mononymously
A mononym is a name composed of only one word. An individual who is known and addressed by a mononym is a mononymous person. In some cases, a mononym selected by an individual may have originally been from a polynym, a word which refers to one o ...
as Mohanlal, is an Indian actor,
film producer
A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script, coordinating writing, di ...
,
playback singer
A playback singer, also known as a ghost singer, is a singer whose singing is pre-recorded for use in films. Playback singers record songs for soundtracks, and actors or actresses lip-sync the songs for cameras; the actual singer does not app ...
, film distributor, and director who predominantly works in
Malayalam cinema
Malayalam cinema is an Indian film industry of Malayalam-language motion pictures. It is based in Kochi, Kerala, India. The films produced in Malayalam cinema are known for their cinematography and story-driven plots. In 1982, ''Elippathayam' ...
besides also having sporadically appeared in
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nati ...
,
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
,
Telugu
Telugu may refer to:
* Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India
*Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India
* Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language
** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode
S ...
and
Kannada
Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...
-language films. Mohanlal has a prolific career spanning over four decades, during which he has acted in more than 400 films. Mohanlal's contributions to the
Malayalam cinema
Malayalam cinema is an Indian film industry of Malayalam-language motion pictures. It is based in Kochi, Kerala, India. The films produced in Malayalam cinema are known for their cinematography and story-driven plots. In 1982, ''Elippathayam' ...
have been praised by his contemporaries in the
Indian film industry
The Cinema of India consists of motion pictures produced in India, which had a large effect on world cinema since the late 20th century. Major centers of film production across the country include Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Ko ...
. The
Government of India
The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...
honoured him with
Padma Shri
Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...
in 2001, and
Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...
in 2019, India's fourth and third highest civilian honours, for his contributions to
Indian cinema
The Cinema of India consists of motion pictures produced in India, which had a large effect on world cinema since the late 20th century. Major centers of film production across the country include Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Ko ...
. In 2009, he became the first actor in India to be awarded the honorary rank of
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...
in the Territorial Army.
Mohanlal made his acting debut at age 18 in the Malayalam film ''
Thiranottam
''Thiranottam'' () is a 1978-made Indian Malayalam-language drama film directed by V. Ashok Kumar and written by Kumar and Pachalloor Sasi. The film stars Mohanlal, C. Chandramohan, Ravikumar, Maniyanpilla Raju, and Renu Chandra in their debut ...
'' in 1978, but the film was delayed in its release for 25 years due to censorship issues. His screen debut was in the 1980 romance film ''
Manjil Virinja Pookkal
''Manjil Virinja Pookkal'' () is a 1980 Indian Malayalam-language romantic thriller film produced by Navodaya Appachan under Navodaya Studio and written and directed by Fazil (director), Fazil. It stars Shankar (actor), Shankar, Mohanlal and P ...
'', in which he played the antagonist. He continued to do villainous roles and rose to secondary lead roles in the following years. By the mid-1980s, he established himself as a bankable leading actor and attained stardom after starring in several successful films in 1986; the crime drama ''
Rajavinte Makan
''Rajavinte Makan'' () is a 1986 Indian Malayalam-language gangster film directed and produced by Thampi Kannanthanam and written by Dennis Joseph. It stars Mohanlal as crime boss Vincent Gomes, and also features Suresh Gopi, Ratheesh, Ambika a ...
'' released that year heightened his stardom. Mohanlal prefers to work in Malayalam films, but he has also appeared in some of
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
,
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nati ...
,
Telugu
Telugu may refer to:
* Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India
*Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India
* Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language
** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode
S ...
and
Kannada
Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...
films. Some of his best known non-Malayalam films include the Tamil political drama ''
Iruvar
''Iruvar'' () is a 1997 Indian Tamil-language epic political drama film co-written, produced and directed by Mani Ratnam. The film, inspired by the lives of M. Karunanidhi, M. G. Ramachandran and J. Jayalalithaa is set against the backdrop of ...
'' (1997), the Hindi crime drama ''
Company
A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of people, whether Natural person, natural, Legal person, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common p ...
'' (2002) and the Telugu film ''
Janatha Garage
''Janatha Garage'' () is a 2016 Indian Telugu-language action drama film written and directed by Koratala Siva. The film stars Mohanlal, N. T. Rama Rao Jr., Samantha and Nithya Menen. The plot revoles around Sathyam (Mohanlal) and Anand (Jr. NT ...
'' (2016).
Mohanlal has won five
National Film Awards
The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorat ...
two
Best Actor
Best Actor is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actors in a film, television series, television film or play.
The term most often refers to th ...
Best Feature Film
Best or The Best may refer to:
People
* Best (surname), people with the surname Best
* Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer
Companies and organizations
* Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain
* Best Lock Corporatio ...
(as producer), also nine
Kerala State Film Awards
The Kerala State Film Awards are the film awards for a motion picture made in Kerala. The awards started in 1969 by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala and since 1998 the awards have been bestowed by Kerala State Cha ...
and
Filmfare Awards South
Filmfare Awards South is the South Indian segment of the annual Filmfare Awards, presented by the Filmfare magazine of The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Indian film industry encompassing ...
honorary doctorate
An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...
s from
Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit
The Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit (SSUS) is a Sanskrit university in India established in 1993 in Kalady, Kerala. It provides education in Sanskrit, other Indian and Foreign languages, Social science and fine arts. It is accredited ...
in 2010 and the
University of Calicut
The University of Calicut, also known as Calicut University, is a State ownership, state-run public university headquartered at Tenhipalam in Malappuram district of the state of Kerala, India. Established in 1968, it is the first university to ...
in 2018.
Mohanlal is also known for his philanthropic endeavours. He founded the
ViswaSanthi Foundation
ViswaSanthi Foundation is a non-profit organization established by actor Mohanlal in the names of his parents Viswanathan and Santhakumari in 2015. It is registered as a Section-8 Company of the Companies Act 2013, under the name ViswaSanthi De ...
, a non-profit charitable organization that was started to create and deliver high-impact and focused programs to the underprivileged sections of society in the areas of Healthcare and Education. Mohanlal was named as one of "the men who changed the face of the Indian Cinema" by
CNN-News18
CNN-News18 (originally CNN-IBN) is an Indian English-language news television channel founded by Raghav Bahl based in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is currently co-owned by Network18 Group and Warner Bros. Discovery. CNN provides internationa ...
.
Early life
Mohanlal Viswanathan was born in the village of
Elanthoor
Elanthoor is a village in Pathanamthitta district of the Southern State of Kerala, India. Situated halfway between Kozhencherry and Pathnamthitta, the area was part of the Kingdom of Travancore presumably since 1820. This peaceful rural belt h ...
in the
Pathanamthitta district
Pathanamthitta District (), is one of the 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala. The district headquarters is in the town of Pathanamthitta. There are four municipalities in Pathanamthitta: Adoor, Pandalam, Pathanamthitta and Thiruval ...
,
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
on 21 May 1960. He is the youngest child of Viswanathan Nair, a former bureaucrat and Law Secretary with the
Kerala government
Government of Kerala is the subnational government of the Indian state of Kerala. The government is led by a chief minister, who selects all the other ministers. The chief minister and their most senior ministers belong to the supreme decision ...
, and Santhakumari. He had an elder brother named Pyarelal (died in 2000, during a military exercise).Lalettan – The most versatile and iconic figure in Indian cinema . Manorama Online (28 April 1988). Retrieved on 6 May 2012. Mohanlal was named by his maternal uncle Gopinathan Nair, who initially decided to name him Roshanlal before chosing "Mohanlal". However, his father avoided giving him their surname. His father was adamant that he should not bear their caste name (
Nair
The Nair , also known as Nayar, are a group of Indian Hindu castes, described by anthropologist Kathleen Gough as "not a unitary group but a named category of castes". The Nair include several castes and many subdivisions, not all of whom histor ...
) as surname which they all had. Mohanlal grew up in Mudavanmugal at his paternal home in
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...
. He studied at
Government Model Boys Higher Secondary School
Government Model Boys Higher Secondary School, (previously called Government Model High School) is a school in Thycaud, Thiruvananthapuram, India. The school is affiliated to the Kerala State Board of Education and is one of the oldest schools ...
,
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...
Mahatma Gandhi College
Mahatma Gandhi College is a college in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. It was founded by to Mannathu Padmanabhan, the founder of the Nair Service Society. The college is affiliated to Kerala University and is managed by Nair Service Society. ...
,
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...
. Mohanlal's first role was as a sixth grader for a stage play called ''Computer Boy'', in which he played a ninety-year-old man.
During 1977 and 1978 he was the
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
state wrestling champion.
Film career
Early years (1978–85)
Mohanlal made his acting debut in 1978 with the film ''
Thiranottam
''Thiranottam'' () is a 1978-made Indian Malayalam-language drama film directed by V. Ashok Kumar and written by Kumar and Pachalloor Sasi. The film stars Mohanlal, C. Chandramohan, Ravikumar, Maniyanpilla Raju, and Renu Chandra in their debut ...
'', which was produced and made by Mohanlal and his friends
Maniyanpilla Raju
Sudheer Kumar (born 20 April 1955), better known by his stage name Maniyanpilla Raju (Malayalam:മണിയൻപിള്ള രാജു), is an Indian actor and producer who works in Malayalam film industry.Priyadarshan
Priyadarshan (born 30 January 1957) is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer who works predominantly in Malayalam and Hindi films, while also having done six films in Tamil and two films in Telugu. He has done about 31 films in Hi ...
,
Ravi Kumar Ravi Kumar or Ravikumar is Hindu given name, which means "Son of the Sun", combining the Sanskrit words "Ravi" (Sun) and "Kumar" (Son). The name may refer to:
Film
* Ravikumar (actor), Indian actor in Malayalam movies during the 1970s and 1980s
* K ...
and a few others. Mohanlal played Kuttappan, a mentally disabled servant. Due to some issues with censorship, the film was not released on time. It took 25 years to release the film.
In 1980, Mohanlal was cast in the lead antagonist role in ''
Manjil Virinja Pookkal
''Manjil Virinja Pookkal'' () is a 1980 Indian Malayalam-language romantic thriller film produced by Navodaya Appachan under Navodaya Studio and written and directed by Fazil (director), Fazil. It stars Shankar (actor), Shankar, Mohanlal and P ...
'' – the directorial debut of Fazil. The film became a major success. Mohanlal's friends had sent his application in response to an advertisement released by
Navodaya Studio
Navodaya Studio is an Indian film studio headquartered at Kochi, Kerala. It is one of the earliest film studios in Kerala, established in 1976 by Navodaya Appachan. Navodaya is known for producing some of the landmark films in Indian cinema.
His ...
. He auditioned for the role in front of a panel that included professional directors. Displeased with his appearance, two of them gave him poor marks, but Fazil and Jijo Appachan gave him 90 and 95 marks out of 100. In an interview with
Reader's Digest
''Reader's Digest'' is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wi ...
in 2004, Mohanlal said that his looks as a young man might have fit the
villain
A villain (also known as a "black hat" or "bad guy"; the feminine form is villainess) is a stock character, whether based on a historical narrative or one of literary fiction. ''Random House Unabridged Dictionary'' defines such a character a ...
's image.
By 1983, Mohanlal was credited in more than 25 feature films, most of them had him playing negative (villain) roles. Films such as ''
Ente Mohangal Poovaninju
''Ente Mohangal Poovaninju'' () is a 1982 Indian Malayalam-language romance film written and directed by Bhadran (in his directorial debut). Starring Shankar, Menaka and Mohanlal. The film features music composed by V. Dakshinamoorthy. The fil ...
'', ''
Iniyengilum
''Iniyengilum'' () is a 1983 Indian Malayalam-language social problem film directed by I. V. Sasi, written by T. Damodaran and produced by N. G. John. It stars Mohanlal, Ratheesh, Lalu Alex, Ranipadmini, Seema, and Mammootty. The film features ...
'', ''
Visa
Visa most commonly refers to:
*Visa Inc., a US multinational financial and payment cards company
** Visa Debit card issued by the above company
** Visa Electron, a debit card
** Visa Plus, an interbank network
*Travel visa, a document that allows ...
Kaliyil Alpam Karyam
''Kaliyil Alpam Karyam'' is a 1984 Indian Malayalam-language film directed by Sathyan Anthikad, starring Mohanlal, Neelima, Rahman, Jagathy Sreekumar and Lizy in the lead roles. The film was shot in different parts of Ernakulam district. The ...
Engane Nee Marakkum
''Engane Nee Marakkum'' () is a 1983 Indian Malayalam-language romantic drama film produced and directed by M. Mani and written by Priyadarshan. It stars Mohanlal, Shankar, and Menaka. The film features songs and score composed by Shyam. The s ...
'', ''
Unaroo
''Unaroo'' () is a 1984 Indian Malayalam-language political drama film directed by Mani Ratnam and written by T. Damodaran, starring Mohanlal, Sukumaran, Ratheesh, Sabitha Anand, Ashokan and Balan K. Nair, with music composed by Ilaiyaraaja an ...
'' and ''
Sreekrishna Parunthu
''Sree Krishna Parunthu'' () is a 1984 Indian Malayalam-language horror film directed by A. Vincent and written by P. V. Thampi based on his novel ''Krishna Parunthu''. The film stars Mohanlal, Balan K. Nair, Jagathy Sreekumar, Pavithra, and Bi ...
'' changed his image. Through Sasikumar's ''
Ivide Thudangunnu
''Ivide Thudangunnu'' () is a 1984 Indian Malayalam-language crime thriller film directed by J. Sasikumar, written by S. L. Puram Sadanandan and produced by Mohan Sharma. It is a remake of the 1983 Kannada film '' Aasha'', and stars Mohanlal, Su ...
'', he became a successful hero with a "good heart". Mohanlal played his first comic lead role in an
ensemble cast
In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that is composed of multiple principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17
Structure
In contrast to ...
in the 1984 comedy ''
Poochakkoru Mookkuthi
''Poochakkoru Mookkuthi'' () is a 1984 Indian Malayalam-language screwball comedy film written and directed by Priyadarshan. The film features an ensemble cast that includes Mohanlal, Shankar, Menaka, M. G. Soman, Nedumudi Venu, C. I. Paul, Suk ...
'', directed by Priyadarshan, as a young man in love with a girl whom he mistakenly believes to be rich. It also marked the beginning of the Mohanlal-Priyadarshan duo, who as of 2016, have worked together in 44 films.
In 1985, he recorded a song for the film ''
Onnanam Kunnil Oradi Kunnil
''Onnanam Kunnil Oradi Kunnil'' is a 1985 Indian Malayalam-language screwball comedy film written and directed by Priyadarshan. The film stars Mohanlal, Shankar, Sukumari, Prem Prakash and Sankaradi. The film has musical score by Raghu Kumar.
...
''. ''
Uyarangalil
''Uyarangalil'' () is a 1984 Indian Malayalam-language thriller film directed by I. V. Sasi and written by M. T. Vasudevan Nair. It stars Mohanlal, Nedumudi Venu, Rahman, Ratheesh, Kajal Kiran and Swapna, . The music for the film was provided by ...
'', ''
Nokketha Doorathu Kannum Nattu
''Nokkethadhoorathu Kannum Nattu'' () is a 1984 Indian Malayalam-language drama film written and directed by Fazil, and starring Mohanlal, Nadhiya, Padmini. The film features original songs composed by Jerry Amaldev and background score by Jo ...
