Mammootty, Dhanush celebrate National Award wins on 'Om' sets
Synopsis
Four National Award winners — Mammootty, Dhanush, director Rajkumar Periasamy, and editor Kalaivanan — shared a cake-cutting moment on the sets of 'Om', a film that now carries the weight of some of Indian cinema's most prestigious recent honours. With a red-sanders backdrop, two female leads in Sai Pallavi and Sreeleela, and a 16 October release, 'Om' may be Tamil cinema's most award-laden ensemble of the year.
Key Takeaways
Mammootty , Dhanush , director Rajkumar Periasamy , and editor Kalaivanan celebrated their 72nd National Film Award wins on the sets of 'Om' on Sunday, 19 July .
Mammootty was jointly named Best Actor (with Kartik Aaryan) for 'Bramayugam' ; Periasamy won Best Director and Kalaivanan won Best Editing for 'Amaran' .
Dhanush won two awards: 'Raayan' (Best Tamil Feature Film, which he directed) and a Special Mention for 'Captain Miller' . 'Om' stars Sai Pallavi and Sreeleela as female leads, with music by Sai Abhyankkar and cinematography by Ezhil Arasu .
The film is 60–65% complete and is set to release on 16 October 2025 .
Malayalam superstar Mammootty and Tamil star Dhanush joined director Rajkumar Periasamy and editor Kalaivanan on the sets of their upcoming Tamil film 'Om' on Sunday to celebrate their respective wins at the 72nd National Film Awards, cutting a cake together in what the actors described as a moment of shared gratitude. All four are National Award winners, making the on-set gathering a rare convergence of recognised talent ahead of a high-profile release.
The Celebration and What Mammootty Said
Mammootty shared a photograph of the four on his X timeline, writing: 'A small celebration of our National Award wins with @dhanushkraja, @Rajkumar_KP and R. Kalaivanan on the sets of #OM. Grateful for all the love and wishes.' The image, showing the quartet cutting a cake on set, quickly circulated among fans of both the Malayalam and Tamil film industries.
Who Won What at the 72nd National Film Awards
Mammootty was jointly named Best Actor alongside Kartik Aaryan for his performance in the Malayalam horror thriller 'Bramayugam'. Rajkumar Periasamy took home the Best Director award for 'Amaran', a film based on the life of Major Mukund Varadarajan. Editor Kalaivanan won Best Editing for the same film. Dhanush earned two honours: 'Raayan', which he directed, was named Best Tamil Feature Film, while 'Captain Miller' earned him a Special Mention.
What We Know About 'Om'
Directed by Rajkumar Periasamy, 'Om' features Mammootty in the role of a character named Karthikeyan. Dhanush plays a woodcutter, and a previously released title teaser showed the story centring on workers who cut red sanders illegally, with Dhanush's character stepping in as their protector against armed police. The film's full title carries the tagline 'Chapter 1', hinting at a possible franchise, though Periasamy has clarified that the first part will be a self-contained story.
The cast includes Sai Pallavi and Sreeleela as the female leads. Music is composed by Sai Abhyankkar, with cinematography by Ezhil Arasu and costumes by Kavya Sriram.
Production Status and Release Date
Periasamy disclosed in June 2025 that between 60 and 65 per cent of filming had been completed at the time. He said of the project: 'This film, I believe, will be a special journey for everybody associated with it. We are continuing to shoot and the film is shaping up well.' 'Om' is slated to release on 16 October 2025, positioning it as one of the most anticipated Tamil releases of the year given its ensemble of National Award-winning talent both in front of and behind the camera.
Point of View
But the real story is what 'Om' now represents: a single Tamil production that has assembled four fresh National Award winners across acting, direction, and editing. That is an unusual concentration of recognised craft, and it raises the bar for audience expectations considerably. Rajkumar Periasamy's track record with 'Amaran' — a film that balanced commercial scale with emotional authenticity — means the pressure on 'Om' is not just box-office but critical. The red-sanders milieu is also politically charged terrain; how the film handles that backdrop will determine whether it transcends spectacle.
NationPress
20 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Mammootty, Dhanush, Rajkumar Periasamy, and Kalaivanan celebrate together on the sets of 'Om'?
All four are winners at the 72nd National Film Awards and are collaborating on the upcoming Tamil film 'Om'. They marked the occasion with a joint cake-cutting ceremony on set on Sunday, 19 July, with Mammootty sharing a photograph of the moment on X.
What did Mammootty win the National Award for?
Mammootty was jointly named Best Actor at the 72nd National Film Awards for his performance in the Malayalam horror thriller 'Bramayugam'. He shared the honour with Kartik Aaryan.
How many National Awards did Dhanush win, and for which films?
Dhanush won two awards at the 72nd National Film Awards. 'Raayan', which he directed, was named Best Tamil Feature Film, and 'Captain Miller' earned him a Special Mention.
What is the Tamil film 'Om' about, and when does it release?
'Om', directed by Rajkumar Periasamy, centres on workers who cut red sanders illegally, with Dhanush playing a woodcutter who comes to their rescue. The film stars Sai Pallavi and Sreeleela and is scheduled to release on 16 October 2025.
Will 'Om' have a sequel?
The film's title carries the tagline 'Chapter 1', suggesting a possible franchise. However, director Rajkumar Periasamy has clarified that the first part is a self-contained story that completes by itself.
