanning four decades, he has appeared in over 400 films, predominantly in Malayalam language and also in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi and English.
Mammootty initially used the stage name Sajin in his early films. After establishing himself as a lead actor in the 1980s, his major breakthrough came with the commercial success of the 1987 film New Delhi. He has won three National Film Awards for Best Actor, seven Kerala State Film Awards and thirteen Filmfare Awards South. In 1998, the Government of India awarded him the Padma Shri for his contributions to the arts. He has also received honorary doctorate degrees from the University of Kerala in January 2010 and from the University of Calicut in December 2010.
Mammootty has made his mark in neighbouring industries as well. He entered Tamil cinema through Mounam Sammadham (1990), in Telugu cinema through Swati Kiranam (1992), in Bollywood through Triyathri though his debut as a lead was in Dhartiputra (1993). He debuted in Kannada cinema through the bilingual film, Shikari (2012). He also acted in an Indian English film Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar (2000).