During this period, Mohanlal played very different roles in films "made by the great masters", such as
G. Aravindan
Govindan Aravindan (23 January 1935 – 15 March 1991) was an Indian film director, screenwriter, musician, cartoonist, and painter. He was one of the pioneers of parallel cinema in Malayalam. He was known for his unorthodox way of filmmak ...
M. T. Vasudevan Nair
Madath Thekkepaattu Vasudevan Nair (born 1933 July 15 ), popularly known as MT, is an Indian author, screenplay writer and film director. He is a prolific and versatile writer in modern Malayalam literature, and is one of the masters of post-I ...
,
Padmarajan
P. Padmarajan (23 May 1945 – 23 January 1991) was an Indian film maker, screenwriter and author who was known for his works in Malayalam literature and Malayalam cinema. He was the founder of a new school of film making in Malayalam cinema, a ...
,
Bharathan
Bharathan (14 November 1946 – 30 July 1998) was an Indian film maker, artist, and art director. Bharathan is noted for being the founder of a new school of film making in Malayalam cinema, along with Padmarajan and K. G. George, in th ...
and
Lohithadas
Ambazhathil Karunakaran Lohithadas (10 May 1955 – 28 June 2009) was an Indian screenwriter, playwright, film maker, and producer who worked in the Malayalam film industry. In a career spanning over two decades, his films have won a National ...
. Mohanlal, along with actor and scriptwriter
Sreenivasan
Sreenivasan (born 6 April 1956) is an Indian actor, screenwriter, director, dubbing artist and producer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. Sreenivasan has starred in over 225 films. Sreenivasan wrote the screenplays of films such as ' ...
, who played his sidekick in several films, showcased the angst of unemployed, educated
Malayali
The Malayali people () (also spelt Malayalee and also known by the demonym Keralite) are a Dravidian peoples, Dravidian ethnolinguistic group originating from the present-day state of Kerala in India, occupying its southwestern Malabar coast. ...
youth forced to adapt to hostile environments in many realistic social satires, some of which were written by Sreenivasan himself.
In 1986, he starred in '' T. P. Balagopalan M.A.'', directed by
Sathyan Anthikad
Sathyan Anthikad is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and lyricist who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. In a career spanning five decades he has directed more than 50 films, been the lyricist for 12 films and been the scriptwriter f ...
, for which he received his first
Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor
The Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor is an honour, begun in 1969, presented annually at the Kerala State Film Awards of India to an actor for best performance in a Malayalam film. Until 1997, the awards were managed directly by the Depar ...
. He portrayed an unemployed young man who shoulders the responsibility of his family. His performance in ''
Sanmanassullavarkku Samadhanam
''Sanmanassullavarkku Samadhanam'' () is a 1986 Indian Malayalam-language comedy-drama film directed by Sathyan Anthikkad and written by Sreenivasan from a story by Anthikkad. The film stars Mohanlal, Karthika, Sreenivasan and M. G. Soman. The ...
'' as a harassed house-owner won him the
Filmfare Award for Best Actor (Malayalam)
The Filmfare Award for Best Actor is an award, begun in 1954, presented annually at the Filmfare Awards to an actor via a jury. This is given by '' Filmfare'' as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi (Bollywood) films. The award was fir ...
in the same year. Mohanlal was given the status of a new Malayalam
superstar
A superstar is someone who has great popular appeal and is widely known, prominent, or successful in their field. Celebrities referred to as "superstars" may include individuals who work as actors, musicians, athletes, and other media-based profe ...
by the public after the box office success of ''
Rajavinte Makan
''Rajavinte Makan'' () is a 1986 Indian Malayalam-language gangster film directed and produced by Thampi Kannanthanam and written by Dennis Joseph. It stars Mohanlal as crime boss Vincent Gomes, and also features Suresh Gopi, Ratheesh, Ambika a ...
'' (1986), in which he played an underworld don, Vincent Gomez. He also starred in the
tragedy
Tragedy (from the grc-gre, τραγῳδία, ''tragōidia'', ''tragōidia'') is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful events that befall a main character. Traditionally, the intention of tragedy ...
''
Thalavattom
''Thalavattam'' is a 1986 Indian Malayalam-language drama film written and directed by Priyadarshan, starring Mohanlal, M. G. Soman and Karthika. The film is very loosely based on the 1975 movie '' One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' which was an ...
'', playing Vinod, a young man who becomes mentally ill upon witnessing his girlfriend's death. He played Solomon in Padmarajan's ''
Namukku Parkkan Munthirithoppukal
''Namukku Parkkan Munthirithoppukal'' () is a 1986 Indian Malayalam-language Romance film, romance Drama (film and television), drama film written and directed by Padmarajan based on the 1986 novel ''Nammukku Gramangalil Chennu Rapparkkam'' by K ...
''. Mohanlal's association with Padmarajan was very well noted because their films told stories that were well and truly ahead of their times and broke many conventional
stereotype
In social psychology, a stereotype is a generalized belief about a particular category of people. It is an expectation that people might have about every person of a particular group. The type of expectation can vary; it can be, for example ...
s prevailing during that time in the Malayalam film industry. In 1986 alone, Mohanlal appeared in 36 Malayalam films.
The following year, Mohanlal starred with
Sreenivasan
Sreenivasan (born 6 April 1956) is an Indian actor, screenwriter, director, dubbing artist and producer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. Sreenivasan has starred in over 225 films. Sreenivasan wrote the screenplays of films such as ' ...
and
Shobana
Shobana Chandrakumar Pillai (born 21 March 1970) is an Indian actress and Bharatanatyam dancer. She acts predominantly in Malayalam films along with Telugu and Tamil films with few Hindi, Kannada and English films. She has won two National Fil ...
in the Sathyan Anthikad comedy ''
Nadodikkattu
''Nadodikkattu'' () is a 1987 Indian Malayalam-language satirical comedy film directed by Sathyan Anthikad and written by Sreenivasan based on a story by the Siddique–Lal duo. It stars Mohanlal and Sreenivasan in the lead roles, along with an ...
'', which became a box office success. Mohanlal and Sreenivasan reprised their roles as the detectives Dasan and Vijayan respectively in its sequels; ''
Pattanapravesham
''Pattanapravesham'' () is a 1988 Indian Malayalam-language Detective fiction, detective Comedy film, comedy film directed by Sathyan Anthikad and written by Sreenivasan. It stars Mohanlal, Sreenivasan, Karamana Janardhanan Nair, Ambika (actres ...
Thoovanathumbikal
''Thoovanathumbikal'' () is a 1987 Indian Malayalam-language romantic drama film written and directed by P. Padmarajan, based partly on his own novel ''Udakappola''. It revolves around Jayakrishnan (Mohanlal), who falls in love with two women; R ...
'', directed by Padmarajan, in which he portrayed a person torn between his twin love interests, broke many stereotypes in Indian films, such as, the leading man falling in love with a second woman immediately after he is rejected by the first, and of a man falling in love with a sex worker. The
romantic comedy
Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...
'' Chithram'', released in 1988, played for 366 days in a theatre, becoming the longest-running Malayalam film. Mohanlal won a Kerala State Special Jury Award in 1988 for his acting in '' Padamudra'', ''
Aryan
Aryan or Arya (, Indo-Iranian *''arya'') is a term originally used as an ethnocultural self-designation by Indo-Iranians in ancient times, in contrast to the nearby outsiders known as 'non-Aryan' (*''an-arya''). In Ancient India, the term ' ...
'', ''
Vellanakalude Nadu
''Vellanakalude Nadu'' () is a 1988 Indian Malayalam-language political satire crime film directed by Priyadarshan, written by Sreenivasan and produced by Maniyanpilla Raju. The film stars Mohanlal, Shobhana, Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair, M. G. So ...
'', ''
Ulsavapittennu
''Ulsavapittennu'' () is a 1988 Indian Malayalam-language drama film directed by Bharath Gopi and written by John Paul. The film stars Mohanlal, Parvathy Jayaram, Jayaram and Sukumaran in the lead roles. The film has musical score composed by G ...
'' and ''Chithram''.
In 1989, the combination of the writer Lohitha Das and director
Sibi Malayil
Sibi ( Sindhi: سيوي ur, ) is a city situated in the Balochistan province of Pakistan. The city is the headquarters of the district and tehsil of the same name.
Etymology
The origin of the town's name is attributed to Rani Sewi, a Hindu la ...
created the character Sethumadhavan, a person who dreams of becoming a police officer, but ends up as a criminal, in the tragedy '' Kireedam''. The role earned Mohanlal a National Film Special Jury Mention. Mohanlal later recalled that his portrayal of Sethumadhavan's mental agony, commended as a natural performance, was spontaneous and that he "did what Sethumadhavan, my character, would have done in such a situation", adding that acting was "akin to entering another person's body." In the same year, he acted in a film which became a commercial success, ''
Varavelpu
''Varavelpu'' () is a 1989 Indian Malayalam-language black comedy film directed by Sathyan Anthikad and written by Sreenivasan, starring Mohanlal, Revathi, Sreenivasan, Thilakan, Murali, Innocent, and Jagadish. The film was produced by K. Rajag ...
'', which tells the story of a man who earned money working in the
Gulf
A gulf is a large inlet from the ocean into the landmass, typically with a narrower opening than a bay, but that is not observable in all geographic areas so named. The term gulf was traditionally used for large highly-indented navigable bodie ...
and came back home to enjoy his life with his family. He bought a bus, which eventually gets him into trouble. The former
Prime Minister of India
The prime minister of India (IAST: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and their chosen Council of Ministers, despite the president of India being the nominal head of the ...
,
Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Atal Bihari Vajpayee (; 25 December 1924 – 16 August 2018) was an Indian politician who served three terms as the 10th prime minister of India, first for a term of 13 days in 1996, then for a period of 13 months fr ...
, mentioned the film as an example of ignorance by Malayali towards global economic changes during the inauguration of the Global Investor Meet held at
Kochi
Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...
on 18 January 2003. In 1989, he starred in another one of Padmarajan's movies; ''Season''.
In the early 1990s, Mohanlal acted in a number of commercial films, such as ''
His Highness Abdullah
''His Highness Abdullah'' is a 1990 Indian Malayalam-language musical thriller drama film written by A. K. Lohithadas and directed by Sibi Malayil. It stars Mohanlal, Nedumudi Venu, Gautami, Sreenivasan, Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair and Mamuk ...
No.20 Madras Mail
''No.20 Madras Mail'' is a 1990 Indian Malayalam-language comedy thriller film directed by Joshiy and written by Dennis Joseph from a story by Harikumar. The film stars Mohanlal in lead role and Jagadish, Maniyanpilla Raju, M. G. Soman, Ashokan ...
''. ''His Highness Abdullah'' was the first independent production of Mohanlal under his company
Pranavam Arts International
Pranavam Arts International (formerly Pranavam Arts or Pranavams International) was an Indian film production and distribution company based in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, founded in 1990 by Indian actor Mohanlal. Since then the company has prod ...
. Mohanlal appeared in Bharathan's ''
Thazhvaram
''Thazhvaram'' () is a 1990 Indian Malayalam-language western film, western thriller film directed by Bharathan and written by M. T. Vasudevan Nair. It stars Mohanlal, Salim Ghouse, Sumalatha, Anju (actress), Anju and Sankaradi. It tells the stor ...
'' in 1990, as a widower seeking revenge for the murder of his wife by his most trusted friend. His romantic comedy ''
Kilukkam
''Kilukkam'' () is a 1991 Indian Malayalam-language musical romantic comedy film directed by Priyadarshan and written by Venu Nagavalli. The story set in Ooty revolves around tourist guide Joji (Mohanlal) and photographer Nishchal (Jagathy Sree ...
'' in 1991 won him a State Film Award for Best Actor. The film is considered one of the greatest comedy films of all time in Malayalam. It also became the highest-grossing Malayalam film of the time. In 1991, Mohanlal produced and starred in '' Bharatham'', which is interpreted as a modern-day adaptation of the ''
Ramayana
The ''Rāmāyana'' (; sa, रामायणम्, ) is a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th ...
'' from Bharath's perspective. The film was a critical and commercial success, with his role as a Carnatic singer who is burdened by a jealous brother, earning him the
National Film Award for Best Actor
The National Film Award for Best Actor, officially known as the Rajat Kamal Award for the Best Actor (), is an honour presented annually at the National Film Awards of India instituted since 1967 to actors who have delivered the best performanc ...
for that year. His role in Bharatham was listed among the "25 Greatest Acting Performances of
Indian cinema
The Cinema of India consists of motion pictures produced in India, which had a large effect on world cinema since the late 20th century. Major centers of film production across the country include Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Ko ...
" by
Forbes India
''Forbes India'' is the Indian edition of ''Forbes'' which is managed by Reliance Industries-owned media conglomerate, Network 18.
History and profile
Since its founding in 2008, ''Forbes India'' has achieved a circulation of 50,000 copies and ma ...
on the occasion of celebrating 100 years of Indian Cinema. He portrayed a
Bharatanatyam
Bharatanatyam () is a major form of Indian classical dance that originated in Tamil Nadu. It is one of the eight widely recognized Indian classical dance forms, and expresses South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas, particularly of S ...
dancer in ''
Kamaladalam
''Kamaladalam'' () is a 1992 Indian Malayalam-language musical drama film written by A. K. Lohithadas and directed by Sibi Malayil, starring Mohanlal, Murali, Vineeth, Nedumudi Venu, Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair, Monisha, Parvathy Jayaram and ...
''(1992). He took help from his choreographer and his co-actors and professional dancers
Vineeth
Vineeth Radhakrishnan (born 23 August 1969) is an Indian actor, classical dancer, voice artist and choreographer who primarily works in Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu language films. He has also starred in a few Kannada and Bollywood films. He h ...
and
Monisha
Monisha Unni (24 January 1970 – 5 December 1992) was an Indian actress, known for her works in Malayalam, Tamil cinema.
Monisha was 16 when she became the youngest actress ever to receive the National Film Award for Best Actress for ''N ...
for enacting the dance scenes. ''
Rajashilpi
''Rajashilpi'' () is a 1992 Indian Malayalam-language drama film written and directed by R. Sukumaran, starring Mohanlal and Bhanupriya. The plot is a re-telling of the legend about lord Shiva and goddess Sati who was later reborn as goddess P ...
'', ''
Sadayam
''Sadayam'' () is a 1992 Indian Malayalam-language psychological fiction, psychological Drama (film and television), drama written by M. T. Vasudevan Nair and directed by Sibi Malayil. It stars Mohanlal, Thilakan, Nedumudi Venu, Murali (Malayal ...
'', ''
Yoddha Yodha or yoddha may refer to:
* ''Yodha'' (1991 film)
* ''Yoddha'' (1992 film)
* ''Yodha'' (2009 film)
*'' Yoddha: The Warrior'' (2014 film)
* ''Yodha'' (2022 film)
*Yoddha (comics), character in Raj Comics
See also
*The Yoddhas, Indian cancer org ...
'', and ''
Vietnam Colony
''Vietnam Colony'' is a 1992 Indian Malayalam-language comedy drama film written and directed by Siddique-Lal. It stars Mohanlal, Innocent (actor), Innocent, Kanaka (actress), Kanaka, and K. P. A. C. Lalitha. The soundtrack of the film was comp ...
