Thilakan has won several National Awards and Kerala State Film Awards, for his outstanding contribution to the art of cinema. He has worked in movies like Kolangal (1981), Asthi (1983), Adaminte Variyellu (1983), Oru Kuda Keezhil (1985), Kanakambarangal (1988), Godfather (1991), and Minnaram (1994). In 2012, the veteran actor passed away following a cardiac arrest.