'' were his other films released in 1992. The drama '' Devaasuram'' (1993), written by
Ranjith
Ranjit or Renjith may refer to:
Religion
* Anton Ranjith Pillainayagam (born 1966), Sri Lankan Tamil Catholic priest, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Colombo
* Malcolm Ranjith (born 1947), Sri Lankan Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, C ...
and directed by
I. V. Sasi
Irruppam Veedu Sasidaran (28 March 1947 – 24 October 2017), better known as I. V. Sasi, was an Indian film director who made over 110 films predominantly in Malayalam, in addition to Tamil and Hindi languages. In 2015, he was awarded the J. ...
, was one of Mohanlal's most successful films and is regarded as a cult classic.
In 1994, Mohanlal starred in the lead role as Dr. Sunny Joseph in the Fazil-directed cult classic ''
Manichitrathazhu
''Manichitrathazhu'' () is a 1993 Indian Malayalam-language epic psychological horror film directed by Fazil, written by Madhu Muttam, and produced by Swargachitra Appachan. The film stars Mohanlal, Suresh Gopi and Shobana with Nedumudi Venu, ...
'', as a psychiatrist. ''
Spadikam
''Spadikam'' () is a 1995 Indian Malayalam-language action drama film written and directed by Bhadran and produced by R. Mohan through Shogun Films. Dialogues were written by Rajendra Babu. The film stars Mohanlal and Thilakan with Urvashi, Sp ...
'' was a 1995 work for which he won his third Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor and fifth Filmfare Award for Best Actor (Malayalam) for his portrayal of Thomas "Aadu Thoma" Chacko, a young man who becomes a thug, estranged from his father, upon failing to meet the latter's high expectations. In 1996, Mohanlal starred in Priyadarshan's ''
Kaalapani
''Kaalapani'' () is a 1996 Indian Malayalam-language epic historical drama film co-written and directed by Priyadarshan. Set in 1915, the film focuses on the lives of Indian independence activists incarcerated in the Cellular Jail (or ''Kāl ...
'', an epic film about the prisoners in the Cellular Jail of
Port Blair
Port Blair () is the capital city of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a union territory of India in the Bay of Bengal. It is also the local administrative sub-division (''tehsil'') of the islands, the headquarters for the district of South An ...
and Lohithadas's ''
Kanmadam
''Kanmadam'' () is a 1998 Indian Malayalam-language drama film, written and directed by A. K. Lohithadas. It stars Mohanlal, Manju Warrier and Lal (actor), Lal while K. P. A. C. Lalitha and Siddique (actor), Siddique appears in guest roles. The ...
'' (1998). He played the lead role in ''
Guru
Guru ( sa, गुरु, IAST: ''guru;'' Pali'': garu'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverentia ...
'', directed by
Rajiv Anchal
Rajiv Anchal (born 20 December 1956) is a film director, screenwriter, and sculptor who works in Malayalam language cinema. In 1997, he made ''Guru'', India's official submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. His firs ...
in 1997. The film was chosen as
India's official entry to the Oscars
India has submitted films for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (formerly Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film) since 1957, a year after the incorporation of the category. The award is given annually by the United S ...
to be considered for nomination in the
Best Foreign Language Film
This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards.
Best Actor/Best Actress
*See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
category for 1997.
Mohanlal acted in his first non-Malayalam film in 1997, in the
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nati ...
biographical film
A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based person or people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudra ...
''
Iruvar
''Iruvar'' () is a 1997 Indian Tamil-language epic political drama film co-written, produced and directed by Mani Ratnam. The film, inspired by the lives of M. Karunanidhi, M. G. Ramachandran and J. Jayalalithaa is set against the backdrop of ...
'', directed by
Mani Ratnam
Gopala Ratnam Subramaniam (born 2 June 1956), known professionally as Mani Ratnam, is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema and few Hindi, Telugu and Kannada films. Ratnam has won six Nat ...
. The film, in which Mohanlal depicted an actor who turns to politics (based on the life of
M. G. Ramachandran
Maruthur Gopalan Ramachandran (17 January 1917 24 December 1987), also popularly known as M.G.R., was an Indian politician, actor, philanthropist, and filmmaker who served as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu from 1977 until his death in 1987 ...
), was a critical success and won many awards including the Best Film award at the Belgrade International Film Festival and two National Film Awards. In 1998, he produced and starred in ''
Harikrishnans
''Harikrishnans'' is a 1998 Indian Malayalam-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Fazil. The film was produced and distributed by Suchitra Mohanlal under the production company Pranavam Arts, starring Mammootty and Mohanlal in ...
'', co-starring
Mammootty
Muhammad Kutty Panaparambil Ismail (; born 7 September 1951), known mononymously by the hypocorism Mammootty (), is an Indian actor and film producer who works predominantly in Malayalam cinema, Malayalam films. He has also appeared in Tamil l ...
and
Juhi Chawla
Juhi Chawla (born 13 November 1967) is an Indian actress, film producer and entrepreneur. She established herself as one of the leading actresses of Hindi cinema from the late 1980s through the early 2000s. Recognised for her comic timing and v ...
. The film was a commercial success, but was not well received by critics. The film had dual climaxes, which were screened in different regions, based on the popularity of the two lead actors in each particular region. This, however, became controversial and took a communal turn when lawsuits were filed claiming that prints exhibited in
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
-dominated areas showed Mohanlal marrying the heroine, whereas the ones in
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
-dominated areas showed Mammootty marrying her. The major issue was that the film showed uncensored scenes, as the submitted cut of the film to the Central Board of Film Certification was the version in which Mohanlal wins the leading lady. Hence they were forced to remove the Mammootty version from theatres, replacing it with the original. However, in television premieres, both film versions were shown.
Mohanlal depicted a
Kathakali
Kathakali ( ml, കഥകളി) is a major form of classical Indian dance. It is a "story play" genre of art, but one distinguished by the elaborately colourful make-up and costumes of the traditional male actor-dancers. It is native to the M ...
artist whose personal life is a tragedy in the 1999 Indo-French
period drama
A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romance film, romances, adventure f ...
''
Vanaprastham
''Vanaprastham: The Last Dance'' (french: Vanaprastham: La Dernière Danse) is a 1999 Indo-French psychological drama period film in Malayalam-language that was directed by Shaji N. Karun. It was produced by Pierre Assouline and co-produced by ...
'', produced by him and directed by
Shaji N. Karun
Shaji Neelakantan Karun (born 1 January 1952) is an Indian film director and cinematographer. His debut film ''Piravi'' (1988) won the Caméra d'Or – Mention d'honneur at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival. He was the premiere chairman of the Kerala ...
. It won him the second National Award for Best Actor and was the first film that got him international recognition by screening in various Film festivals. The film was selected for the competitive section at the
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...
and his performance was critically acclaimed. It also earned him his fourth Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor, second National Film Award for Best Actor and sixth Filmfare Award for Best Actor (Malayalam). ''Vanaprastham'' was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the AFI Fest. ''Vanaprastham'' was screened in retrospective, during the 2014
International Film Festival of India
The International Film Festival of India (IFFI), founded in 1952, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. Held annually, currently in the state of Goa, on the western coast of the country, the festival aims at providing a common pla ...
in the 'Celebrating Dance in Indian Cinema' section.
2000–09
In 2000, Mohanlal starred in '' Narasimham'', playing a rogue with a good heart. It became the highest-grossing Malayalam film of all time. In the next two years, Mohanlal was typecasted in similar larger-than-life action hero roles in films such as ''
Ravanaprabhu
''Raavanaprabhu'' () is a 2001 Indian Malayalam-language action thriller drama film written and directed by Ranjith in his directorial debut. It is a sequel to the 1993 film ''Devaasuram'' written by Ranjith, directed by I.V. Sasi. The film s ...
'' (2001), ''
Praja
''Praja'' () is a 2001 Indian Malayalam-language political action thriller film directed by Joshiy and written by Renji Panicker. It was also produced by Joshiy and Panicker. The film stars Mohanlal, Cochin Haneefa, Biju Menon, Manoj K Jayan a ...
'' (2001), ''
Onnaman
''Onnaman'' () is a 2002 Indian Malayalam-language action drama film written and directed by Thampi Kannanthanam and starring Mohanlal, N. F. Varghese, Biju Menon and Ramya Krishnan. The film features original soundtrack composed by S. P. Venkat ...
'' (2002), ''
Thandavam
''Thandavam'' is a 2002 Indian Malayalam-language action film directed by Shaji Kailas, written by S. Suresh Babu, and produced by Johny Sagariga. It stars Mohanlal, Kiran Rathod, Nedumudi Venu, Captain Raju, Sai Kumar, Manoj K. Jayan, and Ja ...
'' (2002) and '' Chathurangam'' (2002). Except for ''Ravanaprabhu'', these films were widely criticised for their repetitive plots, lewd dialogues, punch lines and male chauvinistic outlook. A critic from ''
The New Indian Express
''The New Indian Express'' is an Indian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper published by the Chennai-based Express Publications. It was founded in 1932 as ''The Indian Express'', under the ownership of Chennai-based P. Varadarajulu Naid ...
'' wrote: "The ''Narasimham'' hangover is terrifically strong and it has, at least for the moment, killed the prospects of good films. I don't see any other reason for the failure of well made female-oriented films like ''
Mazha
''Mazha'' () is a 2000 Indian Malayalam-language drama film written and directed by Lenin Rajendran based on the short story ''Nashtappetta Neelambari'' by Madhavikkutty. It stars Biju Menon, Samyuktha Varma and Lal. The music was composed by ...
IPS
IPS, ips, or iPS may refer to:
Science and technology Biology and medicine
* ''Ips'' (genus), a genus of bark beetle
* Induced pluripotent stem cell or iPS cells
* Intermittent photic stimulation, a neuroimaging technique
* Intraparietal sulcus, ...
, a
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
police officer, in his first
Bollywood
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...
film ''
Company
A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of people, whether Natural person, natural, Legal person, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common p ...
'', which introduced him to the
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
-speaking audience in India and for which he won the
International Indian Film Academy Awards
The International Indian Film Academy Awards, popularly known as IIFA, is an annual awards ceremony for Bollywood. Produced by Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd, the winners of the awards are decided by fans, who vote online for th ...
(IIFA) and
Star Screen Award
The Screen Awards is an annual awards ceremony held in India honouring professional excellence in Bollywood. The nomination and award selection is done by a panel of distinguished professionals from the industry. The awards were introduced by t ...
for Best Supporting Actor. The film dealt with the real-life story of two underworld dons who ruled Mumbai (played by
Ajay Devgn
Vishal Veeru Devgan (born 2 April 1969), known professionally as Ajay Devgn, is an Indian actor, film director and producer who works in Hindi cinema. Devgn has appeared in over a hundred films and has won numerous accolades, including four ...
and
Vivek Oberoi
Vivek Anand Oberoi (born 3 September 1976) is an Indian actor who mainly works in Hindi cinema, in addition to working in few Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Tamil films.
Early life
Vivek Oberoi was born in Hyderabad, Telangana, to a Punjab ...
). Mohanlal's performance was well received. ''
The Hindu
''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...
'' noted that the actor is "at his natural best" and "does not look stifled or anxious as other
South India
South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territo ...
n stars do when they appear in a Hindi movie for the first time". In a 2010 online poll by Hindifilmnews.com, Mohanlal's performance in ''Company'' was chosen as "The Finest Performance of a Bollywood Actor in the Last Decade (2001–2010)". He was No. 1 in the audiences' list and maintained No. 6 in the critics' list.
The following year, Mohanlal, trying to change his action hero image, returned to comedic roles with ''
Kilichundan Mampazham
''Kilichundan Mampazham'' (Malayalam: ''Bird-beaked Mango'') is a 2003 Indian Malayalam-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Priyadarshan from a story by Sreenivasan. It was produced by Antony Perumbavoor under the company Aashi ...
'', ''
Balettan
''Balettan'' is a 2003 Indian Malayalam-language family drama film directed by V. M. Vinu, written by T. A. Shahid, and produced by M. Mani. It stars Mohanlal in the title role, along with Devayani, Nedumudi Venu, Harisree Ashokan, Riyaz Kha ...
'', ''
Hariharan Pillai Happy Aanu
''Hariharan Pilla Happy Aanu'' is a 2003 Indian Malayalam-language comedy film directed by Vishwanathan, starring Mohanlal and Jyothirmayi. This was Vishwanathan's directorial debut, and the first film for Stephen Devassy as composer.
Plot
Har ...
'' and ''
Mr. Brahmachari
''Mr. Brahmachari'' () is a 2003 Indian Malayalam-language comedy drama film directed by Thulasidas and written by J. Pallassery from a story by Mahesh Mithra. It was produced and distributed by M. Mani through the company Aroma Movie Internati ...
''. ''Kilichundan Mampazham'', promoted as a comeback vehicle for the actor, received good reviews and a decent box office collection. ''
Balettan
''Balettan'' is a 2003 Indian Malayalam-language family drama film directed by V. M. Vinu, written by T. A. Shahid, and produced by M. Mani. It stars Mohanlal in the title role, along with Devayani, Nedumudi Venu, Harisree Ashokan, Riyaz Kha ...
'', directed by
V. M. Vinu
V. M. Vinu is an Indian film director who works in Malayalam cinema.
Early life
V. M. Vinu was born in a middle-class family in Kozhikode, Kerala. His father, Vinayan is a novelist & playwright. While studying in school, Vinu acted in AIR D ...
, was also a commercial success. Mohanlal played Athanipparambil Balachandran, a bank employee always willing to lend a helping hand to others, who is forced to hide many secrets after his father's death leading to his family's mistrust. In 2004, ''
Natturajavu
''Naatturajavu'' () is a 2004 Indian Malayalam-language action drama film directed by Shaji Kailas and written by T. A. Shahid. The film stars Mohanlal in the lead role and Meena, Nayanthara, Kalabhavan Mani, Kaviyoor Ponnamma , K. P. A. C. La ...
'' and ''
Mambazhakkalam
''Mambazhakkalam'' () is a 2004 Indian Malayalam-language family drama film directed by Joshiy, written by T. A. Shahid and produced by M. Mani. It stars Mohanlal and Shobana, alongside a large supporting cast. The film features original songs ...
'' were his only successes.
Mohanlal appeared in the 2005
black comedy
Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discus ...
''
Udayananu Tharam
''Udayananu Tharam'' () is a 2005 Indian Malayalam-language black comedy satire film directed by Rosshan Andrrews and written by Sreenivasan based on a story he had co-written with the director. The film stars Mohanlal, Sreenivasan, Meena, Muke ...
'' as an aspiring film director. It was well received by critics and performed well even in places where Malayalam films do not run in regular shows, such as
Vadodara
Vadodara (), also known as Baroda, is the second largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Vadodara district and is situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri River, from the state capital ...
,
Rajkot
Rajkot () is the fourth-largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat after Ahmedabad, Vadodara, and Surat, and is in the centre of the Saurashtra region of Gujarat. Rajkot is the 35th-largest metropolitan area in India, with a population of ...
,
Pune
Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million ...
and
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad ( ; Gujarati: Amdavad ) is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 (per t ...
. In the same year, he appeared in director Blessy's second film ''
Thanmathra
''Thanmathra'' ( ml, തന്മാത്ര, en, Molecule) is a 2005 Indian Malayalam-language Drama (film and television), drama film written and directed by Blessy, based on Padmarajan's short story "Orma". It portrays the effects of Alzhei ...
'', a film that tells the story of an individual suffering from
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegeneration, neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in short-term me ...
. The film received positive reviews and Mohanlal's performance was highly praised by critics. Mohanlal won his fifth
Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor
The Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor is an honour, begun in 1969, presented annually at the Kerala State Film Awards of India to an actor for best performance in a Malayalam film. Until 1997, the awards were managed directly by the Depar ...
and seventh Filmfare Award for Best Actor for his performance. In the movie, his character does not speak in the second half.
In 2006, he worked with director
Sathyan Anthikkad
Sathyan Anthikad is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and lyricist who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. In a career spanning five decades he has directed more than 50 films, been the lyricist for 12 films and been the scriptwriter f ...
in ''
Rasathanthram
''Rasathanthram'' () is a 2006 Indian Malayalam-language family drama film written and directed by Sathyan Anthikkad and starring Mohanlal and Meera Jasmine, with Bharath Gopi,Innocent, Oduvil Unnikrishnan, and Mamukkoya in prominent roles. The ...
'', a family drama. Mohanlal also acted in ''
Kirtichakra
The Kirti Chakra is an Indian military decoration awarded for valour, courageous action or self-sacrifice away from the field of battle. It may be awarded to civilians as well as military personnel, including posthumous awards. It is the ''p ...
'', by director
Major Ravi
Major A. K. Raveendran SM (born 13 June 1958) is a retired officer of the Indian Army and former National Security Guard commando. He was awarded the President's gallantry medal in 1991 and 1992 for his contributions in fighting terrorism in P ...
, in which he plays an
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...
officer,
Major Mahadevan
Major Mahadevan is a fictional character and the protagonist in the ''Major Mahadevan'' film series. The character was created by Major Ravi and is portrayed by Mohanlal. Mahadevan is a commanding officer in the Indian Army, who held the title ...
. The film was shot in
Kashmir
Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...
, and was a notable commercial success. A dubbed Tamil version of the film was released in
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
as '' Aran'', but Mohanlal disassociated himself with the film since his voice was not used, stating that "I prefer to speak for my role in the film." Mohanlal also acted in the sequels ''
Kurukshetra
Kurukshetra (, ) is a city and administrative headquarter of Kurukshetra district in the Indian state of Haryana. It is also known as Dharmakshetra ("Realm of duty ") and as the "Land of the Bhagavad Gita".
Legends
According to the Pura ...
'' (2008) and ''
Kandahar
Kandahar (; Kandahār, , Qandahār) is a List of cities in Afghanistan, city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on the Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city after Kabul, with a population ...
'' (2010) in the Major Mahadevan series. In 2009, the Indian government conferred him with the honorary title of
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...
in the
Indian Territorial Army
The Territorial Army (TA) of India is an auxiliary military organisation of part-time volunteers that provides support service to the Indian Army. It is composed of officers, junior commissioned officers, non-commissioned officers and other per ...
.
In 2007, Mohanlal won the
Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor
The Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor is an honour, begun in 1969, presented annually at the Kerala State Film Awards of India to an actor for best performance in a Malayalam film. Until 1997, the awards were managed directly by the Depar ...
Sify.com
Sify Technologies Limited (formerly Satyam Infoway) is an Indian information and communications technology company providing end-to-end ICT solutions including telecom services, data center services, cloud & managed services, transformation in ...
stated that "Mohanlal is mesmerising and reinvents the idiom of acting once more with feeling." His July release '' Hallo'' became one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of the year. In August that year, he appeared in his second
Bollywood
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...
film '' Aag'', (also called ''Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag''), a remake of the Bollywood classic ''
Sholay
''Sholay'' (, ) is a 1975 Indian Hindi-language action-adventure film directed by Ramesh Sippy, produced by his father G. P. Sippy, and written by Salim–Javed. The film is about two criminals, Veeru (Dharmendra) and Jai (Amitabh Bachchan), ...
'' (1975). Mohanlal reprised the role played by
Sanjeev Kumar
Sanjeev Kumar (born Harihar Jethalal Jariwala; 9 July 1938 – 6 November 1985) was an Indian actor. He is well remembered for his versatility and genuine portrayal of his characters. He acted in genres ranging from romantic dramas to thriller ...
from the original. In 2008, Mohanlal did the lead role in the multi-starrer blockbuster '' Twenty:20'' and in 2009, he co-starred with
Kamal Haasan
Kamal Haasan (born 7 November 1954) is an Indian actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, playback singer, television presenter and politician who works mainly in Tamil cinema and has also appeared in some Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, Kannada and Bengali l ...
in the Tamil film '' Unnaipol Oruvan''. His last film of the year, ''
Evidam Swargamanu
''Ividam Swargamanu'' () is a 2009 Indian Malayalam-language family drama Thriller film, thriller film directed by Rosshan Andrrews and written by James Albert (screenwriter), James Albert. It was produced by Antony Perumbavoor under the company ...
'', was directed by
Rosshan Andrrews
Rosshan Andrrews (born 6 January 1975) is an Indian film director who mainly works in Malayalam cinema.
Biography
Rosshan Andrrews was born to Moolakuzhi Nedumparampil Andrews and Burney. He attended St. Aloysious Thrissur and Cochin College, E ...
.
2010–present
In 2010, he acted in five films, the first being ''
Janakan
''Janakan'' () is a 2010 Indian Malayalam-language Crime film, crime thriller film directed by N. R. Sanjeev and written by S. N. Swami, starring Suresh Gopi and Mohanlal. The music was composed by M. Jayachandran. It was released on 8 April 20 ...
'', a crime thriller in which he co-starred with
Suresh Gopi
Suresh Gopi (born 26 June 1958) is an Indian actor, politician, playback singer and television presenter. He works predominantly in Malayalam cinema and has also appeared in some Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Bollywood films. Suresh made his acti ...
, written by S. N Swamy. In the film, he played Adv. Surya Narayanan encounters some runaway suspects as they approach him for justice. ''Alexander the Great'', directed by Murali Nagavally was a comical racy entertainer released in May. ''
Oru Naal Varum
''Oru Naal Varum'' () is a 2010 Indian Malayalam-language satirical film directed by T. K. Rajeev Kumar, written by Sreenivasan, and produced by Maniyanpilla Raju. It stars Mohanlal and Sameera Reddy in her Malayalam debut, with Sreenivasan, ...
Sreenivasan
Sreenivasan (born 6 April 1956) is an Indian actor, screenwriter, director, dubbing artist and producer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. Sreenivasan has starred in over 225 films. Sreenivasan wrote the screenplays of films such as ' ...
and produced by
Maniyanpilla Raju
Sudheer Kumar (born 20 April 1955), better known by his stage name Maniyanpilla Raju (Malayalam:മണിയൻപിള്ള രാജു), is an Indian actor and producer who works in Malayalam film industry.corruption in India. It reunited the much-adored classic combo of Mohanlal-
Sreenivasan
Sreenivasan (born 6 April 1956) is an Indian actor, screenwriter, director, dubbing artist and producer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. Sreenivasan has starred in over 225 films. Sreenivasan wrote the screenplays of films such as ' ...
onscreen. His next film was ''
Shikkar
''Shikkar'' () is a 2010 Indian Malayalam-language mystery-thriller film directed by M. Padmakumar and written by S. Suresh Babu which was produced by Sreeraj Cinema. The film stars Mohanlal in lead role along with Kalabhavan Mani, Samuthirakani ...
,'' a dark revenge thriller directed by
M. Padmakumar
M. Padmakumar is an Indian film director working in Malayalam cinema. He began his career working as an assistant director to a number of leading directors and later became an independent director through '' Ammakilikkoodu'' in 2003. His best k ...
, in which he played a lorry driver who is haunted by his past. The film topped at the Ramzan box office. It was followed by ''Kandahar'', a war film directed by
Major Ravi
Major A. K. Raveendran SM (born 13 June 1958) is a retired officer of the Indian Army and former National Security Guard commando. He was awarded the President's gallantry medal in 1991 and 1992 for his contributions in fighting terrorism in P ...
, based on the hijacking of
Indian Airlines Flight 814
Indian Airlines Flight 814, commonly known as IC 814, was an Indian Airlines Airbus A300 en route from Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, to Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, India, on Friday, 24 December 1999, whe ...
in 1999. Mohanlal reprised the role of
Major Mahadevan
Major Mahadevan is a fictional character and the protagonist in the ''Major Mahadevan'' film series. The character was created by Major Ravi and is portrayed by Mohanlal. Mahadevan is a commanding officer in the Indian Army, who held the title ...
in the film. It was the third installment in the Major Mahadevan film series, and the debut Malayalam film of
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan (; born as Amitabh Shrivastav; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor, film producer, television host, occasional playback singer and former politician known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of the most succe ...
Joshiy
Joshiy (born 18 July 1952) is an Indian film director and producer from Varkala in Kerala who works predominantly in the Malayalam film industry. He made his debut with ''Tiger Salim'' (1978) and has directed over 80 films. He has also directe ...
Suresh Gopi
Suresh Gopi (born 26 June 1958) is an Indian actor, politician, playback singer and television presenter. He works predominantly in Malayalam cinema and has also appeared in some Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Bollywood films. Suresh made his acti ...
Sarath Kumar
Sarathkumar Ramanathan (born 14 July 1954) is an Indian actor, politician, filmmaker, and singer. He has acted in more than 130 Tamil language, Tamil, Telugu language, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films. He has won two Tamil Nadu State Film A ...
. Released worldwide in March across 300 screens, which was the largest release for a Malayalam film at the time, this racy film was a commercial success and one of the top grossing Malayalam films of the year. His
Vishu
Vishu (Malayalam: വിഷു), the traditional Malayali New Year, is a Hindu festival celebrated in the Indian state of Kerala, Tulu Nadu region of Karnataka, and Mahe district. The festival marks the first day of Medam, the first month of ...
(April) release was '' China Town'', another multi-starrer in which he co-starred with
Jayaram
Jayaram Subramaniam, (born 10 December 1965) known mononymously as Jayaram, is an Indian actor who predominantly appears in Malayalam,Tamil films, along with a few Telugu films. He is also a chenda percussionist, mimicry artist, and occasiona ...
Rafi Mecartin Rafi may refer to:
Places
* Rafi, Iran, a city in Khuzestan Province
* Rafi, Abadan, a village in Khuzestan Province
* Rafi, Nigeria, a Local Government Area of Niger State
Other uses
* Rafi (name), a name of Arabic origin
* Rafi (political party) ...
. Despite mixed reviews, the film ran over 100 days and became one of the highest grossing Malayalam films of the year. He starred in ''
Pranayam
''Pranayam'' () is a 2011 Indian Malayalam-language romantic drama film written and directed by Blessy. The film stars Mohanlal, Jaya Prada, and Anupam Kher. The plot revolves around the love bound between the characters of Mathews (Mohanlal), ...
'', released in August, an off-beat
romantic drama
Romance films or movies involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their journey ...
directed by Blessy. It was a love story between three aged characters played by Mohanlal, Anupam Kher and
Jayapradha
Jaya Prada Nahata (born Lalitha Rani; 3 April 1962) is an Indian actress and politician. She is hailed as one of the most iconic and influential actresses in both Telugu and Hindi film industries in late '70s, '80s and early '90s. Jayaprada ...
. The film was highly acclaimed by critics and Mohanlal's performance as Mathews was well appreciated. His next film ''
Snehaveedu
''Snehaveedu'' () is a 2011 Indian Malayalam-language family drama film written and directed by Sathyan Anthikad. It was produced by Alan Richard under the company Aashirvad Cinemas. The film stars Mohanlal, Sheela, and Rahul Pillai. It was Mo ...
'', was directed by
Sathyan Anthikkadu
Sathyan Anthikad is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and lyricist who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. In a career spanning five decades he has directed more than 50 films, been the lyricist for 12 films and been the scriptwriter f ...
, a family film in the background of a village in
Palakkad
Palakkad (), formerly known as Palghat, historically known as Palakkattussery is a city and municipality in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of the Palakkad District. Palakkad is most densely populated municipal ...
. For the first time, actress
Sheela
Sheela Ravichandran (Born 22 March 1945) is an Indian actress and director who appears predominantly in Malayalam cinema. Paired with Prem Nazir, they hold the Guinness World Record for acting in the largest number of films (130) together as h ...
shared screen space with Mohanlal. She played his mother. ''Snehaveedu'' is credited as his 300th film. The film was a hit. His last movie that year was ''
Oru Marubhoomikkadha
''Arabeem Ottakom P. Madhavan Nayarum in Oru Marubhoomikkadha'' (The Arab, the camel, and P. Madhavan Nair in a desert tale), or simply ''Oru Marubhoomikkadha'', is a 2011 Indian Malayalam-language romantic comedy film directed by Priyadarshan an ...
'', directed by
Priyadarshan
Priyadarshan (born 30 January 1957) is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer who works predominantly in Malayalam and Hindi films, while also having done six films in Tamil and two films in Telugu. He has done about 31 films in Hi ...
, which was an action comedy thriller entirely set in the
Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
. It marked the return of the Priyadarshan-Mohanlal-
Mukesh Mukesh is an epithet for the Hindu god Shiva, and literally means "conqueror of the Muka demon". It also means god of 3 worlds, heaven, hell & earth, which in turn represents Hindu god Shiva. It is commonly used as a male given name in India. Peopl ...
combo of the late 1980s and 90s. The film performed well at the Christmas-New Year's box office.
In 2012, he acted in six films. His first release was the much hyped big-budget
romantic thriller
A romantic thriller is a narrative that involves elements of the romance and thriller genres.
A good thriller provides entertainment by making viewers uncomfortable with moments of suspense, the heightened feeling of anxiety and fright. A thril ...
Rosshan Andrrews
Rosshan Andrrews (born 6 January 1975) is an Indian film director who mainly works in Malayalam cinema.
Biography
Rosshan Andrrews was born to Moolakuzhi Nedumparampil Andrews and Burney. He attended St. Aloysious Thrissur and Cochin College, E ...
and written by Bobby-Sanjay. He enacted the role of Casanova, a serial womaniser and the owner of Casanova's Eternal Spring – an international chain of flower boutiques. Later, he appeared in a cameo role in the Bollywood movie ''
Tezz
''Tezz'' () is a 2012 Indian action thriller film directed by Priyadarshan. It stars Ajay Devgn, Anil Kapoor, Kangana Ranaut, Zayed Khan, Sameera Reddy and Boman Irani. Malayalam actor Mohanlal appears in an extended cameo appearance. Upon rele ...
'', which was released in April and directed by
Priyadarshan
Priyadarshan (born 30 January 1957) is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer who works predominantly in Malayalam and Hindi films, while also having done six films in Tamil and two films in Telugu. He has done about 31 films in Hi ...
neo-noir
Neo-noir is a revival of film noir, a genre that had originally flourished during the post-World War II era in the United Statesroughly from 1940 to 1960. The French term, ''film noir'', translates literally to English as "black film", indicating ...
crime
In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definit ...
thriller
Thriller may refer to:
* Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television
** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre
Comics
* ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...
about a cop who is forced to investigate a series of murders. Mohanlal's well-tempered, calm and subdued acting was appreciated by the critics. Produced by
UTV Motion Pictures
UTV Motion Pictures (also known as Disney-UTV) was the feature film unit of UTV Software Communications founded by Ronnie Screwvala and Zarina Screwvala in 1996 as UTV Motion Pictures Plc., the film distribution division of UTV Software Communica ...
, it was the first Malayalam film to be released through
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
, and made available in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
and
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. ''
Spirit
Spirit or spirits may refer to:
Liquor and other volatile liquids
* Spirits, a.k.a. liquor, distilled alcoholic drinks
* Spirit or tincture, an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol
* Volatile (especially flammable) liquids, ...
'', directed by
Ranjith
Ranjit or Renjith may refer to:
Religion
* Anton Ranjith Pillainayagam (born 1966), Sri Lankan Tamil Catholic priest, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Colombo
* Malcolm Ranjith (born 1947), Sri Lankan Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, C ...
, talked about the increasing habit of alcoholism in
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
. The film was exempted from the entertainment tax by the state government for creating social awareness in the society. The film completed a 125-day theatrical run in Kerala and became a commercial success. '' Run Baby Run'', released during the
Onam
Onam ( ) is an annual Indian harvest festival celebrated predominantly by the Hindus of Kerala. A major annual event for Keralites, it is the official festival of the state and includes a spectrum of cultural events.
Onam commemorates Vamana ...
Joshiy
Joshiy (born 18 July 1952) is an Indian film director and producer from Varkala in Kerala who works predominantly in the Malayalam film industry. He made his debut with ''Tiger Salim'' (1978) and has directed over 80 films. He has also directe ...
. It featured the news media as the background. The film was well appreciated by critics, remarking that it was as an example of a well-crafted thriller. It became one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of the year. The year ended with the Christmas release ''
Karmayodha
''Karmayodha'' () is a 2012 Indian Malayalam-language action thriller film co-produced, written and directed by Major Ravi. It features Mohanlal, Asha Sarath, Murali Sharma, Sai Kumar, Mukesh, Bineesh Kodiyeri, Rajeev Pillai and Aishwarya Devan ...
'', directed by
Major Ravi
Major A. K. Raveendran SM (born 13 June 1958) is a retired officer of the Indian Army and former National Security Guard commando. He was awarded the President's gallantry medal in 1991 and 1992 for his contributions in fighting terrorism in P ...
, an action thriller in which he played Mad Maddy, an encounter specialist who is assigned to investigate the disappearance of a teenage school girl in
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
. The film dealt with the
discrimination against women
Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but it primarily affects women and girls.There is a clear and broad consensus among academic scholars in multiple fields that sexism refers primaril ...
.
2013 was a remarkable year for Mohanlal, it was the year in which the all-time blockbuster of Malayalam film, '' Drishyam'' released. His first film of the year was ''
Lokpal
A Lokpal ( sa, लोकपाल ''lokapāla'', "defender of people" or "People's Friend") is an anti-corruption authority or body of ombudsman who represents the public interest in the Republic of India. The current Chairperson of Lokpal is Pra ...
'', a vigilante thriller in which he played a vigilante nicknamed "Lokpal". It was directed by
Joshiy
Joshiy (born 18 July 1952) is an Indian film director and producer from Varkala in Kerala who works predominantly in the Malayalam film industry. He made his debut with ''Tiger Salim'' (1978) and has directed over 80 films. He has also directe ...
and written by
S. N. Swamy
S. Narayana Swamy alias S. N. Swamy is a screenwriter and actor who works in the Indian film industry predominantly in the Malayalam cinema. Having born in Kochi, Kerala Swamy is particularly known for scripting films in the thriller genre. ...
. ''
Red Wine
Red wine is a type of wine made from dark-colored grape varieties. The color of the wine can range from intense violet, typical of young wines, through to brick red for mature wines and brown for older red wines. The juice from most purple grap ...
'', directed by
Salam Bappu
Salam Bappu is an Indian film director working in Malayalam cinema. He made his debut through the movie '' Red Wine'' (2013) and later directed ''Manglish'' new movie ‘’Aayirothonnaam Raavu’’ shoot progressing at Dubai
Biography
Sal ...
, was a non-linear investigation thriller based on a political murder. ''
Ladies and Gentleman
''Ladies and Gentleman'' is a 2013 Indian Malayalam-language family drama film written and directed by Siddique and jointly produced by Antony Perumbavoor and Roy C. J. under their production companies Aashirvad Cinemas and Confident Group. It ...
'', directed by Siddique, was a romantic comedy film set in the backdrop of IT companies.'' ''
Geethaanjali
''Geethaanjali'' is a 2013 Indian Malayalam-language horror film directed by Priyadarshan and written by Abhilash Nair, with dialogue by Dennis Joseph. Though promoted as spin-off of the 1993 Malayalam film ''Manichitrathazhu'', it was an o ...
, a horror thriller directed by
Priyadarsan
Priyadarshan (born 30 January 1957) is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer who works predominantly in Malayalam and Hindi films, while also having done six films in Tamil and two films in Telugu. He has done about 31 films in H ...
, was a spin-off of the Malayalam classic film ''
Manichitrathazhu
''Manichitrathazhu'' () is a 1993 Indian Malayalam-language epic psychological horror film directed by Fazil, written by Madhu Muttam, and produced by Swargachitra Appachan. The film stars Mohanlal, Suresh Gopi and Shobana with Nedumudi Venu, ...
'', in which he reprised the role of Dr. Sunny from the original. His last release was '' Drishyam'', directed by
Jeethu Joseph
Jeethu Joseph (born 10 November 1972) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. He has also worked in a few Tamil, Telugu and Hindi films. Jeethu made his directional debut with the 200 ...
. It grossed 75 crore worldwide and became the highest-grossing Malayalam film ever, until 2016.
In 2014, he starred in the
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nati ...
action-drama ''
Jilla
''Jilla'' () is a 2014 Indian Tamil-language action drama film written and directed by R. T. Neason and produced by R. B. Choudary through the company Super Good Films. Starring Mohanlal and Vijay athe film revolves around the conflict betwe ...
R. T. Neason
R. T. Neason is an Indian film director, he earlier worked as assistant director in film like '' Iraniyan'', '' Prematho Raa'', ''Thavasi'', '' Ondagona Baa'' and also with Director Bhagyaraj as a screenplay writer. Neason also assisted in sto ...
and produced by
R. B. Choudary
Ratanlal Bhagatram Choudary is an Indian film producer who has worked in several film industries, predominantly in Tamil language, Tamil and Telugu language, Telugu along with a few films in Malayalam language, Malayalam and Hindi language, Hind ...
. The film was a commercial success, grossing over 85 crore worldwide, and completed 100 days theatrical run in
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
, Tamil Nadu. Mohanlal's first Malayalam release of 2014 was ''
Mr. Fraud
''Mr. Fraud'' is a 2014 Indian action thriller film written and directed by B. Unnikrishnan and starring Mohanlal, Siddique, Dev Gill, Vijay Babu, Miya, Manjari Phadnis and Pallavi Purohit. The film was produced by A. V. Anoop under the banne ...
'', a
heist film
The heist film or caper film is a subgenre of crime film focused on the planning, execution, and aftermath of a significant robbery.
One of the early defining heist films was ''The Asphalt Jungle'' (1950), which ''Film Genre 2000'' wrote "almo ...
directed by
B. Unnikrishnan
Unnikrishnan B (born 14 August 1970) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, distributor and exhibitor who works in the Malayalam film industry.
Early life
Unnikrishnan. B. was born on 14 August 1970 in Pathanamthitta district in Kerala, I ...
. He appeared in an extended cameo role in his next film ''
Koothara
''Koothara'' () is a 2014 Malayalam-language coming of age film directed by Srinath Rajendran and written by Vini Vishwa Lal. It stars Mohanlal, Bharath, Sunny Wayne, and Tovino Thomas The story, set in an untold period, focuses on three eng ...
'', directed by Srinath Rajendran, a
coming-of-age
Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can ...
mystery film
A mystery film is a genre of film that revolves around the solution of a problem or a crime. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur Detective, sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of an issue by means ...
set in an untold period. He played a mysterious character in the experimental film, who at the end of the film revealed himself as a
merman
Mermen, the male counterparts of the mythical female mermaids, are legendary creatures, which are male human from the waist up and fish-like from the waist down, but may assume normal human shape. Sometimes they are described as hideous and other ...
. His next was the comical
political satire
Political satire is satire that specializes in gaining entertainment from politics; it has also been used with subversive intent where Political discourse analysis, political speech and dissent are forbidden by a regime, as a method of advancing ...
film ''
Peruchazhi
''Peruchazhi'' () is a 2014 Indian Malayalam-language political satire film written and directed by Arun Vaidyanathan. The dialogues were co-written by Ajayan Venugopalan. Vijay Babu and Sandra Thomas produced the film for Friday Film House. It ...
'', written and directed by
Arun Vaidyanathan
Arun Vaidyanathan (born in Sirkazhi, Tamil Nadu, India) is an Indian-American film director, producer and screenwriter of feature films, short films and television drama films, dramas. He directed his first full-length feature film in Tamil la ...
. He played a young political kingmaker who is assigned to make a candidate for governor win the
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
state gubernatorial elections, where he uses standard Indian political gimmicks to win the election in the USA.
In 2015, his first release was the
Kannada
Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...
film '' Mythri''. His performance as the revenge-seeking DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) scientist Mahadev was well appreciated by the critics. His first Malayalam release was with a cameo appearance in '' Rasam''. ''
Ennum Eppozhum
''Ennum Eppozhum'' () is a 2015 Indian Malayalam-language comedy-drama film directed by Sathyan Anthikad and written by Ranjan Pramod based on a story by Raveendran. It was produced by Antony Perumbavoor under the production company Aashirvad ...
'', directed by
Sathyan Anthikad
Sathyan Anthikad is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and lyricist who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. In a career spanning five decades he has directed more than 50 films, been the lyricist for 12 films and been the scriptwriter f ...
was his first leading role in the year, co-starring
Manju Warrier
Manju Warrier (; born 10 September 1978) is an Indian actress, producer, classical dancer and playback singer who primarily appears in Malayalam language films. She is the recipient of several awards including one National Film Award, one Kera ...
. The film was a success at the box office. It was followed by the action thriller ''
Lailaa O Lailaa
''Lailaa O Lailaa'' is a 2015 Indian Malayalam-language action spy thriller film directed by Joshiy. It stars Mohanlal and Amala Paul alongside a supporting cast of Sathyaraj, Joy Mathew, Sreerag Nambiar, Rahul Dev and Kainaat Arora. Bollywood ...
'', directed by Joshiy, both of which failed critically and commercially at the box office. His next was the
Ranjith
Ranjit or Renjith may refer to:
Religion
* Anton Ranjith Pillainayagam (born 1966), Sri Lankan Tamil Catholic priest, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Colombo
* Malcolm Ranjith (born 1947), Sri Lankan Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, C ...
directorial thriller ''
Loham
''Loham: The Yellow Metal'' is a 2015 Indian Malayalam-language action thriller film written and directed by Ranjith, and produced by Antony Perumbavoor for the production company Aashirvad Cinemas. The film, starring Mohanlal, Renji Panicker ...
''. Though it met with mixed critical reactions, the film was a commercial success and grossed 15 crore at the box office. The revenge thriller ''
Kanal
Kanal may refer to:
* Kanal (unit), a unit of area equivalent to one-eighth of an acre, used in northern India and Pakistan
* ''Kanał'', a 1956 Polish film directed by Andrzej Wajda
* ''Kanal'' (1979 film), a 1979 Turkish film
* ''Kanal'' (2015 ...
'' was his last in the year. It also received mixed reviews from critics.
In 2016, Mohanlal had four releases, which had a combined gross collection of 378 crore worldwide, making him fourth (behind Aamir Khan,
Akshay Kumar
Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia (born 9 September 1967), known professionally as Akshay Kumar (), is an Indian-born naturalised Canadian Quote: "(Former prime minister Stephen) Harper campaigned in 2011 alongside one of Modi's biggest celebrity backer ...
, and
Salman Khan
Abdul Rashid Salim Salman Khan (; 27 December 1965) is an Indian actor, film producer, and television personality who works in Hindi films. In a film career spanning over thirty years, Khan has received numerous awards, including two Nation ...
) among the top Indian actors with highest box office receipts in the year, and in top position among
South India
South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territo ...
n actors. His first release in the year was the Telugu film ''
Manamantha
''Manamantha'' () is a 2016 Indian Telugu language, Telugu-language anthology film written and directed by Chandra Sekhar Yeleti and produced by Sai Korrapati. It stars Mohanlal, Gautami, Viswant Duddumpudi, and Raina Rao and also marks the form ...
'', a family drama directed by Chandra Sekhar Yeleti. His following release was another Telugu film ''
Janatha Garage
''Janatha Garage'' () is a 2016 Indian Telugu-language action drama film written and directed by Koratala Siva. The film stars Mohanlal, N. T. Rama Rao Jr., Samantha and Nithya Menen. The plot revoles around Sathyam (Mohanlal) and Anand (Jr. NT ...
'', an action drama directed by
Koratala Siva
Koratala Siva (born 15 June 1975) is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in Telugu cinema. Koratala has directed films such as ''Mirchi'' (2013), ''Srimanthudu'' (2015), ''Janatha Garage'' (2016), '' Bharat Ane Nenu'' (2018) and ...
. It became the highest-grossing Telugu film of 2016 and one of the highest-grossing Telugu films ever, with a gross collection of over 135 crores worldwide. His first Malayalam release that year was the
Priyadarshan
Priyadarshan (born 30 January 1957) is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer who works predominantly in Malayalam and Hindi films, while also having done six films in Tamil and two films in Telugu. He has done about 31 films in Hi ...
-directed crime-thriller ''
Oppam
''Oppam'' () is a 2016 Indian Malayalam-language crime thriller film written and directed by Priyadarshan from a story by Govind Vijayan. It was produced by Antony Perumbavoor for Aashirvad Cinemas and starred Mohanlal, Anusree, Meenakshi, Sam ...
'', in which he played a blind man. The film became the highest-grossing Malayalam film of 2016 within its first 2 weeks of theatrical run. It crossed the 50 crore mark at the box office within one-and-a-half months, and grossed over 65 crore worldwide. He acted as a hunter in his following release, the action film ''
Pulimurugan
''Pulimurugan'' is a 2016 Indian Malayalam-language action thriller film directed by Vysakh and starring Mohanlal in the title role. It was produced by Tomichan Mulakuppadam through Mulakuppadam Films and was written by Udayakrishna—half of ...
''. It became the highest-grossing Malayalam film ever and is the first Malayalam film to gross over 100 crore at the box office. The film has so far collected 152 crore worldwide. The next year, he acted in another 50 crore film; ''
Munthirivallikal Thalirkkumbol
''Munthirivallikal Thalirkkumbol'' () is a 2017 Indian Malayalam-language domestic drama film directed by Jibu Jacob and written by M. Sindhuraj. It is loosely based on the Malayalam short story "Pranayopanishath" by V. J. James. Produced an ...
Major Ravi
Major A. K. Raveendran SM (born 13 June 1958) is a retired officer of the Indian Army and former National Security Guard commando. He was awarded the President's gallantry medal in 1991 and 1992 for his contributions in fighting terrorism in P ...
. It was a film based on the 1971 India-Pakistan war. The next film he acted in was
Velipadinte Pusthakam
''Velipadinte Pusthakam'' () is a 2017 Indian Malayalam-language tragic, action film directed by Lal Jose and written by Benny P. Nayarambalam. The film was produced by Antony Perumbavoor through Aashirvad Cinemas; it stars Mohanlal with Anoop ...
directed by
Lal Jose
Lal Jose is an Indian director
Director may refer to:
Literature
* ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine
* ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker
* ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty
Music
* Direc ...
. It was the first film of Mohanlal-Laljose combo. It was followed by Villain directed by
B. Unnikrishnan
Unnikrishnan B (born 14 August 1970) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, distributor and exhibitor who works in the Malayalam film industry.
Early life
Unnikrishnan. B. was born on 14 August 1970 in Pathanamthitta district in Kerala, I ...
. Villain was an emotional thriller. Next year he acted in fantasy drama film
Odiyan
''Odiyan'' () is a 2018 Indian Malayalam-language fantasy drama film directed by V. A. Shrikumar Menon in his feature film debut. The film was written by Harikrishnan; it is based on the legend of the Odiyan clan, who in Kerala folklore are me ...
, directed by
V. A. Shrikumar Menon
V. A. Shrikumar is an Indian Advertisement film, ad film, feature film director and businessman. He has directed more than 400 commercials for various brands. He is the chairman and managing director of Push Integrated Communications, a market ...
. The film was written by Harikrishnan; it is based on the legend of the Odiyan clan. The next film he acted in was
Lucifer (2019 Indian film)
''Lucifer'' is a 2019 Indian Malayalam-language political action thriller film directed by Prithviraj Sukumaran and written by Murali Gopy. Produced by Antony Perumbavoor through the production house Aashirvad Cinemas, the film marks Prithviraj ...
directed by
Prithviraj Sukumaran
Prithviraj Sukumaran (born 16 October 1982) is an Indian actor, director, producer and playback singer primarily working in Malayalam cinema. He has also done Tamil, Telugu and Hindi films. He acted in more than 100 films in a variety of rol ...
and written by
Murali Gopy
Gopynathan Velayudhan Nair Muralikrishnan (born 4 March 1972), professionally credited as Murali Gopy, is an Indian actor-screenwriter, producer, author, singer, lyricist, music composer and journalist. He has written critically acclaimed films ...
which grossed 175 crore at the box office It is currently the highest earned Malayalam movie, grossing over ₹200 crore, which includes box office collections and the earnings from the sale of its satellite rights, digital streaming rights and TV rights in other languages.
Mohanlal's period drama film '' Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham'', directed by
Priyadarshan
Priyadarshan (born 30 January 1957) is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer who works predominantly in Malayalam and Hindi films, while also having done six films in Tamil and two films in Telugu. He has done about 31 films in Hi ...
won the best feature film award in 67th National Award for the year 2019. The film released on December 2, 2021, in theatres.
Mohanlal starred in thriller film ''
Drishyam 2
''Drishyam 2: The Resumption'', or simply ''Drishyam 2'' is a 2021 Indian Malayalam-language crime thriller film written and directed by Jeethu Joseph and produced by Antony Perumbavoor through the company Aashirvad Cinemas.A sequel to their 2 ...
'', directed by
Jeethu Joseph
Jeethu Joseph (born 10 November 1972) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. He has also worked in a few Tamil, Telugu and Hindi films. Jeethu made his directional debut with the 200 ...
. The film released in February 2021, also stars
Meena
Meena () is a sub-group of Bhils. They speak Meena language. They started adopting the Brahmin worship system. Its name is also transliterated as ''Meenanda'' or ''Mina''. Historians claim that they belong to the Matsya tribe. They got the sta ...
,
Ansiba Hassan
Ansiba Hassan is an Indian actress, television anchor and dancer. Her first role was in the 2013 Tamil language, Tamil film ''Paranjothi'', directed by Gobu Balaji. Her popularity grew as a result of her appearance in Jeethu Joseph's 2013 hit ...
and
Esther Anil
Esther Anil is an Indian actress who works primarily in the Malayalam-language films. She debuted her career as a child artist through the film '' Nallavan'' in 2010. She is best known for her role as Anumol George (Anu) in the 2013 drama-thril ...
.
He starred in
Aaraattu
Ārāttu () is an annual ritual performed during Hindu temple festivals in Kerala, India, in which a priest bathe the idol of a deity by dipping it in a river or a temple tank. It is mainly carried out at the end of a temple festival. ''Ār ...
a mass masala entertainer produced and directed by
B. Unnikrishnan
Unnikrishnan B (born 14 August 1970) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, distributor and exhibitor who works in the Malayalam film industry.
Early life
Unnikrishnan. B. was born on 14 August 1970 in Pathanamthitta district in Kerala, I ...
Karna
Karna (Sanskrit: कर्ण, IAST: ''Karṇa''), also known as Vasusena, Anga-raja, and Radheya, is one of the main protagonists of the Hindu epic '' Mahābhārata''. He is the son of the sun god Surya and princess Kunti (mother of the ...
(a character from the Indian epic
Mahabharata
The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kuruk ...
) in ''
Karnabharam
Karnabharam or ''The Anguish of Karna'' (literally: ''The Burden of Karna'') is a Sanskrit one-act play written by the Indian dramatist Bhasa, an Indian playwright complimented even by the Kalidasa in the beginning of his play Malavikagnimit ...
'', a
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
-language play directed by
Kavalam Narayana Panicker
Kavalam Narayana Panicker (1 May 1928 – 26 June 2016) was an Indian dramatist, theatre director, and poet. He has written over 26 Malayalam plays, many adapted from classical Sanskrit drama and Shakespeare, notably Kalidasa's ''Vikramorvasiy ...
. It premiered at the
Siri Fort Auditorium
Siri Fort Auditorium is premier multi-auditorium complex of Government of India. Situated in the Siri Fort in New Delhi, it is also the headquarters of the Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF), Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, which al ...
in
New Delhi
New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...
on 29 March 2001 as part of the
National Theatre Festival
Nandikar's National Theatre Festival was started in 1984. It is arranged annually in Kolkata, India, between 16 and 25 December. Initiated and organized, as the name suggest, by the theatre group Nandikar. The festival is held at the Academy of ...
of the
National School of Drama
National School of Drama (NSD) is a theatre training institute situated at New Delhi, India. It is an autonomous organization under Ministry of Culture, Government of India. It was set up in 1959 by the Sangeet Natak Akademi and became an indepe ...
. The play depicts Karna's mental agony a day before the
Kurukshetra War
The Kurukshetra War ( sa, कुरुक्षेत्र युद्ध ), also called the Mahabharata War, is a war described in the ''Mahabharata ( sa, महाभारत )''. The conflict arose from a dynastic succession struggle be ...
, as he thinks about his past and his faith. Mohanlal said: "You cannot compare Kavalam's play with the amateur plays I did. Though there are other characters in the play, the theme revolves around Karna. It is almost like a solo performance. Some of the scenes are really touching and challenging". He acted without payment, saying: "I performed for the joy of it ... for my love of our history".
''Kadhayattam'' was a presentation enacted by Mohanlal, performing ten classic characters and situations from
Malayalam literature
Malayalam, the lingua franca of the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puduchery, is one of the six Classical languages of India. Malayalam literature comprises those literary texts written in Malayalam, a Sou ...
, selected from ten Malayalam novels written by
O. Chandu Menon
Oyyarathu Chandu Menon (popularly known as O. Chandu Menon) (1847–1899) was a Malayalam language novelist. He is the author of ''Indulekha (novel), Indulekha'', the first major novel in Malayalam published in 1889.
Life
Chandu Menon was born on ...
,
C. V. Raman Pillai
Cannankara Velayudhan Raman Pillai (19 May 1858 – 21 March 1922), also known as C. V., was one of the major Indian novelists and playwrights and a pioneering playwright and novelist of Malayalam literature. He was known for his historical nove ...
,
S. K. Pottekkatt
Sankarankutty Kunjiraman Pottekkatt (14 March 1913 – 6 August 1982) was an Indian writer of Malayalam literature and a politician from Kerala, India. He was also a great traveller among the Keralites, who wrote many travelogues for the peopl ...
,
Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai
Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai (17 April 1912 – 10 April 1999), popularly known as Thakazhi after his place of birth, was an Indian novelist and short story writer of Malayalam literature. He wrote over 30 novels and novellas and over 7 shor ...
,
P. Kesavadev
P. Kesava Pillai (20 July 1904 – 1 July 1983), better known by his pen-name P. Kesavadev, was a novelist and social reformer of Kerala, India. He is remembered for his speeches, autobiographies, novels, dramas, short stories, and films. ''Oday ...
,
Vaikom Muhammad Basheer
Vaikom Muhammad Basheer (21 January 1908 – 5 July 1994), popularly referred to as Beypore Sulthan, was a writer of Malayalam literature. He was a writer, humanist, freedom fighter, novelist and short story writer, noted for his path-breaking, ...
,
Uroob
Parutholli Chalappurathu Kuttikrishnan, popularly known by his pen name Uroob ( ml, ഉറൂബ്; 1915 – 1979) was an Indian writer of Malayalam literature. Along with Basheer, Thakazhi, Kesavadev, and Pottekkatt, Uroob was counted am ...
,
O. V. Vijayan
Ottupulackal Velukkuty Vijayan (2 July 1931 – 30 March 2005), commonly known as O. V. Vijayan, was an Indian author and cartoonist, who was an important figure in modern Malayalam language literature. Best known for his first novel ''Khasakki ...
,
M. Mukundan
Maniyambath Mukundan, (born 10 September 1942) commonly known as M. Mukundan, is an Indian writer of Malayalam literature. Many of his early works are set in Mahé (Mayyazhi) which has earned him the moniker, ''Mayyazhiyude Kathakaaran''. He is ...
, and
M. T. Vasudevan Nair
Madath Thekkepaattu Vasudevan Nair (born 1933 July 15 ), popularly known as MT, is an Indian author, screenplay writer and film director. He is a prolific and versatile writer in modern Malayalam literature, and is one of the masters of post-I ...
over a 100-year period. The play, directed by
T. K. Rajeev Kumar
Thazhathupurakkal Karunakara Panicker Rajeev Kumar (born 20 September 1961) is a National Award-winning Indian director of Malayalam films, from Trivandrum. He is the winner of five Kerala State Film Awards for Best Film, Director, Story Writer ...
premiered at the Senate Hall of
University of Kerala
University of Kerala, formerly the University of Travancore, is a state-run public university located in Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital of Kerala, India. It was established in 1937 by a promulgation of the Maharajah of Travancore, Chit ...
on 1 November 2003, and later was staged in
Kozhikode
Kozhikode (), also known in English as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. It has a corporation limit population of 609,224 and a metropolitan population of more than 2 million, making it the second la ...
,
Bangalore
Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...
,
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
and
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
. In 2008, Mohanlal along with
Mukesh Mukesh is an epithet for the Hindu god Shiva, and literally means "conqueror of the Muka demon". It also means god of 3 worlds, heaven, hell & earth, which in turn represents Hindu god Shiva. It is commonly used as a male given name in India. Peopl ...
performed in ''Chayamukhi'', written and directed by Prasanth Narayanan. Mohanlal and Mukesh portrayed
Bheeman
''Bheeman'' is a 1982 Indian Malayalam film, directed by Hassan. The film stars Kaviyoor Ponnamma, Sathaar, Balan K. Nair and Bheeman Raghu in the lead roles. The film has musical score by A. T. Ummer.
Cast
*Bheeman Raghu
*Kaviyoor Ponnamma
*Sa ...
and Keechakan respectively, the characters from ''Mahabharata''. It had a
play within a play
A story within a story, also referred to as an embedded narrative, is a literary device in which a character within a story becomes the narrator of a second story (within the first one). Multiple layers of stories within stories are sometimes c ...
Thrissur
Thrissur (), formerly Trichur, also known by its historical name Thrissivaperur, is a city and the headquarters of the Thrissur district in Kerala, India. It is the third largest urban agglomeration in Kerala after Kochi and Kozhikode, and t ...
on 12 March 2008, and later was staged in Thiruvananthapuram, Bangalore,
Kollam
Kollam (), also known by its former name Quilon , is an ancient seaport and city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. The city i ...
,
Kochi
Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...
, and Kozhikode. A critic from ''
The Hindu
''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...
'' wrote: "''Chayamukhi'' is, arguably, the finest work on Malayalam stage in recent times". In the same year, Mohanlal voiced
Hanuman
Hanuman (; sa, हनुमान, ), also called Anjaneya (), is a Hindu god and a divine '' vanara'' companion of the god Rama. Hanuman is one of the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He is an ardent devotee of Rama and on ...
in the English
ballet
Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...
''Maya Ravan'', directed by
Shobana
Shobana Chandrakumar Pillai (born 21 March 1970) is an Indian actress and Bharatanatyam dancer. She acts predominantly in Malayalam films along with Telugu and Tamil films with few Hindi, Kannada and English films. She has won two National Fil ...
.
In 2014, Mohanlal and musician
Ratheesh Vegha
Ratheesh Vega ( ml, രതീഷ് വേഗ) is a composer, singer, and musician who works in Malayalam language, Malayalam films. His debut as a film music composer was in the 2010 hit film ''Cocktail (2010 film), Cocktail''.
Career
Rathees ...
formed the music band Lalisom - The Lal Effect. Its maiden show was at the
2015 National Games of India
The 2015 National Games of India, also known as the ''35th National Games of India'' and informally as Kerala 2015, was held from 31 January 2015 to 14 February 2015 across seven districts of Kerala, India. It was the second time that Kerala ho ...
. The band drew flak from
social media
Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...
initially for charging an amount of 1.63 crore and later for
lip-syncing
Lip sync or lip synch (pronounced , the same as the word ''sink'', short for lip synchronization) is a technical term for matching a speaking or singing person's lip movements with sung or spoken vocals.
Audio for lip syncing is generated thr ...
. Following the criticism, Mohanlal returned the amount to the government, which they refused stating that the government's morality would not allow them to take back the money and Mohanlal had not personally benefited from the amount which he received, since it was meant to meet the stage expenses and remuneration for the artistes. Despite that, Mohanlal did not take back the money he dispatched.
In 2015, he collaborated once again with Mukesh for ''Naga'', but this time as the narrator. The play, based on
Girish Karnad
Girish Karnad (19 May 1938 – 10 June 2019) was an Indian actor, film director, Kannada writer, playwright and a Jnanpith awardee, who predominantly worked in South Indian cinema and Bollywood. His rise as a playwright in the 1960s marked the ...
's
Kannada
Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...
play ''Nagamandala'', was directed by
Suveeran
K. P. Suveeran is a film and drama director from Kozhikode. His first movie ''Byari'' won the National Film Award for Best Film in 2011. This is the first feature film to be made in the Beary language.
Biography
Suveeran is a native of Azhiyur, ...
. ''Naga'' was a combination of myth, superstition, fact, and fantasy. It was premiered at the Parish Hall of St. George Church, Kalady on 9 August 2015.
Goodwill and brand ambassador
Mohanlal has been a
goodwill ambassador
Goodwill ambassador is a post-nominal honorific title, a professional occupation and/or authoritative designation that is assigned to a person who advocates for a specific cause or global issue on the basis of their notability such as a public ...
for the government and other
nonprofit organisation
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
s, mainly for public service ads and humanitarian causes. In March 2007, he was made the goodwill ambassador of the
AIDS
Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...
awareness campaign by Kerala AIDS Control Society, for which he acted in short awareness videos. In October 2009, Mohanlal was appointed as the goodwill ambassador of Kerala State Athletics by the Kerala State Athletics Association. In March 2010, Mohanlal accepted the plea of the
Department of Industries and Commerce
Department may refer to:
* Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility
Government and military
*Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
of the
Government of Kerala
Government of Kerala is the subnational government of the Indian state of Kerala. The government is led by a chief minister, who selects all the other ministers. The chief minister and their most senior ministers belong to the supreme decision ...
to be designated as the goodwill ambassador of Kerala's
handloom
A loom is a device used to weave cloth and tapestry. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the warp threads under tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads. The precise shape of the loom and its mechanics may vary, but th ...
industries. In July 2015, the Government of Kerala made him the Goodwill ambassador of "Subhayatra 2015", a project developed to create awareness about traffic rules. He was appointed as the Goodwill ambassador of "Mrithasanjeevani" in September 2016, another project by the Government of Kerala aimed at promoting
organ donation
Organ donation is the process when a person allows an organ of their own to be removed and transplanted to another person, legally, either by consent while the donor is alive or dead with the assent of the next of kin.
Donation may be for re ...
in the state. In January 2021, he was appointed as the goodwill ambassador of the
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...
eradication campaign by the Kerala government's health department.
He has also appeared in several television commercials and advertisements for
Malabar Gold and Diamonds
Malabar Gold and Diamonds is a BIS certified Indian jewellery group headquartered in Kozhikode, Kerala, India. It was founded by M. P. Ahammed in the year 1993. The company has more than 260 showrooms across 10 countries at present which mak ...
, Oceanus etc. Mohanlal was the first
movie star
A movie star (also known as a film star or cinema star) is an actor or actress who is famous for their starring, or leading, roles in movies. The term is used for performers who are marketable stars as they become popular household names and w ...
in India to endorse the ubiquitous dhoti after he was made the brand ambassador of MCR in 2001. MCR manufactured 30,000 coloured dhotis which had been featured in the film ''Narasimham'' (2000), which was a market success. He continues to be the chief brand ambassador of MCR. Mohanlal signed as the brand ambassador of Kanan Devan in 2002, a
tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of '' Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and northe ...
brand owned by the
Tata Global Beverages
Tata Consumer Products is an Indian fast-moving consumer goods company and a part of the Tata Group. Its registered office is located in Kolkata while its corporate headquarters is in Mumbai. It is the world's second-largest manufacturer and di ...
. His contract was renewed after its
rebranding
Rebranding is a marketing strategy in which a new name, term, symbol, design, concept or combination thereof is created for an established brand with the intention of developing a new, differentiated identity in the minds of consumers, investors ...
in 2014. In July 2010,
LG Electronics
LG Electronics Inc. () is a South Korean multinational electronics company headquartered in Yeouido-dong, Seoul, South Korea. LG Electronics is a part of LG Corporation, the fourth largest '' chaebol'' in South Korea, and often considered a ...
India enlisted Mohanlal for the endorsement of the brand's
Onam
Onam ( ) is an annual Indian harvest festival celebrated predominantly by the Hindus of Kerala. A major annual event for Keralites, it is the official festival of the state and includes a spectrum of cultural events.
Onam commemorates Vamana ...
festival offers for Kerala customers lasting till September 2010. In the same year, he was signed as the brand ambassador in the state for Manappuram Finance Ltd., a
non-banking financial company
A non-banking financial institution (NBFI) or non-bank financial company (NBFC) is a financial institution that does not have a full banking license or is not supervised by a national or international banking regulatory agency. NBFC facilitate ba ...
. Mohanlal endorsed the
coconut oil
frameless , right , alt = A cracked coconut and a bottle of coconut oil
Coconut oil (or coconut butter) is an edible oil derived from the wick, meat, and milk of the coconut palm fruit. Coconut oil is a white solid fat; in warmer climates duri ...
Tata Sky
Tata Play (stylised as TΛTΛ PLΛY, formerly TΛTΛ , sky) is an Indian direct broadcast satellite (DTH) service provider using MPEG-4 digital compression technology, transmitting using INSAT-4A and GSAT-10 satellite. Incorporated in 2005; it ...
announced Mohanlal as its brand endorser for its Kerala market. Mohanlal, along with
Milkha Singh
Milkha Singh (20 November 1929 18 June 2021), also known as The Flying Sikh, was an Indian track and field sprinter who was introduced to the sport while serving in the Indian Army. He is the only athlete to win gold at 400 metres at the A ...
and
P. T. Usha
Pilavullakandi Thekkeraparambil Usha (born 27 June 1964) is a retired Indian track and field athlete. She was born in Kuthali, Kozhikode, Kerala. She has been associated with Indian athletics since 1979. She has won 4 Asian gold medals and 7 S ...
were the brand ambassadors of the event Kochi International Half Marathon in 2013, a
half marathon
A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish or shortcu ...
organised by
Kochi Municipal Corporation
The Kochi Municipal Corporation is the municipal corporation that manages the Indian city of Kochi (also known as Cochin) in the state of Kerala. Municipal Corporation mechanism in India was introduced during British Rule with formation of muni ...
and Push Integrated Communication Pvt Ltd., He continued in its second edition in 2014, along with
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
er
Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh (born 3 July 1980) is a member of parliament in Rajya Sabha and an Indian retired cricketer and cricket commentator, who played for the Indian national cricket team from 1998 - 2016. Singh was a right-arm spin bowler. In India ...
. In May 2016, as part of expanding its market to the
South India
South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territo ...
n audience, the entertainment company
Hotstar
Disney+ Hotstar (also known as Hotstar) is an Indian brand of subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Novi Digital Entertainment of Disney Star and operated by Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution, both di ...
, which is a platform for
streaming media
Streaming media is multimedia that is delivered and consumed in a continuous manner from a source, with little or no intermediate storage in network elements. ''Streaming'' refers to the delivery method of content, rather than the content it ...
and
video on demand
Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos without a traditional video playback device and the constraints of a typical static broadcasting schedule. In the 20th century, broadcasting in the form of o ...
, announced Mohanlal as its brand ambassador for its Malayalam contents. He endorsed its six-week multimedia campaign on television, print, outdoor and
digital
Digital usually refers to something using discrete digits, often binary digits.
Technology and computing Hardware
*Digital electronics, electronic circuits which operate using digital signals
**Digital camera, which captures and stores digital i ...
medias.
Business and other ventures
Mohanlal has started and associated with several business ventures related to film production and distribution, restaurants and packaged spices among others. He co-owned a production company during the 1980s, Casino, along with Mammootty, I.V. Sasi, Seema and Century Kochumon. The production house produced commercially successful films such as Nadodikkattu, Gandhi Nagar 2nd Street, Adiyozhukkukal and Karimpin Poovinakkare. He owns
Maxlab Cinemas and Entertainments
Maxlab Cinemas and Entertainments is an Indian film distribution and production company established in 2009 by actor-producer Mohanlal, producer Antony Perumbavoor and industrialist K. C. Babu. Since then, it has distributed several films in Ma ...
pre
Pre or PRE may refer to:
Places
*Preston railway station, UK National Rail code PRE
*Prince Edward station, on Hong Kong's MTR
People
*Steve Prefontaine (1951–1975), an American runner nicknamed "Pre"
Arts, entertainment, and media
*Pre (ba ...
and
post-production
Post-production is part of the process of filmmaking, video production, audio production, and photography. Post-production includes all stages of production occurring after principal photography or recording individual program segments.
The ...
studio headquartered in
Trivandrum
Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...
and a college for dubbing artists at
KINFRA
Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (KINFRA) is a government agency under the government of the Indian state of Kerala headquartered in Thiruvananthapuram. It undertakes development of industrial estates to nurture industria ...
Film and Video Park, Trivandrum. The company's management was later taken over by
Sohan Roy
Sohan Roy is an Indian entrepreneur and film director and producer based at Sharjah. He is the founder, chairman, and CEO of Aries Group of Companies, and a Naval Architect.
Early life and career
Sohan Roy started his career as a Marine eng ...
of Aries Group, which has now been renamed as Aries Vismayas Max. Mohanlal continues to be its brand ambassador. He has produced films under the production house
Pranavam Arts International
Pranavam Arts International (formerly Pranavam Arts or Pranavams International) was an Indian film production and distribution company based in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, founded in 1990 by Indian actor Mohanlal. Since then the company has prod ...
.
He owns restaurants in India and overseas, including a
chain
A chain is a serial assembly of connected pieces, called links, typically made of metal, with an overall character similar to that of a rope in that it is flexible and curved in compression but linear, rigid, and load-bearing in tension. A c ...
in
Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...
called Mohanlal's Tastebuds, established in 2002, and a spices, pickles, condiments, and curry powder brand with the same name launched in February 2004 in the
Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
. From 2007, the Eastern Group owns the majority stake in the brand. In 2006, he opened a
seafood
Seafood is any form of sea life regarded as food by humans, prominently including fish and shellfish. Shellfish include various species of molluscs (e.g. bivalve molluscs such as clams, oysters and mussels, and cephalopods such as octopus an ...
restaurant named The Harbour Market in
Bangalore
Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...
, and a hotel named Travancore Court in
Ernakulam
Ernakulam () is the Central Business District of the city of Kochi in Kerala, India and has lent its name to the Ernakulam district. Many major establishments, including the Kerala High Court, the office of the Kochi Municipal Corporation a ...
. His other business ventures include Uniroyal Marine Exports Limited a
Kozhikode
Kozhikode (), also known in English as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. It has a corporation limit population of 609,224 and a metropolitan population of more than 2 million, making it the second la ...
-based seafood export company, where he is a
non-executive director
A non-executive director (abbreviated to non-exec, NED or NXD), independent director or external director is a member of the board of directors of a corporation, such as a company, cooperative or non-government organization, but not a member of the ...
Thrippunithura
Thrippunithura or Tripunithura (), is a prominent historical and residential region in the City of Kochi in Kerala, India. Located about 7 km (4 mi) from the city centre, Tripunithura was the capital of the erstwhile Kingdom of Cochin ...
,
Kochi
Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...
performing arts
The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which are the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. Perform ...
and music established in 2009. He is an
independent director
An independent director (also sometimes known as an outside director) is a member of a board of directors who does not have a material or pecuniary relationship with company or related persons, except sitting fees. In the United States, indepe ...
of Clenergen India Private Limited, a company for production and supply of
biomass
Biomass is plant-based material used as a fuel for heat or electricity production. It can be in the form of wood, wood residues, energy crops, agricultural residues, and waste from industry, farms, and households. Some people use the terms bi ...
feedstock for biomass
gasification
Gasification is a process that converts biomass- or fossil fuel-based carbonaceous materials into gases, including as the largest fractions: nitrogen (N2), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen (H2), and carbon dioxide (). This is achieved by reacting ...
.
In 2009, Mohanlal, along with
Priyadarshan
Priyadarshan (born 30 January 1957) is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer who works predominantly in Malayalam and Hindi films, while also having done six films in Tamil and two films in Telugu. He has done about 31 films in Hi ...
, tried to bid for an
Indian Premier League
The Indian Premier League (IPL), also known as TATA IPL for sponsorship reasons, is a men's T20 franchise cricket league of India. It is annually contested by ten teams based out of seven Indian cities and three Indian states. The leagu ...
(IPL)
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
team based in
Kochi
Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...
; they withdrew the bid on failing to source enough funds after a change in rules was introduced. Mohanlal was the captain of the
Kerala Strikers
The Celebrity Cricket League (CCL) is an amateur men's cricket league in India. It consists of nine teams of film actors from nine major regional film industries of Indian cinema. The league commenced in 2011. Salman Khan is Brand Ambassador f ...
team in the
Celebrity Cricket League
The Celebrity Cricket League (CCL) is an amateur men's cricket league in India. It consists of nine teams of film actors from nine major regional film industries of Indian cinema. The league commenced in 2011. Salman Khan is Brand Ambassador f ...
(CCL) held in 2012 and 2013.
Escape art
In 2008, Mohanlal secretly underwent 18 months of
escape artist
Escapology is the practice of escaping from restraints or other traps. Escapologists (also classified as escape artists) escape from handcuffs, straitjackets, cages, coffins, steel boxes, barrels, bags, burning buildings, fish-tanks, and oth ...
training under famous magician
Gopinath Muthukad
Gopinath Muthukad (born 10 April 1964) is an Indian magician and motivational speaker from Kerala. He employs magic as a medium to convey his messages to public. Muthukad founded the world's first magic academy, The Academy of Magical Science ...
. He had planned to perform a stunt called "Burning Illusion" in
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...
. However, due to pressure from various quarters including his fans, the act was cancelled later on criticisms and allegations that it is extremely dangerous. The event was jointly organised by the
Kerala Police
The Kerala Police is the law enforcement agency for the Indian state of Kerala. Kerala Police has its headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital. The motto of the force is "Mridhu Bhave Dhrida Kruthye" which means "Soft in Temperamen ...
, State Tourism Department and the Kerala State Youth Welfare Board. The open-air "fire escape" stunt, which should have been held at the
Chandrasekharan Nair Stadium
Chandrasekharan Nair Stadium is a prominent football stadium situated in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. The stadium, also known as Police Stadium and the stadium was constructed in honor of the first Inspector-general of police of Kerala
...
, was a curtain-raiser for the four-day "Vismayam 2008", an international convention in which nearly 1,000 magicians from across the world took part. The meet started on 1 May. In the stunt, he was to be handcuffed and the whole body wrapped in chains with the keys in the hands of dignitaries watching the show. The actor would then be put inside a box, which would be then thrown into a ball of fire from where he had to escape.
The news shocked and split the magician community in Kerala. Before the commencement of the act, the internationally acclaimed magician Samraj advised Mohanlal against performing the stunt. Samraj approached the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) with a memorandum signed by 300 magicians, requesting it to urge Mohanlal to withdraw from the performance. AMMA president and actor
Innocent
Innocence is a lack of guilt, with respect to any kind of crime, or wrongdoing. In a legal context, innocence is to the lack of legal guilt of an individual, with respect to a crime. In other contexts, it is a lack of experience.
In relation ...
, requested that Mohanlal withdraw from the stunt to avoid endangering himself. He said: "Mohanlal is a pillar of the Malayalam film industry; he has no right to go and do such a risky show". The stunt was also to inspire the youth to overcome debacles in life with sheer determination. Briefing about the act in the press conference organised in
Trivandrum
Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...
, Mohanlal said: "The risk factor is fifty-fifty for the escape act. I hope that I can make it with the blessings of all". About the objective of the act, the
Merlin Award
The International Magicians Society (IMS) is a magic (illusion), magic society created by Tony Hassini to "help promote and preserve the art of magic and provide a format where magicians could share their secrets and ideas." The society gives its o ...
-winning magician
Gopinath Muthukad
Gopinath Muthukad (born 10 April 1964) is an Indian magician and motivational speaker from Kerala. He employs magic as a medium to convey his messages to public. Muthukad founded the world's first magic academy, The Academy of Magical Science ...
said: "Counted as one of the most dangerous acts, the "Burning Illusion" will find Mohanlal inspiring the youth to overcome debacles in life with sheer determination. He has been practising for a while to perfect it".
In 2014, the actor decided to perform a risk-free item for the inaugural function of Magic Planet, a magic-themed complex at
Kinfra Film and Video Park
Kinfra Film and Video Park is India’s first Infotainment Industrial Park. It is also the first SEZ in India for animation and gaming. It is situated in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala State. The Park is a fully owned subsidiary of K ...
in
Kazhakoottam
Kazhakoottam is a major suburb in the capital city of Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala state, India. The largest IT Park of the country in terms of developed area Technopark along with Technocity an upcoming integrated IT township is situated here. ...
,
Trivandrum
Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...
. It was a project of the Academy of Magical Sciences, founded by his teacher, the internationally acclaimed magician
Gopinath Muthukad
Gopinath Muthukad (born 10 April 1964) is an Indian magician and motivational speaker from Kerala. He employs magic as a medium to convey his messages to public. Muthukad founded the world's first magic academy, The Academy of Magical Science ...
. The function was inaugurated by the then sitting
Chief Minister of Kerala
The chief minister of Kerala is the chief executive of the Indian state of Kerala. In accordance with the Constitution of India, the governor is a state's ''de jure'' head, but ''de facto'' executive authority rests with the chief minister. Fol ...
Oommen Chandy
Oommen Chandy, , (born 31 October 1943) is an Indian politician and statesman who served as the Chief Minister of Kerala for two terms, from 2004 to 2006 and again from 2011 to 2016. He was also Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Legislative ...
and the first magic performance was done by Mohanlal. In the trick, he lifted a girl on air.
Opposition Leader
The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...
V. S. Achuthanandan
Velikkakathu Sankaran Achuthanandan (born 20 October 1923) is an Indian Communist politician who was the Chief Minister of Kerala from 2006 to 2011. At 82, he is the oldest person to have assumed the office. He served as the chairman of Admin ...
along with other supreme leaders and high-profile international magicians were present at the function.
In the media
Mohanlal has been described in the Indian media as one of the most versatile actors and has been lauded for his natural acting style.Ram Gopal Varma ki.. Aag! . Indiatimes.com. August 2007. Retrieved on 6 May 2012. Mohanlal is also known by his pet name "Lalettan".
Reader's Digest
''Reader's Digest'' is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wi ...
India described him in 2004 as "cinema's jack of all trades and master of many". He was also listed 80th in India's Most Trusted Persons, in a survey conducted by Reader's Digest in 2010. Director
Ram Gopal Varma
Penmetsa Ram Gopal Varma (born 7 April 1962), often referred to by his initials RGV, is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer, known for his works in Telugu cinema in addition to Bollywood, Hindi, Kannada cinema, Kannada language ...
has described Mohanlal as "one of the finest actors in the country who can slip into any role easily".
In 2003, on the 25th anniversary of Mohanlal's film career, a week-long celebration and a stage show were held in
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...
, by his fans and friends. The proceeds from the stage show were donated to charity. Malayalam television channels
Asianet Asianet may refer to:
Disney Star channels
*Asianet Communications, an Indian media company wholly owned by Disney Star
**Asianet (TV channel), a Malayalam language general entertainment channel
**Asianet Plus, a Malayalam language general entertai ...
and Surya TV also held separate stage shows to celebrate the anniversary.
Mohanlal has often been accused in the media of causing a crisis in Malayalam cinema due to the "superstar" effect. In 2005, 95 percent of box-office gross in Malayalam cinema came from Mohanlal, Mammootty, and Dileep films. He had been criticized for the high remuneration, preference for formulaic content and larger-than-life male-oriented roles that characterized most of his movies during that period. Mohanlal's many
fan club
A fans club is an organized group of fans, generally of a celebrity. Most fans clubs are run by fans who devote considerable time and resources to support them. There are also "official" fan clubs that are run by someone associated with the per ...
s which are present throughout Kerala help in creating a buzz around new releases and ensure a good opening in movie screens, a crucial factor to the success of films in Kerala.
In 2007, some social activists protested against Mohanlal for appearing in a
whisky
Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Various grains (which may be malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden c ...
commercial, to which he responded that it is unfair to single him out when so many other Indian actors do the same. In 2010, during a public spat between actor
Thilakan
Palappurathu Kesavan Surendranatha Thilakan (15 July 1935 – 24 September 2012) was an Indian film and stage actor who appeared in over 200 Malayalam films. Thilakan was known for his elaborate method acting, realistic and spontaneous appearan ...
social critic
Social criticism is a form of academic or journalistic criticism focusing on social issues in contemporary society, in particular with respect to perceived injustices and power relations in general.
Social criticism of the Enlightenment
The orig ...
Sukumar Azhikode
Koloth Thattarath Sukumaran, popularly known as Sukumar Azhikode (26 May 1926 – 24 January 2012) was an Indian academic, orator, critic and writer of Malayalam literature, known for his contributions to Malayalam language and insights on Indian ...
supported Thilakan and criticized leading Malayalam stars, urging them to step aside since they are old, especially mentioning Mohanlal, that he is "a hypocrite who hid his advancing age to act with younger heroines". Mohanlal responded that Azhikode might be having "hallucinations" and is ignoring it as a joke. This led to further personal remarks by Azhikode against Mohanlal. The two later sorted things out. Azhikode watched Mohanlal's ''
Pranayam
''Pranayam'' () is a 2011 Indian Malayalam-language romantic drama film written and directed by Blessy. The film stars Mohanlal, Jaya Prada, and Anupam Kher. The plot revolves around the love bound between the characters of Mathews (Mohanlal), ...
'' in the theatre and praised his performance, Mohanlal also visited him on his death bed in 2012.
The forest department filed a case against Mohanlal for keeping an elephant tusk at his home, under the
Wildlife Protection Act, 1972
The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 is an Act of the Parliament of India enacted for protection of plants and animal species. Before 1972, India had only five designated national parks. Among other reforms, the Act established scheduled pr ...
. The case was first dismissed by a local Court in
Perumbavoor
Perumbavoor (, Malayalam: പെരുമ്പാവൂർ) is a historic place located at Bank of Periyar (Poorna River) in Ernakulam District in the Indian state of Kerala. It is a part of the Kochi metropolitan area It lies in the n ...
and later by the
High Court of Kerala
The High Court of Kerala is the highest court in the Indian state of Kerala and the Union territory of Lakshadweep. It is located in Kochi. Drawing its powers under Article 226 of the Constitution of India, the High Court has the power to issu ...
in 2012. An individual from Thrissur filed a petition that the officials had gone out of the way to favour Mohanlal. It was alleged in the petition that the actor and former minister
K. B. Ganesh Kumar
Keezhoote Balakrishna Pillai Ganesh Kumar (born 25 May 1966) is an Indian actor, television host, and politician. Ganesh Kumar is a proposed cabinet minister for the last 2.5 years in the ongoing 2nd LDF govt in Kerala and he is also the curre ...
and forest officials were trying to save Mohanlal and overthrow the case related to the discovery of four elephant tusks at the actor's house during an income tax raid. The petitioner went to Kerala HC, but the Court dismissed the case and observed that "there was nothing to show that the State government or its officers had acted in favour of the actor. Besides, the petitioner had not been able to point out any illegality or irregularities in the investigation." "Mohanlal's lawyer senior advocate M. K. Damodaran informed the court that police are investigating the case and the final report has not yet been submitted. When the lawyer of the plaintiff mentioned that the tusks are still kept in his house, the defendant's lawyer explained that a receipt for the tusks has been obtained and is kept with Mohanlal". Dismissing the petition, the court criticized the petitioner for approaching the High Court even without inquiring about the present status of the case. "There is no public interest in the petition, but it is aimed only at publicity", the court had held.
Personal life
Mohanlal married Suchitra, daughter of the Tamil film producer
K. Balaji
Krishnamachari Balaji (24 June 19342 May 2009) was an Indian film producer and actor. He was a prominent actor in the 1960s and 70s, playing lead, supporting and antagonist roles. He appeared in many Sivaji Ganesan films.
Early life
Balaji was ...
, on 28 April 1988. The couple has two children –
Pranav Mohanlal
Pranav Mohanlal (born 13 July 1990) is an Indian actor who works in Malayalam films. The son of actor Mohanlal, began his acting career as a child artist in ''Onnaman'' (2002) with his father in the lead role, and won the Kerala State Film Awar ...
and Vismaya Mohanlal. Pranav has acted in a few films, debuting in Mohanlal's ''
Onnaman
''Onnaman'' () is a 2002 Indian Malayalam-language action drama film written and directed by Thampi Kannanthanam and starring Mohanlal, N. F. Varghese, Biju Menon and Ramya Krishnan. The film features original soundtrack composed by S. P. Venkat ...
Rediff.com
Rediff.com (stylized as ''rediff.com'') is an Indian news, information, entertainment and shopping web portal. It was founded in 1996. It is headquartered in Mumbai, with offices in Bangalore, New Delhi and New York City.
, it had more than 300 e ...
(13 April 2002). Retrieved on 6 May 2012. Mohanlal did not object when his son expressed a desire to act, as "kids may have many such ambitions. If we can help them realise something, what is the problem?." He resides in Kochi, where he owns houses at Thevara as well as Elamakkara. He also owns houses in Chennai, his hometown Thiruvananthapuram,
Ooty
Ooty (), officially known as Udhagamandalam (also known as Ootacamund (); abbreviated as Udhagai), is a city and a municipality in the Nilgiris district of the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located north west of Coimbatore and so ...
, Mahabalipuram, a villa in Arabian Ranches and a flat in the
Burj Khalifa
The Burj Khalifa (; ar, برج خليفة, , Khalifa Tower), known as the Burj Dubai prior to its inauguration in 2010, is a skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is known for being the world’s tallest building. With a total height ...
at
Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...
.
Mohanlal is a self-described foodie. He also enjoys melodious music. Mohanlal is a strong believer in destiny and spirituality. He describes himself as a religious and spiritual person, and likes to read
Osho
Rajneesh (born Chandra Mohan Jain; 11 December 193119 January 1990), also known as Acharya Rajneesh, Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, and later as Osho (), was an Indian godman, mystic, and founder of the Rajneesh movement. He was viewed as a controv ...
,
J. Krishnamurti
Jiddu Krishnamurti (; 11 May 1895 – 17 February 1986) was a philosopher, speaker and writer. In his early life, he was groomed to be the new Maitreya (Theosophy)#The World Teacher Project, World Teacher, an advanced Spirituality, spiritual po ...
,
Aurobindo
Sri Aurobindo (born Aurobindo Ghose; 15 August 1872 – 5 December 1950) was an Indian philosopher, yogi, maharishi, poet, and Indian nationalist. He was also a journalist, editing newspapers such as ''Vande Mataram''. He joined the ...
and
Ramana Maharshi
Ramana Maharshi (; 30 December 1879 – 14 April 1950) was an Indian Hindu sage and ''jivanmukta'' (liberated being). He was born Venkataraman Iyer, but is mostly known by the name Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi.
He was born in Tiruchuli, Ta ...
. He has often stated that the turn of events in his life, including his film career, was accidental.
In August 2021, Mohanlal received
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
's
golden visa
Immigrant investor programs are programs that allow individuals to more quickly obtain residence or citizenship of a country in return for making qualifying investments.
Broadly, the programs offer either citizenship by investment ("golden pass ...
.
Filmography and discography
Mohanlal's career spans four decades, during which he has acted in over 340 films and produced and co-produced films under three production housesCasino Films, Cheers Films, and
Pranavam Arts International
Pranavam Arts International (formerly Pranavam Arts or Pranavams International) was an Indian film production and distribution company based in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, founded in 1990 by Indian actor Mohanlal. Since then the company has prod ...
. He works predominantly in
Malayalam cinema
Malayalam cinema is an Indian film industry of Malayalam-language motion pictures. It is based in Kochi, Kerala, India. The films produced in Malayalam cinema are known for their cinematography and story-driven plots. In 1982, ''Elippathayam' ...
, his acting credits also include some
Bollywood
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...
,
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nati ...
,
Telugu
Telugu may refer to:
* Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India
*Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India
* Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language
** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode
S ...
and
Kannada
Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...
films. Mohanlal has occasionally acted in some professional plays and has also appeared in a few short films. He has recorded over 31 songs, most of them for the films in which he has acted. In television, Mohanlal hosted the reality show the first season of ''
Bigg Boss
''Bigg Boss'' is an Indian reality television game show franchise based on the Dutch reality show '' Big Brother''. It is produced by Endemol Shine India through Viacom18 and Disney Star. Subsequently, the various versions of the show are made ...
'' (2018) on
Asianet Asianet may refer to:
Disney Star channels
*Asianet Communications, an Indian media company wholly owned by Disney Star
**Asianet (TV channel), a Malayalam language general entertainment channel
**Asianet Plus, a Malayalam language general entertai ...
In a career spanning near forty years, Mohanlal has received numerous accolades and honours both competitive and honorary, among them are five
National Film Awards
The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorat ...
, nine
Kerala State Film Award
The Kerala State Film Awards are the film awards for a motion picture made in Kerala. The awards started in 1969 by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala and since 1998 the awards have been bestowed by Kerala State Cha ...
s and
Filmfare Awards South
Filmfare Awards South is the South Indian segment of the annual Filmfare Awards, presented by the Filmfare magazine of The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Indian film industry encompassing ...
. The
Government of India
The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...
honoured him with
Padma Shri
Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...
, India's fourth-highest civilian honour in 2001 and
Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...
, the third-highest civilian honour in 2019, for his contributions to the arts. He was conferred with
honorary Doctor of Letters
Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Doctor ...
by
Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit
The Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit (SSUS) is a Sanskrit university in India established in 1993 in Kalady, Kerala. It provides education in Sanskrit, other Indian and Foreign languages, Social science and fine arts. It is accredited ...
in 2010, and the
University of Calicut
The University of Calicut, also known as Calicut University, is a State ownership, state-run public university headquartered at Tenhipalam in Malappuram district of the state of Kerala, India. Established in 1968, it is the first university to ...
in 2018.
In 2008, while filming for ''
Kurukshetra
Kurukshetra (, ) is a city and administrative headquarter of Kurukshetra district in the Indian state of Haryana. It is also known as Dharmakshetra ("Realm of duty ") and as the "Land of the Bhagavad Gita".
Legends
According to the Pura ...
'', in which he plays an
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...
officer, Mohanlal expressed his interest to join the Territorial Army of India. But he could not, as men above the age of 42 are not eligible to join the volunteer force. On 9 July 2008, he was formally inducted to the Territorial Army in the honorary rank of
Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...
by then Army Chief Deepak Kapoor. He is the first actor to receive the honour. In 2012, he was bestowed with an honorary title of
Black belt
Black Belt may refer to:
Martial arts
* Black belt (martial arts), an indication of attainment of expertise in martial arts
* ''Black Belt'' (magazine), a magazine covering martial arts news, technique, and notable individuals
Places
* Black B ...
in
Taekwondo
''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast kicking techniques. T ...
from
Kukkiwon
Kukkiwon (), also known as World Taekwondo Headquarters, and home of the World Taekwondo Academy, is where the official taekwondo governing organization was established by the South Korean government.Min, B.-H. (2005)Kukkiwon, the spiritual home ...
,
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
. He is the first
South India
South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territo ...